While Australia only won two Lions in this year's Radio category, the 'Repellent Radio' Grand Prix winner from Brazil might provide local marketers and agencies with lessons on how to move the industry forward.
From Australia, Earphone Bully’s ‘Bully’ campaign entered by Eardrum Australia won a Gold, while a Bronze was awarded to a Diageo campaign by Leo Burnett Sydney, for two executions, ‘Butterfly’ and ‘Pig’.
This year’s tally is down on Australia’s five Lions from last year.
However, jury member and Leo Burnett executive creative director, Jason Williams, said the Grand Prix winner should serve as inspiration for the Australian market.
The top gong was awarded to a campaign for Go Outside Magazine in Brazil called ‘Repellent Radio’, created by Talent Sao Paulo. The brand partnered with a radio station and emitted an audio signal undetectable to the human ear, which keeps mosquitoes at bay.
Williams said: “This was innovative and will effect people via the radio, so everyone was proud to put it up as a piece of inspiration to remind people radio can still be innovative. Too often you can fall into the trap of seeing radio as a standard vehicle to get across standard message.
“What’s inspiring about the Grand Prix is the fact that it’s the stuff we’re not thinking of, it’s innovation in this category that makes you think about how radio works. It’s the genuine stuff that is good thinking and reinvents radio, which is what I would encourage Australians to look at.”
Williams said no Australian work was particularly impressive.
“There weren’t many shortlisted Aussie entries. The work is good, its not great. Earphone Bully deserved the Gold, but I would have liked to have seen more Australian work.”
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