THE CAXTONS GETS A MAKEOVER
In preparation for the 33rd year, The Caxton Awards were re-launched at an event in Sydney tonight (Tuesday).
The aim of the Caxton Awards and weekend is to stimulate the creative community and recognise great newspaper advertising.
Earlier this year, the organisational responsibilities for the Caxtons were transferred from News Limited, Fairfax and West Australian Newspapers, to the new industry marketing group, The Newspaper Works.
Says Tom Moult (pictured), chairman of the Caxton Committee: “The Caxtons are the longest running awards in Australia and the involvement of The Newspaper Works signals the start of an exciting new era.”
Tony Hale, CEO of The Newspaper Works, said the Caxtons were a wonderful asset for the newspaper industry.
“It is incredibly important for the newspaper industry to recognise, reward and encourage the creative community on the fundamental basis that better creative leads to greater advertising effectiveness.”
Moult revealed that the creative committee had been expanded to include Melbourne based Paul Catmur, ECD of Y&R Australia and NZ, Rebecca Carrasco, creative at Lowe Hunt, Sydney and Russell Smyth, CD of The Campaign Palace, Sydney and then unveiled several new initiatives designed to extend the presence of The Caxton’s in the creative industry to further promote newspaper creative all year round.
A new bi-monthly contest referred to the “Could Be a Caxton” was announced. Newspaper ads that have appeared over the previous 2 months will be judged by highly regarded and awarded creatives. The creators (primary art director and copywriter) of each ”Could Be a Caxton” winner will receive tickets to the Caxton Weekend and the work will be profiled in the trade press and be automatically entered into the annual Caxton Awards.
Moult also announced the 2007 Caxton weekend location, date and reduced delegate cost. The weekend will be held in the ever popular Byron Bay, at the Byron at Byron Resort from 26th-28th October. Delegate fees have been reduced by approximately 25%, making it even more affordable to attend.
Hale then announced the launch of a Caxton website designed to provide the industry with information about the Caxton Awards, its history, past winners, Call for Entry details and the Caxton Weekend. The website will also act as a resource tool, providing information about breaking newspaper creative campaigns, both locally and overseas, links to industry websites and a supplier marketplace section for creative services.
The website will be live on 27th April at www.thecaxtonawards.com.au
Further details about “The Could Be a Caxton” eligibility and how to enter can also be found on the new website.
The Caxton Awards look forward to your support throughout the year and urge you to visit the new website to keep updated with Call for Entry open and close dates, the bi-monthly “Could Be a Caxton” winners, details of weekend speakers and examples of new great newspaper advertising.
posted by CB @ 11:00 PM
9 Comments:
how boring.
a fact: every time a newspaper reader dies, they are not replaced.
why doesn't the caxton just become an online award? that's where the news is really being consumed.
Bugger! David just pipped me to the post. Kinda.
The average 20 year old doesn't read newspapers. Well not the paper based versions anyway.
Perhaps it's time the Caxtons was expanded to included advertising on Newspaper websites, age.com.au, smh.com.au etc.
It is 2007 after all.
It was inevitable - the Caxtons answer to their problems is yet another award that gets you entry into another award, The Caxtons. Reminds me of a couple of years ago when the Radio industry called in creative heavies from all over the country to come up with some ideas to help them promote the medium better. And their answer? You guessed it - another award. Is that our only answer to everyhing -another bloody award? Newspapers don't have a problem, advertising does!
Who gives a flying fuck what 20 year-olds think, except other 20 year-olds? You're barely out of skool, you know nothing and are hardly in a position to pontificate. Get some perspective, and some humility.
You're all a bunch of ignorant pricks! You should give a fuck 9.43. As it will more than likely be us 20-year-olds you'll be answering to in a couple of years time. And as for us not reading newspapers, you're wrong. Most of are not only reading the newspapers, wer're writing them too! Ha!
I'm 20-something and I read the paper every weekend, cover to cover, while recovering from a hangover. I would read one at work if I had the time. My sister's 21 and reads the paper cover to cover, and spends up to 8-10 hours a day online.
Its very patronising to put young people into a paradigm shift basket.
If the caxtons / papers want to keep papers popular give young people fantastic subscription based services at next to zero cost – which is of course offset by the advertising revenue generated from more subscribers. News Ltd do a fantastic deal with university students and should expand that across the whole 'Gen-Y' market.
10:35, I doubt you're capable of writing anything more complicated than a text message with your limited grasp of the English language and appaling grammar.
It's 9: 34 here.
Mercifully, I will never be reporting to the likes of you. You see, I have taken permanent leave from the advertising caper after a very successful career which spanned four decades.
I applaud any kiddie who can string a few words together, but it's such a rarity these days. If you are indeed contributing to the newspapers, more power to you. But be honest, you don't contribute articles, do you? Blog comments possibly. Well, it's a start.
It's great that the exciting new technologies which have allowed anyone with a computer and/or a phone to become a producer of media, not merely a consumer of it.
Unfortunately however, both the level of literacy and the ability to articulate a position in writing are sorely missing from the clumsy, witless invective of most 20somethings.
Small wonder then that the trend in print advertising is mostly for wordless ads.
And most of the comments on this blog are little more than primordial grunting.
Have a nice life.
The Caxtons need to find their relevance in the contemporary market.
If they continue to only look at newspaper ads in isolation of a broader idea, they're just going to die. They need a category that recognises the role newspaper can play in an integrated campaign.
They also need to embrace some fresh new judges from both sides of the Tasman, rather than the same old guard of middle-aged males from Australia.
I wnet to the Caxtons last year. Shame more kiwis didnt. I was embarrassed by how few. But as a first timer it was great. I was inspired by the amazing speech by Sean Cummings. It was worth the price of admission , the hangover and not winning awards. It was a tour de force.
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