CLEMS MELBOURNE WINS TOP RADIO SPOT OF THE YEAR

A commercial for Snickers called 'Hoedown', written by Paul Reardon (top left) and Jonas Peterson (bottom Left) from Clemenger BBDO Melbourne, has won the 2007 Gold Siren award for best radio ad of the year, as well as a Silver Siren for winner of the single advertisement category.
The Snickers ad, announced today as winner of the industry’s annual award for creative excellence in radio advertising, will be automatically entered into the Cannes Radio Lions to be held next month. The two-minute spot is the length of an entire ad break on radio and goes against the tradition of shorter, more frequently played radio spots.
The winning commercial can be heard via the following link:
http://www.sirenawards.com.au/winners.cfm
Judge and member of the Siren Creative Council, comprising leading creative directors from national advertising agencies, which judged the Award, and last year’s Gold Siren winner, John Mescall of Smart agency in Melbourne said: “Hoedown won because it started life not as a radio commercial, but as an idea. And it was then brought to life free of the usual constraints most people put on themselves when creating a radio ad (it has to be 30 or 45 seconds, it needs a gag with a voiceover at the end, etc, etc). So it’s different, but still relevant. Which is what we all look for in a good ad, regardless of the medium.”
A series of ads for Boag beer called 'French', 'Teddy Bears' and 'Roses' written by Glenn Dalton and George Freckleton from agency, AJF Partnership in Melbourne won the campaign category and a Silver Siren Award.
Judge Rem Bruijn from agency Make said the three ads in the campaign for J. Boag & Sons were all well executed: “A fresh conceptual premise, nicely written with a soundscape that stands out in the medium for the fact that it is so inviting to listen to. It left me looking forward to hearing the next instalments in the campaign.”
The other winner at today’s presentation included a Silver Siren Award for the 2007 craft category winner, awarded to Song Zu in Sydney for an ad for Commercial Radio Australia called 'Shareholder'. The ad was produced by sound engineer, Rod Enright and written by creative director, Ralph van Dijk.
Judge, Brad Grisaffe of Audiobrien said 'Shareholder' stood out amongst the other craft finalists because of its superb production and execution of the brief: "As a listener, I was transported into the fictitious Annual General Meeting setting…I felt like I was there.”
Chief executive officer of Commercial Radio Australia, Joan Warner said it was very pleasing that one of the industry brand campaign ads had been chosen as a winner in the craft category – which recognised the important role played by sound engineers in making radio ads.
“We have made a conscious effort to push the boundaries in our radio campaign and set an example about what great results can be achieved – which has been recognised today with a Silver Siren,” Ms Warner said.
She said the credibility and importance of the Siren Awards was growing each year. “The Siren Awards provide a fantastic opportunity for excellent Australian radio creative to be recognised both at home and again at Cannes, alongside the world’s best,” Ms Warner said.
This year’s Siren winner is the third in a row from an agency based in Melbourne. Last year’s winner was an ad for Bic Pens called 'Chicken Inseminator', written by John Mescall, Rebecca Newman and Malcolm Chambers from Smart. The inaugural Gold Siren Award winner in 2005 was the Victoria Bitter campaign, written by Josh Stephens and Ben Coulson from George Patterson Partners in Melbourne, with creative director, James McGrath.
The 2007 Gold Siren winner was announced today at a breakfast in Melbourne hosted by popular Austereo drive duo, Hamish and Andy and featuring renowned Australian comedian, John Clarke.
The breakfast was followed by a Masterclass, a creative seminar, also featuring Hamish and Andy and John Clarke as well as the Australian Cannes Radio Lions judge for this year, Ralph van Dijk of Eardrum Australia, who will run several interactive sessions on how to write world-class radio ads. The Masterclass also featured Dr Rebecca Huntley, a researcher and author who will talk about reaching Generation Y effectively.