SEVEN LIONS FOR AUSTRALIA IN DIRECT LIONS

Australia has walked away with seven Lions in direct - two Silver and five Bronze. And Clemenger BBDO Wellington won one of only nine Gold Lions handed out in Direct for Land Transport New Zealand’s ‘Phone Legends’. In total, New Zealand won three Direct Lions, also picking up two Bronze.
The Grand Prix went to Spain for Shackleton Madrid for Banco Gallego’s ‘Lopetegui Deposit’. Australia’s best bet for the Grand Prix has traditionally been in Direct which Host won in 2004 for Virgin Mobile’s 'Warren’ and Young & Rubicam Sydney won in 2003 for 1900-9 Jim Beam’.
Australia’s Silvers went to Saatchi & Saatchi Sydney for Olympus ‘Here’s Proof’ and BMF Sydney for Tooheys Extra Dry Platinum Human Testing Program, which also picked up a Bronze. The other Bronze Lions went to DDB Sydney for VW Golf R32 ‘Short Car Songs’, Host for Virgin Mobile’s “Exciting offers need exciting ads’, M&C Saatchi for British Council of Australia’s ‘Poms will Whinge’ and the little known Sydney creative team Hoopernagel for Olympus ‘World’s Smallest Ad’.
New Zealand’s Bronze Lions went to TBWA\Whybin Auckland for Pago for ASB Bank’s online payment service ‘Pago Money Sticker’ and OgilvyOne Auckland for Soul Bar’s ‘The Bet’. In total Australia entered 64 pieces of work in Direct and New Zealand 27.
Paula Keamy, creative director Rapp Collins Melbourne, who sat on the jury, says there’s no ‘LynxJet’ this year, however Australia did well in a diverse range of categories showing the strength of the local industry in direct.
She thinks Australia’s best chance for Gold was TED’s Platinum 'Human Testing Program', which was much talked about during the judging and the breaks. However, it divided the jury with some people loving it and pushing for Gold and others talking it down, which balanced out to Silver and the Bronze.
Keamy also expected the Virgin Money and British Council of Australia work to do better than Bronze. At last year’s ADMA awards ‘Poms will Whinge’ picked up Creative Award of the Year, the Winged Messenger award and three Gold. While the British and Australian contingent explained the cultural context, the humour was possibly lost on the international jury.
Across Asia, Malaysia dominated, winning a Gold Lion for the Arc Worldwide KL ‘Smoke is Poison – Tanker’ for the Paper Recycling Campaign, a Silver Lion for NAGA DDB Selangor for Iseo Asia’s ‘Break-In’, and a Bronze Lion for OgilvyOne KL for IBM Malaysia ‘Small, medium or large’. Other winners were India with two Bronze, one for
Everest Brand Solutions The Soundsmiths Demo CD and O&M Bangalore for Hutch ‘Incidents’. Japan won Bronze for Nike Japan’s ‘Nikecosplay’, and Hong Kong with Bronze for Grey for Amnesty’s ‘Hangman Clothes’.