TBWA\WHYBIN NEW ZEALAND WINS PROMO GRAND PRIX

In a major coup for New Zealand, the Cannes Promo Grand Prix went to TBWA\Whybin Auckland for the New Zealand Rugby Union/Adidas’ ‘Bonded by Blood’ campaign.
New Zealand picked up four other Promo Lions while Australia won three. Because this is only the second year for the Promo Lions, entries have not reached the critical mass, which would see awards divided into Gold, Silver and Bronze. Australia entered 32 Promo Lions and New Zealand 21. In total, there were 786 entries, up from 622 entries in 2006.
New Zealand and Australia between them picked up eight of the 21 Promo Lions awarded.
Andy Blood, executive creative director of TBWA\Whybin Auckland, said that he was completely shocked to pick up the Grand Prix: “I am shocked, stunned, and completely mindblown,” he told the Blog by phone from New Zealand. Blood is in the middle of a major pitch preventng him from flying to Cannes, but on hearing the news broke open the champagne. The award was accepted by the agency’s Corey Chalmers who had already stepped in for him as a judge on the direct jury.
TBWA\Whybin also won a Promo Lion for ASB’s integrated campaign for its online service Pago. Other winners were Clemenger BBDO Wellington for the New Zealand Netherlands Foundation’s ‘World Press Photo Exhibition’ and Ogilvy Auckland for Soul Bar ‘The Bet’.
For Australia, George Patterson Y&R Melbourne won a Promo Lion for Cricket Australia 'Big Warnie;, while two Promo Lions went to Leo Burnett Sydney’s ‘Earth Hour’ initiative, which encouraged Australians to turn off their lights for an hour on March 31 as a conservation message. However, it was excluded from winning the Grand Prix because Cannes rules prohibits charities from winning the Grand Prix.
Jane Canapini, managing creative director of Capital C Communications in Canada, says ‘Earth Hour’ is an idea that is not only relevant to Australia, but is an idea that can travel the world.
“What I really liked about it that as an idea it is doing something good. I know that it is for public service, but we felt it was a really really big idea,” she says. It was also commended for suiting the categories it was entered in.
Overall, Asia put in a comparatively average performance with only five Promo Lions across the whole region. Japan won two – Dentsu Y&R Tokyo’s ‘No Pain, No Gain’ for the North Face and Hakuhodo Tokyo for Matsushita Electric’s ‘Manned Airplane Project’. India won one Promo Lion for JWT Mumbai for The Vegetarian Society’s ‘Nodding Bull’. Publicis Singapore won for Nike ‘Stadium’ while BBDO Bangkok won for Home Product Centre’s ‘Anyone can sell’.