NZ Axis Awards: Clemenger BBDO takes out Grand Axis; DDB Group named Creative Agency of the Year with three Grand Prix Awards
At a sell-out event at Sky City Convention Centre in Auckland, New Zealand last night an 800 strong crowd came together at the annual Axis Awards to celebrate the NZ industry’s best creative work of the past year.
The highly coveted Grand Axis was awarded to Clemenger BBDO, Wellington for its NZTA film ‘Mistakes’. The trophy will sit alongside the Grand Prix the film was awarded in Screen Content and Craft and the other two Gold Axis awards Clemenger BBDO received on the night. Method Studios and Finch also benefiting from this piece of work with their Golds in the Craft category for Editing and Direction.
DDB picked up eight golds and three Grand Prix Awards, resulting in DDB Group being named Creative Agency of the Year (calculated on points awarded for finalists and/or metal won on the night). Pictured left at Axis last night: DDB chief creative officer Damon Stapleton (left) and ECD Shane Bradnick (far left)
Other big winners included Saatchi & Saatchi with five Gold Awards with the Tui ‘Catch a million’ campaign winning Gold in PR and activation, Direct and Out of Home and also picking up the coveted Integrated Axis.
Colenso BBDO took out 2 Golds for Breast Cream snd for K9FM Radio while Special won Gold for Smirnoff with their Instagram Your Fridge campaign in Direct.
Creative business of the Year went to Lion and The Sweet Shop celebrated four consecutive years in being named Production Company of the Year!
Jeremy Taine (right) was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award for his incredible career and was a highlight of the evening with a standing ovation.
The Executive Judging Panel awarded the Emerging Talent Axis to Liz Richards and Nick Dellabarca from DDB New Zealand who both demonstrated outstanding talent
TVNZ’s Axis Student Challenge Award went to Matt Halliday and Reammon Thomas-Dudding from AUT .
Jeremy Craigen from DDB London, Matty Burton from Special Sydney and Mark Harricks from VCCP Sydney flew into Auckland earlier in the week, and joined the five local Jury Presidents on the Executive Judging Panel. Their role was to award the final metal which included a total of 27 gold category Axis Awards. They enjoyed the work and noted that there was a high standard of very good work which should represent New Zealand well on the world stage.
“Axis has always been the pivotal moment in the New Zealand creative calendar because it is a celebration of our best creative work; the work our industry is most proud of because it has broken the rules, permeates popular culture and influences behavioural change, and the winners this year are all great examples of those attributes,” said Paul Head, CEO of CAANZ.