MARKETING PLAYS OF THE WEEK: Contact teaches kids about swearing, Ogilvy hits with council but misses with Sealord

#1

Agency: JWT

Client: Contact Energy

Contact has put the family couch centre stage, with two kids telling funny stories about their family’s woes. The ad features the kids explaining why their dad had to put money in the swear jar after opening the family’s power bill: “Son of a lady dog!” The listed energy company says the campaign highlights that it understands families and is its changing plans to offer them more flexibility. “Through the role play of children we are able to take on topical and gnarly social and business issues. It’s the child’s guide to an adult world,” says JWT executive creative director Cleve Cameron, who notes that much of the dialogue was improvised on the semi-permanent set. The ‘Sofa Sagas’ campaign will run on TV, radio and online, with ten second shorts for TV3 Weather.

#2

Agency: Ogilvy & Mather

Client: Auckland Council

This charming animated short is Ogilvy & Mather’s last work for Auckland Council before the account goes to DDB. In the spot we see ‘Tin Can’ and ‘Plastic’ fight off the intrusive ‘Meat Tray’ as a way of dramatising how Aucklanders are putting non-recyclable materials in recyclable bins. Ogilvy & Mather creative director Rupert Hancock says the agency was given an open-ended brief and wanted to illustrate the message in a dynamic and graphic way. “With animation you have the opportunity to explain things in a way you can’t do with live action. You can get away with some things because it’s not our world.” The campaign is running on digital, social, TV, outdoor and print until October 22. (This writer confesses to being guilty of putting meat trays and other polystyrene materials in recycling bins but this ad has made me see the error of my ways and I vow to clean up my act from now on.)

#3

Agency: Ogilvy & Mather

Client: Sealord

While Ogilvy & Mather has managed to farewell the council account with a bang, its first ad for the newly-won Sealord advertising account comes up short. This ad features notorious reality TV star and plastic surgery addict Heidi Montag from The Hills. From the opening catwalk sequence until the closing chalkboard-scratching narration, I was cringing as I peeked at the screen through my fingers. Apparently the crowd are not actors but they could have fooled me, while Ms Montag delivers the kind of obvious, forced performance that’s all-too typical of reality-TV stars. “No one should take themselves too seriously and Sealord seems to get that,” she says. The same attitude seems evident in Ogilvy’s effort. The ad follows the good news of Sealord’s win at the New Zealand Food Awards and the bad news of a factory closure, with 220 jobs being slashed.

#4

Agency: Pead PR

Client: NZ Breast Cancer Foundation

From left: Georgia Taylor, Barb Anderson, Ben Buchanan and Dane Tatana from bka Interactive. 

Would your boss paint their hair pink for a good cause? The New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation has added a new iteration of its Pink for a Day campaign (PFAD): ‘Real boss goes PINK.’ The challenge starts with an employee signing up for PFAD and, with colleagues, presenting one of three challenges to the boss. The team makes a pledge to raise a certain amount from the challenge, which the boss has two days to accept or decline (declining will earn the boss the scorn of the NGO). If/when the boss accepts, the challenge is filmed and the video uploaded to either Facebook or Twitter (the social media tags are @NZBCF and #BossGoesPINK). The foundation suggests three challenges: ‘fear factor,’ ‘the impossible’ and ‘silly fun’. ‘Fear factor’ could include sky diving or river rafting in pink. ‘The impossible’ could involve giving something up for the month or a baking challenge. ‘Silly fun’ could see the boss wearing a pink tutu for the day or spraying their hair pink. Pead PR is undertaking a pink paint ball challenge. Ironically Pead PR director Deborah Pead hates pink lipstick. The campaign will run throughout October.

#5

Agency: Clemenger BBDO

Client: Nova Energy

No one likes door-to-door energy company salesman. But I think more people would be receptive to ones that started to sell their product in a rhyming tune. This recent ad was directed by Taika Waititi and is part of Nova Energy’s attempt to increase brand awareness. Over the past three years the company has unified three businesses under one, with more than 100,000 customers. The companies were Bay Of Plenty Energy, Auckland Gas and the existing downstream energy businesses of Todd Energy.

Send marketing plays to: cgibson@nbr.co.nz