Whybin\TBWA\Tequila, Leo Burnett leads agency pack at shortlist stage of 2012 IAB Awards

Whybin\TBWA\Tequila has dominated the finalist list for the 2012 IAB Australia Awards which was announced today, snaring seven finalist spots across the 14 categories.

Leo Burnett Sydney secured five finalists spots; while MediaCom Australia and Ikon Communications each secured four finalist nominations.

The winners will be announced at a ceremony in Sydney on Thursday 19th July 2012 at Sydney Town Hall. Tickets are expected to sell out as in previous years and are now available for purchase from the Awards website. The entry judged as Best in Show Award will gain entry into the IAB’s U.S. MIXX Awards in October 2012.

A further 19 agencies were named by IAB Australia as contenders in the Awards which reward the most innovative and effective online advertising and marketing campaigns run in Australia over the last twelve months.

FMCG has dominated the Awards finalist list, with over a third of the finalists hailing from the category. Tourism has also shown strong growth, as has Government and Not for Profit organisations.

Says Paul Fisher, CEO of IAB Australia: “Once again the judges have commented that the standard of entries was very high, making the competition for the awards intense. All entrants are to be congratulated and in particular these finalists who now vie for the much coveted winners trophies and the ultimate accolade of Best in Show.

“The creativity, strategic thinking, implementation and effectiveness of these campaigns are essentially driving the continued spectacular growth in the online advertising industry, and I look forward to handing the winners trophies out on what is the industry’s gala event.”

Branded Content category winner 303 Group, went on to win a Bronze in the Public Service Not for Profit category at the 2011 MIXX Awards for its campaign Enjoy The Ride for Office of Road Safety Western Australia.

IAB Australia Awards 2012 Finalists (listed by entry number)

Category: Brand Awareness and Positioning

Leo Burnett Sydney – Australian Bureau of Statistics : Spotlight

PHD Australia -Air New Zealand : Kiwi Sceptics

The Monkeys – Sydney Opera House : The Ship Song Project

George Patterson Y&R Melbourne – Australian Football League & Ladder : Game Signatures

Category: Direct Response and Lead Generation

Leo Burnett Melbourne – 7-Eleven Slurpee : BYO Cup Day

303Lowe – IKEA : Rent

Naked Communications – Art Series Hotels : Steal Banksy

George Patterson Y&R Sydney – St Vincent de Paul Society : Signed Finds

Category: Product Launch

Soap Creative – Unilever : Cornetto Enigma

The Monkeys – Intel : Intel Ultrabook Temptations

Whybin\TBWA\TEQUILA\ – Nissan :  370z – Zen to Z

Category: Brand Loyalty and Retention

Leo Burnett Melbourne – 7-Eleven Slurpee : BYO Cup Day

Maxus Melbourne – Hungry Jack’s : Hungry Jack’s – Footy Tips

BCM Partnership – Sunny Queen Farms : Sunny’s Gonski

Whybin\TBWA\TEQUILA\ – Mars Petcare : The Pedigree Adoption Drive

Category: Brand Destination Site

Publicis Mojo  Melbourne – Tourism Victoria : Play Melbourne

Whybin\TBWA\TEQUILA\ – Nissan : 370z – Zen to Z

Leo Burnett Sydney – Australian Bureau of Statistics : Spotlight

Category: Cross-Platform Integration

Whybin\TBWA\TEQUILA\ – Mars Petcare : The Pedigree Adoption Drive

ZenithOptimedia – Heineken : Kick For Your Country

Publicis Mojo  Melbourne – Tourism Victoria : Play Melbourne

Ikon Communications – Vodafone Australia : Vodafone Viewers’ Verdict

Category: Branded Content

MediaCom Australia – Parmalat : Ice Break

The Monkeys – Sydney Opera House : The Ship Song Project

George Patterson Y&R Melbourne – Defence Force Recruiting / Royal Australian Airforce :  Impossible Airfield

Leo Burnett Sydney – Australian Bureau of Statistics : Spotlight

Category: Search Marketing (Paid Search)

UM Australia & Reprise – ING Direct : Beating the Big Four

MediaCom Australia – Specsavers : Using search to drive in-store footfall traffic for Specsavers

FirstClick Consulting – amaysim : Taking a piece of the pie

Category: Search Marketing (Organic Search)

dgm – UNICEF : East Africa Crisis

First – Teds Cameras : Brand Term Targeting: ‘Quick wins with low hanging fruit’

MediaCom Australia – Specsavers : Using search to drive in-store footfall traffic for Specsavers

MediaCom Australia – P&G Braun : Shaving organic search growth off the competition

FirstClick Consulting – CMC Markets : Mission Migration

Category:  Social Media Marketing:

Ikon Communications – Coca-Cola   Coca-Cola : “Share A COKE”

Naked Communications – Art Series Hotels : Steal Banksy

George Patterson Y&R Sydney – St Vincent de Paul Society : Signed Finds

Whybin\TBWA\TEQUILA\ – Mars Petcare : Dog-A-Like

Category: Rich Media and Digital Video

Leo Burnett Sydney – Australian Bureau of Statistics : Spotlight

Soap Creative – Unilever : Lipton Stay Cool

George Patterson Y&R Melbourne – Defence Force Recruiting / Royal Australian Navy : Airforce Aviation

Category:  Mobile Platform or App

Ikon Communications – Vodafone Australia : Vodafone Viewers’ Verdict

Ikon Communications – Coca-Cola FANTA : Playzone

Nomad – Moshcam : Moshcam iPhone and iPad application

Whybin\TBWA\TEQUILA\ – Mars Petcare :  Dog-A-Like

Category: Tablet Marketing

Nomad – NSW National Parks and Wildlife :  Wilderquest – Animal Discovery

Nomad – Moshcam : Moshcam iPhone and iPad application

The White Agency – Lexus Australia : Lexus Dealer App

Category: Not-for-Profit / Public Service

Leo Burnett Sydney – Australian Bureau of Statistics : Spotlight

George Patterson Y&R Sydney – St Vincent de Paul Society : Signed Finds

Whybin\TBWA\TEQUILA\ – Mars Petcare : The Pedigree Adoption Drive