Colenso BBDO crowned Campaign Brief NZ Agency of the Year for record seventh time
One New Zealand agency had an enormously successful 2014, with work across a wide spectrum of clients awarded both for creativity and effectiveness. For a record seventh time in the 17-year history of the awards Colenso BBDO is Campaign Brief NZ Agency of the Year.
2014 was a brilliant year for Colenso BBDO New Zealand, which once again walked away with top honours from a number of the world’s leading advertising shows, both for creativity and effectiveness.
Highlights of the year for Colenso BBDO’s chief creative officer Nick Worthington include being named Asia’s most Effective agency is the proof that creativity works: ”9 out of 10 of our most creatively awarded campaigns went on to win Effies. Being the only agency in the world to win multiple awards at the regional Facebook awards was astounding. We’re a little agency from NZ who have ambitions to be one of the best agencies in the world, but to actually be up there with the best makes us very proud.
“I’m also proud of the continued strength of our team, the new team members and our ability to keep evolving as the industry changes.”
But for CEO Nick Garrett, the year was also about bedding in new clients gained the year before and staffing up appropriately: “We entered the year off the back of a great run of new business success and organic growth over about 18 months,” says Garrett.
“We had won 10 out of 11 pitch wins and new business initiatives. The volume of work we were doing with our largest clients was increasing significantly and the agency had nearly doubled in size, which is great. However deep down we knew we had to be careful in 2014, we had a lot of new clients that we needed to bed down, a brilliant existing client base who have high expectations of us and we didn’t want to let them down by spreading ourselves too thin, and then of course there is the small matter of hiring, training and introducing dozens of new staff. Beyond producing great creative product that works, 2014 had to be about ‘closing the back door’ by ensuring we maintained the high levels of love and trust with our existing and new clients and I am delighted to say we achieved that.”
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26 Comments
They also let a lot of good people go.
In 17 years is pretty impressive. Congrats to Colenso for a great 2014. Now let’s see how 2015 plays out!
…there is no way Colenso did the best work of 2014.
This is odd. Most years CB has been pretty spot on, but not this time. There’s no way Colenso have produced the best work in 2014. DDB have won a lot more metal and FCB have made a lot more money.
So FCB win Effies AotY, DDB win Campaign Asia-Pacific AoTY and were named second best agency across Asia at Spikes (to Dentsu), plus win clients like Icebreaker, Beaurepaires, Council. Yet Colenso win?
@Not this time, apart from that brilliant campaign for Sky, DDB did a nice campaign for YWCA (9 dollars) but what else? I would say it would be hard for CB to pick DDB based on that. As for FCB making more money and DDB winning lots of business, CB has never counted that as its prime criteria. FCB was AOY the year before and deserved to because they had the best work, which is what it’s all about.
DDB have won more metal across the year than any other agency, named top NZ/Aus agency at Spikes, the most Lions at Cannes, been recognised as agency of the year by several other entities, won clients and hired top creative talent. So what is the criteria for this award?
Plus they did Steinlager Deep Dive, Paw Justice, SKY birds… What did Colenso produce in 2014?
I see your argument, but you are choosing to ignore Colenso were Axis AOY, APAC Effies AOY, cleaned up at the NZDM’s and I think they had the most metal at Cannes too.
You could definitely make an argument for DDB, but the counter would be that all their awards are off the back of 1 or 2 campaigns rather than a broad scope of great work.
It is always fun to see DDB moaning and whining whenever things don’t go their way.
Clems Wellington. Mistakes, Blazed & Tinnyvision.
Paw Justice was great for DDB, but I think you’ll find that was from 2013: http://www.campaignbrief.com/2013/09/paw-justice-is-calling-for-ani.html
@OldBoysClub… I don’t think Colenso did very well at Cannes at all. Maybe a silver or two at best. A couple of bronze, possibly. By their high standards it was by no means a great creative year. I doubt even they would be that thrilled with their creative output. It’s all pretty middle of the road and international awards reflect that. But good on them for winning new business, you can’t fake that.
colenso were just named #3 agency in the world by warm for 2014. So they must be doing something right. All the hate is probably just making them laugh and enjoy the win all the more.
Bring Down The King was a great execution for a problem that didn’t exist – how did it deliver incrementally for Sky NZ? Really?
Steinlager Deep Dive – nice piece of film not convinced it works for beer drinkers.
YWCA – not bad
Sky birds is a nice film but been done before. No results yet so a bit early to hold it up.
Overall DDB have had another good year for an agency that creates adverts. Beyond that there’s very little. Colenso may not quite have hit the heights but have delivered across the board a whole range of innovative and effective work that no-one else has come close to if we’re honest.
Just looked it up the had 5 silvers and 3 bronzes at Cannes. You can’t ever really be disapointed with 8 Lions.
Hey Colenso, what is this great work that no-one has come close to. Michael Hill? Burgen Virgin? You guys are in danger of believing your own press releases.
Congrats to everyone at 100 College Hill.
For the other BBDO shop in NZ, you guys are not too shabby!
Holty
You’re taking this too seriously, it’s a bit fun, advertising talking to itself. Give Colonso a break – well done. DDB can have it next year.
Nice work college hill. Hope you celebrated in style.
You could make a case for any one of Saatchis, Clemenger, FCB, DDB or Colenso.
Clems, Saatchi and FCB were the ones who got gold at Cannes, DDB has won more towards the back end of the year and Colenso has been consistent throughout. They’d probably admit not quite up to their usual standard but still pretty good.
Gotta say, i’m glad i didn’t have to make this decision. And maybe it’s a good thing we have 5 agencies all doing well again, NZ hasn’t had that in a few years. Should make for a decent Axis for once. If we’ve all got some skin in the game maybe the smoking area won’t be packed halfway through the craft awards.
I’d say that Breast Cream is possibly one of the best ideas to come out of an agency in a long while and something DDB would find very hard to come up with considering they are an agency that makes adverts and not much else (sorry except for behind the scenes versions of the very same adverts)
Instead of asking the question reaper why don’t you offer an actual opinion of the work Colenso have done? In doing so you might realize just how much it is.You can start with Michael Hill and Burgen if you want but then quickly go to NZBCF / Mars / Burger King / BNZ / SAMSUNG / ATEED / Tiptop /Mountain Dew all of which have had award winning campaigns.
Where is the “…whole range of innovative and effective work…” from Colenso? I just can’t think of anything from 2014 that fits that bill.
And I’m not sure we can call any work from 2014 effective yet, given we haven’t had Effies (although ddb are leading the pack at the APAC Effies, but that might be work from the year before?).
Well this is boring and a little embaressing. Who cares. As much as we all love to win things, does this really matter? Does it get us a pay rise, new businesss, feed the starving children or stop wars? No. Lets all hug it out and get along. Well done Colenso. I look forward to beating you next year.
The only exciting work seems to come from FCB and Colenso these days. The work I see from DDB is very advertising, bar Bring down the King – sorry DDB.
When did doing advertising become so unfashionable? You all know it still works right?