High Five: New Zealand
Starting his career 18 years ago in New Zealand, Matt Stoddart crossed the ditch and has spent the last 13 years working at some of the best agencies in Melbourne. During his time in the industry, he has gained an undeniable mound of experience, including helping to reduce gambling addiction in Victoria, guilting kids into visiting their parents more often, making the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra play non-stop for 24 hours, hijacking the live broadcast of the most watched sporting event in history, breaking a Guinness World Record, making a film five days long, partnering a bank with Nike to create the first player exclusive shoe for a disabled athlete, spreading mardi gras love to every Oxford St in Australia and inventing a word about bad mobile phone etiquette that’s now in the dictionary. From an advert showcasing the dark reality of house fires to a charming animation standing up to women's career limitations, Matt is beyond qualified to share some of the best work to come out of New Zealand in the last few months...
Fire and Emergency NZ - ‘Firefighters Don’t Like Fire Movies’
Agency: FCB New Zealand
Simply brilliant. There’s no other way to put it. Such a fresh insight and execution on a concept we’ve heard and seen hundreds of times. I love the way this spot balances using scare tactics, but also brutal honesty in a really compelling way. It’s beautifully shot and wonderfully written and had my goosebump metre going off right at the crescendo of the spot. The print that goes with this is also outstanding in its own right. A really lovely campaign.
Melanoma NZ - ‘Hidden in Plain Sight’
Agency: TBWA\New Zealand
This is one of the smartest ideas I have seen this year… is what I would say if it didn’t come from our sister agency, because I don’t want to sound biased. So instead, I will say that it’s pretty clever. Having a full-stop that mimics the growth and shape-change of a melanoma on your ad is one thing, but to then convince other brands to put the evolving full-stop on their ads and products as well is a masterstroke. Whether people notice them or not doesn’t actually matter (and is the whole point of it), because all the earned media coverage will get that message out there in a much more noticeable way.
Global Women NZ - 'It’s Time to Drop the Motherhood Penalty'
Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi NZ
Production: Passion Pictures
I love this spot. You’re instantly drawn in by the beautiful animation style and kept watching by the way it disarms such a serious and important message in a charming way. I have a lot of love for brands that are open to exploring tone when talking about serious topics, and the playful tone of this was on point. The PR nerd in me also liked the way they chose director, Anna Mantzaris’ to create scenarios which felt like an extension to her critically acclaimed short film 'Enough'. Anna has such a beautiful and unique style, which not only made this a phenomenal piece of film, but will also add to ensuring this message gets shared internationally.
PUMP NZ - 'Dairy Dancing'
Agency: DDB Aotearoa
It’s hard not to smile instantly when you see a grown man wearing a full cycling getup. I was hooked from the moment the spot started. The concept is nice and simple, but the execution is genuinely entertaining. Whether people will remember it’s for water or just a refreshing liquid, I’m not sure, but hats off to the director and DOP because I watched it three times in a row. It’s beautifully shot, has great casting and performance, and the sound design with all of the dairy SFX was a lovely touch. I’d watch it a fourth time just to see the older lady’s shimmy one more time!
Tourism NZ - 'Do Something New New Zealand'
Agency: Yarn
Last but not least, I really enjoyed this content piece for Tourism NZ. The comedian, Tom Sainsbury brought a great performance to what is a lovely observational insight about the social behaviour we’re all guilty of when travelling. At this point I’d like to own up to doing the ‘hot tub’ back shot while at Lake Tekapo hot springs in NZ in 2014. It was unnecessary, and I apologise. I also liked the way they weaved the beautiful scenic shots of New Zealand into a funny, well written story. At no point did I feel like I was being hit over the head with tourist attractions, but I now definitely want to go to the field with the purple door. Sans fedora.
