IAA ‘Big Idea’ Winners Announced

Bathurst’s Charles Sturt University officially harbours the nation’s brightest young marcomms stars with its ‘Kajulu Red’ team winning the International Advertising Association’s ‘Big Idea’ competition for 2012.

 

In the 10th year of Big Idea, ‘Kajulu Red’ beat fellow finalists and Charles Sturt stable mates ‘Kajulu Blue’; The University of the Sunshine Coast’s “Digital” team and “33 Storeys” from the University of Technology Sydney to claim the prestigious prize announced this morning (13 November) at an IAA breakfast forum in Sydney.

 

The teams were asked to come up with a ‘Big Idea’ and a fully-fledged plan to market IAA  recipient charity Good Beginnings, a not-for-profit organisation that provides free early childhood and practical parenting programs for children and families across Australia.

 

‘Kajulu Red’s’ winning idea went straight to the heart of the life-changing intervention achieved by Good Beginnings to best capture willing involvement in their corporate challenge event.

 

Judge Chair, UM CEO Mat Baxter said ‘Kajulu Red “demonstrated outstanding initiative and application of a broad array of marketing disciplines to earn the top prize”.

 

“It was a fantastic effort given the extremely high standard of this year’s competition, especially what was distilled in the finals series.

 

“Considering the entrants are university students, with limited practical exposure to our industry, it makes the quality of work all the more impressive."

 

Good Beginnings CEO Jayne Meyer Tucker said it is “hugely gratifying to be involved with the Big Idea program”.

 

“We are extremely fortunate to have the nation’s brightest young marketing minds zeroed in on finding solutions to the challenges our organisation faces. The quality of the thinking was quite extraordinary.

 

“We applaud all the teams who took part, especially the finalists and most especially ‘Kajulu Red’ whose Big Idea contained some quite breath taking concepts that will be an enormous help to achieve the objectives of The Great Tribal Chase, Good Beginnings’ major fund raising event in 2013.

 

“It was also wonderful to see many teams show an in-depth understanding of the charity, as it was evident that those teams who had taken the extra time to further research Good Beginnings were able to leverage that understanding in putting forward their Big Idea. Well done all and thank you.”

 

IAA Australia Chapter President & Chair Heather Leembruggen, praised the “quite brilliant work of the winning team that prevailed against the thoughtful insights and range of fine ideas from all the entrants”.

 

Accepting the Big Idea trophy on behalf of his ‘Kajulu Red’ team, Alex Brown said the competition “was a fantastic opportunity and challenge for us”.

 

“Developing solutions for Good Beginnings, a real client in a live market was invaluable.” 

 

The ‘Kajulu Red’ team accepts with Big Idea trophy from Heather Leembruggen (centre) (left to right in photo): Ellie Gulliver, Adelaide Garner, Bart Glasheen, Anne Llewellynn (Faculty Advisor), Alex Brown, Nicholas Alcock, Christopher Copping and Alexsandra Howe.