DB Breweries exports itself to top ad award

By DITA DE BONI

An ad campaign centred on the fun and frolics of alcohol-soaked student days has been judged New Zealand's most effective advertising effort of the last two years.

DB Breweries' campaign for Export Gold, devised by Auckland agency Meares Taine, won the "Gold Pinnacle" top honour at last night's 2000 Advertising Effectiveness Awards at the Auckland Town Hall.

The biennial awards are a joint initiative of the Advertising Agencies Association and the Advertisers Association of New Zealand.

They aim to reward campaigns for their contribution to a company's profit and are judged on criteria including presentation, innovation and magnitude of effort.

The winning series of ads from DB involves a group of funky young people sharing a flat, parties and a passion for Export Gold lager.

The campaign's latest instalment is a spoof of the popular sci-fi movie The Matrix, although one of the staple characters, Veeshayne Armstrong's "Sharon," does not feature.

The actor decided to stop fronting alcohol advertisements in line with her Mormon beliefs.

The campaign was judged to have succeeded in fulfilling DB's aim of elevating Export Gold from a summer lager to a "credible mainstream beer."

Other winners included Cuisine magazine (Meares Taine), Whittaker's chocolate "election campaign" ad (Saatchi & Saatchi), Arnott's Tim Tam (the Bates Palace) and the high-profile Kelly Browne campaign for AMI Insurance, created by DDB.

The controversial Xenical campaign received prizes for ads that judges described as having "carefully crafted objectives, robust strategy and appropriate tactical implementation plans."

Convenor of judges and Herald columnist Sandy Bergham said the New Zealand launch of Xenical had become an international benchmark for the product.