Scratchies produce another top prize

Advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi has scored a hat trick, taking out the Axis "best in show" creative award for the third year in a row.

Last night, at the industry's Axis awards, the agency was again given the top gong for its "creating winners, not actors" campaign for the Lotteries Commission. The advertisements feature people re-enacting their wins on the scratchies.

The campaign was also judged winner of the Grande Axis Electronic award, and took a gold in the television category.

The win comes a year after the agency took the same award for its "Bugger" advertisement.

Two years ago, it won with its "Hunua Falls" execution for the Auckland Regional Council.

Another main prize of the evening went to Roy Meares, a former Saatchi-ite, who was presented with the Industry Excellence Award for his body of work.

Mr Meares, who heads the Meares Taine agency with business partner Jeremy Taine, has been behind campaigns such as the Anchor Family, Speight's, and last year's controversial Xenical ads, which sparked public debate over their dark depiction of obesity.

Earlier in the day, those at the annual meeting of the industry's representative body Caanz elected to fight any Government moves to restrict certain types of advertising. A review of direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical advertising is in its final stages and a review of alcohol advertising is set for 2003.