Fast talking wins Sirens Round 3

The ad Fast Conversation by George Patterson Y&R for Public Transport Victoria, has won round three overall and the single category of the 2016 Siren Awards.  Creatives James Wills & Shane Dawson said:  “This win will help us remind clients and colleagues of the value of radio. It’s a great medium that allows you to create characters, locations and situations without leaving the comfort of leather couches in the air-conditioned studio.”   And you can take a listen.

The ad features two mates waiting for the train, speaking very fast, before the next train arrives. 

The round three winner of the campaign category was BMF Advertising with the campaign “Cash Out Hotline” for Sportsbet by creatives Cam Blackley, James Sexton & Harry Neville Towle.  The three ads in the campaign all promote the Sportsbet feature that gives punters the opportunity to Cash Out before the game has ended or if they’re in front and want to call it quits.  

The winner of the craft category was the ad Matilda for Nando’s Peri Perks by sound Engineer, Hylton Mowday from production company We Love Jam, cleverly using an African choir singing Waltzing Matilda to promote an app and member’s only competition to win a trip to South Africa.  

“The Siren Awards continue to see outstanding radio ads that engage the audience and sell the advertisers message,”said Joan Warner, chief executive officer of Commercial Radio Australia.

Highly Commended in the single category was the ad Droids from Brisbane advertising agency BCM by creative Shaun McMahon for Queensland University of Technology.   Also highly commended was the Ultimate Death Scene from Adam Bodfish and Leo Barbosa from The Works for Sea Sheperd Australia.  In addition, two of the ads from the BMF Advertising Sportsbet campaign, “Wrong Number” and “Voodoo”   by Cam Blackley, James Sexton and Harry Neville Towle were also highly commended. 

Wilora Keelye and Tim Newton from J Walter Thompson Perth were highly commended in the campaign category for the RAC Batteries “It’s Easier Campaign”.   Also highly commended was the BMF Advertising ALDI Australia campaign “Special Buys Shaped Hole in My Life” by Cam Blackley, Alex Derwin, David Fraser and Dantie Van Der Merwe.

In the craft category sound engineer Paul Le Couteur from Flagstaff Studios was highly commended for three ads “Towards Zero – Brake Lights”, “Towards Zero – In the Rain” and “Towards Zero – Night Highway” for the Transport Accident Commission (TAC). 

The Siren Awards, run by Commercial Radio Australia, celebrate the best in radio advertising and are judged over five rounds throughout the year by the Siren Creative Council, made up of a panel of creative directors from leading ad agencies.

The 2016 Gold Siren winner will be announced in May 2016 and will win a trip to the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.  The client of the winning 2016 Gold Siren Award also wins a ticket to Cannes.  Silver Sirens are awarded in each of the three categories: single, campaign and craft.  The Sirens Client Award is a separate $5000 cash prize for the best ad as voted by a panel of clients.

Round 4 of the 2016 Siren Awards is now open. Entries close 4 November 2015.