Specsavers tops Kantar's ANZ Creative Effectiveness Awards

Should've gone to Specsavers.

Specsavers has topped the 2023 Kantar Creative Effectiveness Awards ANZ.

It won with its humourous ‘Window Dresser’ ad by AJF Partnership.

Second was So Good’s How Good? So Good, followed by Tassal Prawns ‘Perfect Saucy or Straight Up?’ out-of-home creative in third.

The Specsavers ad, also a winner in Kantar’s global Creative Effectiveness Awards, demonstrates how to take a global creative idea and translate it meaningfully in a different soil without losing the brand’s essence.

“It perfectly caters to the Aussie palate where humour resonates hugely” says Irene Joshy, head of creative for Kantar in Australia and APAC.

“Specsavers deliver an epic moment eternalised through humour – owning both the faux-paus and the moment.”

Based on the testing conducted in 2023 of ads from the Kantar LINK database, all the creative winners from Australia and New Zealand are characterised by being in the top on two key measures: short-term sales prediction and demand power potential.

“What makes the Kantar Creative Effectiveness Awards unique is that these are ads are judged by our audiences," Joshy said.

"Both of our headline measures are validated against real life outcomes, and both contain metrics that relate to creative effectiveness.

“This year, the ads that have managed to make a mark with Aussies and Kiwis are those that have been meaningful in thought, deed and voice. The strategy used to deliver meaning differs resulting in five categories."

Cultural Meaning – Being meaningful using cultural levers is the art of creating narratives rooted in the culture that the brand has created over the years or building affinity with key audience cohorts through executional and strategic storytelling as showcased by Heineken, Tiger Beer and Kayo.

Meaningful Humour – Humour is Australia’s beloved creative export and even when the world stopped laughing, we continued. In 2023, Kantar’s LINK database revealed that 42% of ads in Australia used humour compared to a 33% global average. Specsavers, Meadow Fresh, Google Pixel, RSPCA Pet Insurance and Huggies all bring humour to great use to drive meaning for their brand.

Meaningful Benefits – Brands cater for and create needs, desires and dreams. It is their raison d’être, and it seems like they’re experimenting with new ways of enticing us to try, buy or use them. When the wares they sell talk to simple human truths or some of our secret obsessions, brands build relevance and memorability at the same time. This makes consumers feel heard and the brand truly becomes a part of our way of life as Huggies, Twinings, Electrolux and Google Pixel do.

Meaningful Choices – Consumers wish to do right by the planet, people and themselves. The cost-of-living crisis has widened the ‘say-do’ gap and made it even more difficult for people to make the ‘right choices’. It is into this world that Circular Economy Systems’ Container Deposit Scheme and RSPCA Pet Insurance deliver a refreshingly different approach to guiding our choices.

Instant Meaning – In a category like out-of-home, advertisers have one chance to deliver meaning instantly. What stands out is the art of minimalism – say less and communicate more. The Powerball, Tassal and Chandon ads remind us that with only two seconds of consumer attention, you need to work with the brain to land the key idea – a powerful visual with an intuitive meaning or one that is instantly recognised and a simple line to deliver the message.

“Great creativity brings people together lightheartedly and makes the brand stand out consistently. The brand linkage is unmissable, and the story is singularly owned by the brand. Brands that manage to do this with humility are the ones that move us closer to them,” Joshy said.

“The execution of these ideas needs to be clear, simple, intuitive and emotive. This appeals to the senses and is easy on the brain.

"The extraordinarily effective creatives from both sides of the Tasman this year resonate, inform, and engage – they are at the heart of effective advertising.”

KANTAR CREATIVE EFFECTIVENESS AWARDS ANZ 2024 – WINNERS

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