Twenty-eight of Australia's brands, agencies, and SMBs have made it to the finals of this year's TikTok Ad Awards from a record 128 entries.
They were selected by a panel of senior leaders, including Special Auckland chief creative officer Lisa Fedyszyn, DDB Group Aotearoa NZ group chief creative officer Matty Burton and UN Women Australia CEO Simone Clarke.
Twisties, and Australia's homegrown digital bank, ubank, are among this year's finalists.
Twisties is a finalist for the Greatest Creative Award, due to its bold TikTok-first campaign, the 'Great Flavour Debate'. The campaign, featuring Robert Irwin and G Flip, reignited Australia's 'Cheese vs Chicken' debate with Australia's official Twisties election.
With more than 250,000 votes from fans, the debate concluded that Chicken was the flavour of the nation.
Ubank, a double finalist for Greatest Performance Campaign and Greatest For Good Campaign, impressed judges with its 'Cheap Ad, Great Rate' campaign, using humour and low budget stunts to promote its savings product.
TBWA\Sydney is in the running to be crowned Creative Agency of the Year, a title it took home at last year's TikTok Ad Awards.
The award celebrates agencies that deliver some of the most creative and impactful campaigns on TikTok, captivating audiences across Australia and around the world.
TBWA\Sydney faces tough competition from fellow finalists M&C Saatchi and Special Group.
Canva, Guzman y Gomez, PepsiCo, Princess Polly and Virgin Australia have been named as finalists for Advertiser of the Year, which honours brands that have set the benchmark for excellence through innovative strategies that authentically connect with consumers.
Online florist Daily Blooms is a finalist for Greatest Small Business, having used TikTok's Spark Ads and partnered with TikTok creators to expand its reach. The result was a surge in ad impressions and a new level of brand awareness in Brisbane, a key market to build their customer base.
TikTok general manager of global business solutions for Australia and New Zealand Brett Armstrong said "TikTok is where real, measurable business growth happens, driving consumer engagement and delivering results for brands big and small across Australia.
"Whether it's through partnerships with creators or creative campaigns that spark meaningful, community driven conversations, this year's finalists have shown just how powerful the platform can be for advertisers," he said.
"Congratulations to all the finalists, I don't envy the judges."
Winners will be announced at the TikTok Ad Awards ceremony in Sydney on Wednesday, February 19.
For a full list of finalists for this year's TikTok Ad Awards, see below:
Greatest Creative Campaign
Brands that dared to push the boundaries of creativity on TikTok and embodied the platform's golden rules for success.
1. Great Northern Brewing Co - The Great Winter Migration
2. Swisse Wellness - Go the Swisse to Sleep
3. Twisties - Great Flavour Debate
Greatest Brand Effectiveness Campaign
Brands that delivered best in class brand building and outcomes through paid activity on TikTok.
1. Mountain Dew - Passionfruit Frenzy
2. Spotify - My Spotify
3. Woolworths - Fresh Fuels the Best in All of Us: The Paris 2024 Games
Greatest Small Business
A new award celebrating the 350,000 small businesses on TikTok that are tapping into the power of the platform to drive impact for their business through paid activity.
1. La Vida Homes
2. Bonny
3. Daily Blooms
Greatest Performance Campaign
Brands who leveraged TikTok as a key channel in their performance marketing strategy and have achieved incredible results across the funnel.
1. Àerre - Beauty Week
2. Les Mills International - Choose Happy
3. ubank - Cheap Ad, Great Rate
Greatest For Good Campaign
Campaigns that harnessed the power of entertainment on TikTok to drive social impact.
1. Shift 20 - Casting Call
2. ubank - Scam School
3. Made by Dyslexia - DyslexicU
Media Agency of the Year
Celebrates the media agency who has embraced the power of TikTok to reach their target audience and get phenomenal results for client goals.
1. Creative Converters
2. OMD
3. Zenith Australia
Creative Agency of the Year
Celebrates agencies who have set the gold standard for creative excellence on TikTok, demonstrating the power of the platform to grow brand love and impact for clients.
1. M&C Saatchi
2. Special Group
3. TBWA\Sydney
For You Award
Celebrates a partner who is an advocate for TikTok across their own business. They understand the power TikTok has as a platform, and uses it to craft innovative campaigns that drive results.
for their clients and/or business.
1. Ange Grant, Head of Group Paid Media and Content at Virgin Australia
2. Maria Gudino, Digital and Data Lead at Unilever
3. Kim Zorn, Global Performance Director at Princess Polly
Advertiser of the Year
Celebrates the brands that have set the benchmark for excellence on TikTok, through innovative strategies, product adoption and an unwavering commitment to building authentic connections with audience.
1. Canva
2. Guzman y Gomez
3. Pepsi Co
4. Princess Polly
5. Virgin Australia
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