Creativity is the beating heart of adland which is why at AdNews we handpick a creative agency to spin their magic to dream up our cover for each edition.
In a year marked with many bumps along the way, it has been clear that these hurdles have not been a hindrance to creativity. From a pig in lipstick to the renaissance of the QR code, the creatives we called on have continued to deliver absolute gold with their 2020 AdNews covers. Despite all the challenges the year has brought, each agency (and solo creative) we briefed brought to life stellar covers.
Agencies including DAYLIGHT Agency, whiteGREY, M&C Saatchi, VCCP and BMF, alongside freelance creative Adrian Elton and the team behind diversity initiative Changing the Face were given briefs to tackle topics ranging from digital attribution and sports rights to the rise of gaming and life in the COVID-19 pandemic. All resulted in brilliant covers and demonstrated creativity reigns supreme, even in crisis.
AdNews readers can vote for their favourite cover here but in case you missed any, we have the full wrap right here.
Best of luck to all of the creative teams! Voting closes February 5.
January-February
The year began with our investigation into the murky world of digital attribution. Not an easy brief, we called on indie DAYLIGHT Agency to come up with a cover that conveyed what the state of digital attribution looked like. The winning concept was based on an age-old cliche: you can put lipstick on a pig, but it will still be a pig. The result saw a pig grace the cover of AdNews wearing red lipstick and holding the lipstick in between its trotter.
VOTE FOR JANUARY-FEBRUARY HERE
March
Creativity is what the industry is all about and that was the centre of AdNews’ March edition. Unfortunately though, creative teams aren’t as diverse as other departments in the industry. The team behind diversity initiative Changing the Face have set out to change this, starting with gender diversity. The team pulled together a cover with the help of Microsoft and creative leaders across the country sharing their headshots. The result presents an amalgamated face of Australia’s chief creative officers and executive creative directors: a mid-30s white male.
April
The divide between advertising and public relations has been getting slimmer each year. For the April edition of AdNews, we investigated how the two worlds are increasingly overlapping and what this meant in the broader sense for holding companies and the wider industry. whiteGREY came up with a clever cover which when flipped upside down turned from AdNews to PrNews and the headline “Is PR flipping the agency model?”
May-June
The May-June issue took a deep dive into the lucrative world of esports and gaming. To bring the magazine’s cover to life, AdNews called on the talented Adrian Elton to spin his magic and create a cover in the midst of lockdowns. Elton went back in time and used a retro game controller as the centrepiece for the cover, but it was no ordinary controller. It also doubled as a cash register to showcase the financial opportunities esports and gaming offer brands.
July-August
Sport rights have been a contentious topic for broadcasters this year as commercial opportunities between various sporting codes and the Olympics were eroded due to the pandemic. AdNews brought on M&C Saatchi, with expertise in the sport and entertainment industry, to create a cover reflecting the issue. At a time when sporting events were close to making a comeback after suspension during lockdowns, the team came up with a cover that showcased a crazed fan trapped in ice which was slowly melting as they eagerly awaited the return of sport.
September-October
Pivot is undoubtedly one of the most used words of the year. With job losses and a shakeup in the way we work, adland has been forced to “pivot”, but just what does that look like? While AdNews investigated this in the September-October edition, we called on VCCP to create a visual representation. What better way than with the "Little Books of Plan B” bookshelf poking fun at the various ways the industry could pivot in the form of children’s books — another typical side hustle or post-adland path for creatives.
VOTE FOR SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER HERE
November-December
For The Annual, AdNews selected BMF to come up with a cover that summarised the year that has been. Not an easy feat considering 2020 will probably be quite the chunky chapter in history books in years to come. The team sought inspiration from one of the most unexpected renaissances to happen this year: the QR code. Compiled with visuals from various moments in the year, the QR code is fully functional and takes readers to AdNews.com.au to read the perspectives of our 2020 Emerging Leaders.
Have something to say on this? Share your views in the comments section below. Or if you have a news story or tip-off, drop us a line at adnews@yaffa.com.au
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