Eight. That’s how many days you have until the B&T Awards.
This time on B&T Awards The Work, we’re taking a look at the finalists in the revamped and refreshed Best Use of Tech and AI category. You can check out the rest of the finalists in the other categories here.
Here are all 11 finalists in their own words and in alphabetical order only.
Akcelo, “Waild West Saloon”, Salesforce
In the age of AI, the world is questioning where to turn and who to trust? Salesforce set out to confront the unsettling realities of AI’s rapid impact, by asking thought provoking questions, like: “If AI is the Wild West, then who’s the Sheriff around here?”
So to attract top tier C-Suite decision makers, we went way beyond traditional B2B marketing – with a completely wild idea – ‘What would happen if we let AI create its own experience?’ Welcome to the WAILD WEST SALOON.
An activation that allowed AI to take the reins and create an entire Saloon where every sight, sound and even taste was AI generated – having audiences questioning AI at every turn.
Amplify, “In Bloom”, Afterpay
Transporting Gen Z to a new fashion reality for spring party season.
CHALLENGE
Activate the window displays at the Sydney David Jones Flagship to raise awareness of Afterpay’s spring party season partnership with David Jones among Gen Z.
Drive consideration and conversion amongst Gen Z in-store and online.
Position both brands as innovators at the forefront of fashion.
Integrate and promote a selection of spring party pieces from celebrated Australian fashion designers, stocked by David Jones.
INSIGHT
For Gen Z, growing up in a world of AR filters and gaming worlds, when it comes to style and self-expression reality is flexible. The solution needed to speak their language.
SOLUTION
In Bloom is an immersive, spring-themed virtual world, created in collaboration with celebrated Australian artist, Justin Ridler. ?Inhabited by a virtual model, wearing pieces from leading Australian fashion designers, Alemais, Rachel Gilbert and Michael Lo Sordo.?LED screens united three physical window displays, creating a single virtual environment. As the model passed between the windows, the virtual garden bloomed in response to the garment she was wearing. A looping animation attracted passersby and QR codes enabled a seamless path to purchase.
AMPLIFICATION
The world of In Bloom grew beyond the Elizabeth Street window displays.? It flourished on in-store screens at 14 David Jones stores around the country and blossomed on social media with a scroll-stopping virtual takeover of the David Jones flagship store (one of the first faux-out-of-home executions in Australia).
RESULTS
With In Bloom, Afterpay introduced a new generation to David Jones’ 180-year legacy of innovation and inspiration, sparking curiosity, excitement and conversation.
Cummins&Partners, “Alfa AI”, Stellantis
In the automotive world, new car launches – specifically limited edition supercar launches – play a huge role in creating a halo effect for the brand. The launch of a supercar elevates the brand’s status, and greater enthusiasm and demand for other products in the brand’s lineup. Alfa Romeo’s highly anticipated, but also highly secretive new supercar was set to be revealed to the world, live, in Italy on August 31st, 2023.
This left us with one problem: how do you promote a car that’s details are so top secret that no public images exist? Any information on the new supercar was locked down to a select few in Italy on a need-to-know basis.
With no images, and no control over what information was released, Alfa had car journalists and petrol heads begging for any scraps, teasers and specs.
If people are going to speculate, let’s give them a platform to do so. If they can’t see the real images, let them dream up their own.
DDB Sydney, “RooBadge”, Volkswagen Group Australia
As Australia’s population grows, massive infrastructure projects connect our regional communities. Unfortunately, these new road systems are disrupting and disconnecting Australian wildlife communities, especially those of our most iconic native animal—the Kangaroo. Over the past decades, new roads have displaced Kangaroos from their habitats, putting both animals and drivers at risk. Every year, tens of thousands of vehicles collide with kangaroos, leading to over $100 million in insurance claims and an average of two deaths in Australia annually. Last year alone, the number of collisions sadly grew by 19%.
Currently, all available deterrents on the market have been scientifically proven to be ineffective. For example, plastic ‘roo whistles’ fitted to a car’s grille produce generic audio that does not actively deter kangaroos and typically can’t be heard over the vehicle’s noise.
The Volkswagen RooBadge is a revolutionary accessory that transforms the Volkswagen badge into a protective audio shield to deter kangaroos from roads.
It comes equipped with an in-car app that uses machine learning to compare the vehicle’s GPS coordinates with kangaroo distribution records. The app creates an audio deterrent designed to alert the particular species in that location by mixing artificial sounds with instinctively meaningful sounds from nature, such as predator howls, bird calls, and warning thumps.
When a vehicle enters a kangaroo hotspot, the RooBadge automatically activates and emits a focused high-frequency sound beam using cutting-edge directional speaker technology that alerts of approaching danger and deters Kangaroos from the road, making roads safer for drivers and wildlife.
To further enhance RooBadge’s effectiveness, we developed a mobile reporting app that enables leading animal protection organisations to report kangaroo collisions in real time. This data allows the RooBadge to activate in newly identified collision hotspots instantly.
DDB Sydney, “The Original Mouthful”, McDonald’s
In 1974, the Big Mac jingle went viral before viral was even a thing. 14 little words. 7 delicious ingredients. Known by four generations of Australians. But a new generation – Gen Z – didn’t know it at all. To them, the Big Mac was their ‘Dad’s burger.’ It was famous yet forgotten. We needed to invest in McDonald’s most well-known burger, which risked growing irrelevant.
Focusing on revitalising the iconic burger’s cultural significance in the eyes of Gen-Z, the campaign featured an Australian-first, AI-powered Snapchat filter that transformed the classic 1987 jingle into an interactive challenge. The filter utilised groundbreaking machine learning to analyse and evaluate user performance, rewarding those who sang the jingle in under 4 seconds.
The integration of AI and technology directly into social platforms and the app delivered an exciting (and seamless) experience for users. The campaign’s strategy of reimagining the Big Mac chant resonated with both older and newer generations, ultimately driving consumer engagement and Big Mac interest.
The effectiveness of the campaign is evident in its significant reach and engagement on social media, with 8.2 million people reached and 4.5 million Gen-Z users engaged through the AI-powered Snapchat filter. Furthermore, the campaign achieved a 71.7% sales increase of the Big Mac range within three weeks of its launch and generated a staggering 41 million seconds of jingling—equivalent to over a year of back-to-back jingle time.
By harnessing the power of AI, machine learning, and social media, the Original Mouthful campaign successfully bridged the generational gap, created a memorable experience with impressive sales results, demonstrating the potential of technology in the future of advertising.
EssenceMediacom & GroupM Nexus, “Maximising KFC’s Reach with AI-Powered Video Optimisation”, KFC
TV and Online Video are the bedrock of KFC’s media strategy, driving the vast majority of revenue. However by the end of 2022 Online Video’s ROI was dropping at the fastest rate. This was driven in large part by substantial inflation in YouTube costs of over 20% throughout 2022 due to accelerated demand in market.
Nexus Solutions was tasked with taking control of KFC’s digital video implementation holistically and unearthing efficiencies to drive reach. We turned to Artificial Intelligence to take performance up a level, recognising that to achieve the best performance outcome requires human and machines to work together
While GenAI and its transformational impact on marketing and advertising hit the mainstream in the past 12 months, often the high-profile use cases of AI lean towards stunts – some of the most impactful and effective applications of AI are in the tech you don’t see.
By harnessing the power of AI and data-driven insights, we successfully navigated the challenges of a competitive digital landscape to deliver exceptional results for KFC. Our innovative approach maximized reach, optimized budget allocation, and proved the effectiveness of AI in driving impactful advertising campaigns.
Hearts & Science, “The Renewables Ad Engine – Using data and technology to reduce carbon emissions from streaming”, Sanofi Consumer Healthcare Australia
Our real-time renewable energy ad engine is a game-changer in the world of streaming ad activation. By fusing real time data on renewable electricity in each Australian state, we are able to dynamically turn on campaigns during periods when the power from the sun, wind, and hydro electricity are at their peak, and off when they aren’t.
This not only allows us to align our campaigns with periods of higher renewable electricity, but also helps us reduce our carbon footprint and support the transition to clean energy.
And it works… This innovative technology substantially increases the proportion of renewables used to deliver streaming ads and in turn fewer carbon emissions. Our pilot campaign has been able to increase the use of renewable energy across the streaming supply chain by 76%, with renewables now accounting for nearly half of the energy consumed.
This is an extremely impressive result when streaming ads emit 2.1 more times more carbon emissions than display ads.
This successful campaign opens the door to a progressive rollout on more of our agency’s clients who share our passion for sustainability – maximising our potential impact for the environment.
Howatson+Company, “PetWatch”, Petbarn
Every year, thousands of Australian pets suffer from paralysis ticks, heartworm and other deadly parasites. Invisible dangers that lurk in our backyards, waterways, parks and beyond.
But the average Aussie pet parent was only buying enough treatment to protect their pet from these parasites for 35-65% of the year.
Petbarn and Greencross Vets needed to jolt pet parents out of apathy and into action. So we made the threat visible for the very first time.
PetWatch is an innovative utility from Greencross Vets and Petbarn that uncovers and tracks parasite threats across the nation – by cross-referencing live weather patterns, satellite data and records from over 170 vet and hospital locations.
Now pet owners across Australia can search their suburb, discover their threat level, learn about the parasites around them, and find tailored preventative treatment for their pets before it’s too late.
PetWatch was launched across 200 Petbarn stores, 130 vet practices, and to the public through an integrated PR campaign that received thorough national coverage.
It delivered record-breaking growth for the overlooked and underappreciated category of preventative treatment at Petbarn on every single measure and drove an ROI of 3.14.
But, most importantly, it helped save lives, with Greencross Vets reporting a decline in parasite incidences for the first time in over four years.
LoopMe and Merkle, “Flipping the Script for Motorola Razr with Benchmark-Beating results”, Motorola
How do you get your product in front of the right audience in an age of data privacy? Brands across Australia are desperately seeking the answer as our industry waves goodbye to Cookies.
That’s why Motorola approached LoopMe to get its new Razr flip phone in front of consumers who are actively in the market for a mobile. The campaign lifted awareness of the Razr by 37% and consideration by 28%. Without a single Cookie.
Our bespoke pre-campaign PurchaseLoop Audiences survey technology was used to create an audience segment of those that are in-market for a new mobile phone. Our AI technology then targeted this segment during the campaign.
It told us that young, single females in towns like Adelaide, Townsville and Brisbane wanted to replace their phones. LoopMe also used our first-party data to reach Motorola’s target audience of Gen Z.
The campaign’s creative used AR to port the Razr into their homes and handbags – bridging the gap between imagination and consideration. The option to play with colour gave potential buyers a further taste of ownership.
Our AI and technology took this campaign back to basics: getting the right creative in front of the right people. It shows what the advertising world can achieve while respecting consumer privacy.
Ogilvy, “Give a Cheer to A Volunteer”, Cadbury
Community sport is the heart of Australian & New Zealand culture, driven by the selfless heroes who volunteer.
Cadbury Dairy Milk wanted to allow ordinary people to express their gratitude with a personalized, fully 3D animated story starring their volunteer.
By visiting giveacheertoavolunteer.cadbury.com.au, users can upload a photo & unique details to generate an AI-created video to share directly with their volunteer. This heartfelt initiative uses technology to celebrate volunteers in a meaningful & personal way.
OMD, “Create Free Calls to Santa: powered by Generative AI”, Telstra
Telstra wanted to win at Christmas, elevating above the promotional chaos to connect with Australians and increase consumer consideration amongst a cost-of-living crisis that was impacting attention. Australian families were feeling the most strain, however were finding solace in holiday traditions.
A tradition was in threat though – there was a Santa Shortage. Children nationwide were at risk of not meeting Santa at the mall – unless Telstra let them meet him another way.
Introducing: ‘Telstra Free Calls to Santa: powered by Generative AI’.
With Santas in short supply, AI was used to create a Santa EVERYONE could meet by calling from one of Telstra’s 14,000 payphones nationwide. AI Santa was available anywhere, at any time, answering hundreds of tailored 1:1 calls simultaneously, learning names and responding to questions/answers – making the child feel heard in a way never done before.
Once launched, AI Santa (and our brand-safe filters) was actively refined and improved by monitoring real-time transcripts of calls to ensure a magical experience for all.
AI Santa was promoted via an unmissable, omnichannel awareness campaign using owned (retail, social and payphones), earned (TV, Digital, print), and paid (TV, OOH, cinema, Digital Video, Social, Influencers, and Sponsorships) tactics to promote the free experience.
By the final week 55% of Australian households were aware of the campaign, with earned media to 65M+ globally.
589,000 Australian kids called Santa – a 400% YoY increase and 96% over delivery . And kids loved chatting. Average call duration of 2 minutes, resulting in 2.2 years’ worth of conversations.
And the best present of all? Telstra saw an increase in consideration for the Christmas period.
