In the run up to this year’s B&T Awards (28 November at Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion), we’re taking a look at the excellent work of this year’s finalists.
This time out, we’re taking a look at the hotly contest Best CTV & Video Campaign category. This award honours the work that excels in CTV and digital video environments, as opposed to those that sing purely on linear TV.
And frankly, it’s a packed list.
Last time out on the B&T Awards Runners & Riders, we looked at the Best Creator-Led Campaign finalists. You should also take a moment to check out the full list of Agency of the Year finalists and Campaign of the Year finalists.
As part of each entry, we ask entrants to submit a 300-word condensed version of their entry. So here, in their own words and in alphabetical order only, are the finalists.
72andSunny, ‘Keep Moving’, realestate.com.au
Amid the lowest housing affordability in 30 years and decade high interest rates, realestate.com.au set out to inspire Australian buyers, sellers and renters.
Property dominates Australia’s conversation, yet the journey is a rollercoaster of emotions—auctions, inspections and pre-sale tasks often discourage property seekers.
72andSunny needed to instil confidence. It repositioned realestate.com.au as a partner throughout the property journey. The “Keep Moving” platform enabled targeted executions for buyers, sellers and renters, addressing its unique pain points and showing realestate.com.au as an empathetic partner.
In a functional category, it went big on emotion. Prioritising high-emotion storytelling and launched a cinematic campaign during the Olympics. This included a long-format TV (60”) depicting the highs and lows of a family’s journey, delivering impact through humour and empathy.
The campaign reinvigorated property dreams and saw realestate.com.au audience engagement, and brand preference, increase.
Secure your B&T Awards tickets before it’s too late!
Avenue C, ‘Escape your Pricey Telco’, amaysim
As a challenger brand in one of the most competitive and commoditised categories, amaysim needed to outsmart Australia’s telco giants. When competitors introduced price hikes (a trigger for customer switching, amaysim seized the moment. With the campaign’s rallying cry, “Escape Your Pricey Telco,” we were able to tap into consumer frustration over rising costs amid a cost-of-living crisis.
In just 12 days, the in-house team produced an AI-generated TVC at 10% of normal production costs, redirecting savings into media to maximise impact.
In media, rather than chasing broad reach, we targeted competitor customers directly and using viewing and device data, saturated the genres their customers loved most—premium sport and reality TV—via BVOD, SVOD, and YouTube, prioritising Connected TV for precision delivery. We also partnered with Samsung and LG to identify TVs connected to rival networks, serving personalised creative directly to those households. This approach created the perception of a multimillion-dollar blitz while operating with challenger-level efficiency.
This campaign proved that with agility, insight, and a precise media strategy, a challenger can punch well above its weight. By moving fast and tailoring execution to the lowest hanging fruit, amaysim outsmarted and won.
Secure your B&T Awards tickets before it’s too late!
Awaken, ‘Joy in Community’, Opal HealthCare
Aged care is often framed as a reluctant last resort. Opal HealthCare set out to change the conversation by showing what community looks and feels like when it is done with warmth, dignity and joy. Our film-led campaign invited families and caregivers to see real residents living well together, replacing hesitation with human truth.
The creative approach was simple and empathetic. Real residents were the heroes, captured in honest, uplifting moments that made friendship and daily purpose tangible. We built one story in multiple lengths for CTV, YouTube and TV, supported by search and social to meet families when they were actively looking for guidance. Every video drove to a clear help hub where people could enquire, call or book a tour.
The media plan respected how decisions are made at home. CTV brought premium lean-back viewing into the living room. YouTube delivered efficient completed views at scale. TV added reassurance through broad reach. Search and social harvested intent and kept journeys moving.
Results were decisive. The campaign delivered strong efficiency and attention signals, including cost per completed view, view-through rates, and interaction rates. Most importantly, in a defined regional test, new resident admissions increased, giving Opal evidence to scale the approach nationally.
Live Well Together demonstrated that when video tells the truth with empathy, it changes real decisions. By pairing authentic storytelling with a precise CTV and digital video plan, Opal shifted perception, increased enquiries and admissions, and created a repeatable blueprint for ongoing communications. The campaign’s impact was not only emotional, it was measurable, proving that community can be the most compelling message of all.
Secure your B&T Awards tickets before it’s too late!
Droga5 ANZ, part of Accenture Song, ‘The Comments Section’, Meat & Livestock Australia
Each year, Meat and Livestock Australia’s (MLA) Summer Lamb campaign seeks to unite the nation by bringing Aussies together around a lamb BBQ.
In 2024, lamb’s retail price soared, becoming Australia’s most expensive meat. Faced with a cost-of-living crisis, justifying its premium was critical.
This year, the campaign focused on an unrecognised and insidious space fueling division across the nation online ‘Comments Sections’.
We knew in reality, around a lamb BBQ, Aussies weren’t nearly as divided as they appear online. So MLA set out to get the nation “out of the comments and into the cutlets.”
A modest media budget and a need to reach the entire nation meant the film and campaign’s main objective was to drive earned views, shares, and PR.
So we did something that hadn’t been done before. We held up a mirror to the nation, with an online film created from 100 per cent real Australian comments, sourced using geo-targeted social listening from the most divisive topics of the year – including the clean energy debate, infamous Olympic ‘breakdancer’ Raygun, and the rising risks of AI.
We dredged thousands of bizarre opinions, strange statements, and funny one-liners, weaving them into a cohesive narrative that was a true reflection of Australia’s online discourse.
To drive views, we ended the film with comment baiting, sparking interactions and boosting reach. We then turned comments on the ad into a bespoke 15” film, driving people back to the full-length YouTube version via ATL channels.
The film was watched over 21 million times, generating 11 million earned views and more than half a million comments. With over 700 articles, the campaign delivered 180 million opportunities to see. It became the most viewed Australian ad by Australians on YouTube and achieved the highest value sales of any lamb campaign in its 20-year history.
Secure your B&T Awards tickets before it’s too late!
Havas Host, ’50 Years in Australia and it’s just the start.’, IKEA
IKEA wanted to ignite brand love by reminding Australians of their connection to home. We saw the opportunity to tell that story differently.
While most brands use major milestones to celebrate themselves – looking inward, leaning on nostalgia and retelling their origin story – IKEA has always been about the people. So for its big 5-0, IKEA celebrated the true heroes of flatpacks instead: the mates who make every move possible.
Because in Australia, ‘mateship’ isn’t just a word – it’s a cornerstone of our national identity. From early morning moving days to assembling flatpacks together late into the night, mateship is the unspoken bond that sees friends show up for each other, no questions asked.
Delivered through a video-first strategy spanning TV, BVOD, cinema, YouTube and social, The IKEA ‘Just The Start’ campaign is an ode to these unsung heroes of the heavy end of the flat-pack.
This was more than a birthday. It was a celebration of what truly matters, wrapped up in a campaign that delivered record-breaking sales, tapped into our cultural identity, and deepened brand love. Proving that when it comes to IKEA Australia, 50 years is just the start.
Secure your B&T Awards tickets before it’s too late!
Howatson+Company, ‘Know What We Know’, Domain
In 2023 we successfully re-positioned Domain to be a partner in the property journey. There to help navigate the complexities and anxiety through tools and shared knowledge. Building on the momentum, we returned with the same strategic and creative insight.
For decades, REA have owned the very rational proof point of #1 in real-estate, backed with a media spend of 2:1 compared to Domain.
In a parity market, trying to win with messaging based on rational features wouldn’t give Domain the continued brand lift. So rather than challenging the competition, we challenged the market.
Significant quantitative, qualitative research uncovered a continued opportunity for us to own. Our competitor REA is based on a proposition of more. But that in itself can be unhelpful. Property is an anxiety-inducing emotional rollercoaster – people feel overwhelmed and overlooked and “more” isn’t the answer.
Domain’s approach was to humanise the conversation and shift from being seen as a source of information to a source of guidance.
To get the brand noticed, we used the marketing science of distinctiveness over difference. Not competing on rational proof points, but standing for something people connect with. The brand platform ‘Know what we know’ reflects Domain’s commitment to empower customers with generosity of insight and confidence.
The advertising comedically portrayed the anxiety, confusion and desperation you feel when trying to find the right property. And then positioned Domain as a source of the knowledge. A deliberately simple construct.
For salience, we used Hollywood couple Rose Byrne and Bobby Cannavale. Our investment in celebrity acts as a proxy for scale and trust. And it worked.
Brand linkage across the advertising is strong with a total of 77 per cent vs HOB Benchmark 52 per cent.
Brand impact, half of audiences (47 per cent) state they are more likely to consider Domain after seeing the campaign.
Secure your B&T Awards tickets before it’s too late!
Howatson+Company, ‘Care You Can Count On’, Allianz
Allianz has been offering insurance to Australians for over 100 years, yet their brand preference was dropping. No one understood what they stood for and without the budgets of competitors like AAMI and Budget Direct, they couldn’t outspend their way to more quotes.
We needed a different approach to break from the category.
Moving away from the category conventions of humour and hyperbolised disasters, we sought to create emotional connection through the promise of “Care when it counts.” Brought to life through the story of a finch being rescued by an eagle in a storm, the campaign was directed by Michael Gracey (The Greatest Showman) and set to a nostalgic Avril Lavigne track that connected with Allianz’s core Millennial audience.
The campaign has captivated Australians, earning millions of views and responses on TikTok, and the business results are even more impactful. In just one month we were judged #1 most loved ad in Australia for 2025 (TRA), our NPS score increased by 11%, we rose to #2 in category for spontaneous brand awareness, and our brand like-ability increased by 5%.
Secure your B&T Awards tickets before it’s too late!
Howatson+Company, ‘Puppies and Kittens’, Petbarn
Petbarn is Australia’s leading pet supply store, but the market was becoming increasingly cluttered with smaller online stores. To fortify Petbarn’s position, they needed to build a relationship with customers early, at the beginning of their pet parenthood journey. So, they created the Puppy & Kitten Club, a loyalty program that offered everything new pet parents need to look after their puppies and kittens – from tips to advice to discounts.
Our brief was to create a film that would launch this and make Petbarn synonymous with puppy and kitten care. And do so in a memorable way that stood out from our price-focused competition on high attention channels.
While puppies and kittens are the dopamine-inducing apex of the category, they’re also something every competitor has. To be distinctive, we had to go all in, with the most adorable, furbaby-obsessed ad there ever was – using music to make it unforgettable.
So, we created a heart-warming musical homage to new pet parent love, set to a unique cover of “Love is all Around,” made famous by “Wet Wet Wet” and “Love Actually”. A tune instantly recognisable in almost every Australian household. It stars ridiculously adorable puppies. And kittens. And puppies. And kittens. Even the lyrics feature only the words ‘puppies and kittens’. Three repeated words that channel the goofy, playful, intense love that every puppy or kitten parent feels. Backed by joyful, stripped-back instrumentals and simple sets. So that when anyone thinks puppies and kittens, they think Petbarn.
The campaign delivered outstanding results: a +18% lift in product awareness, more than 60 million impressions in two months, a top 1% System1 effectiveness ranking, and a 125% rise in click through rates. Most importantly, it cemented Petbarn as the emotional home of Australia’s new pet parents.
Secure your B&T Awards tickets before it’s too late!
The Media Store, ‘What the Future?!’, RMIT
Will AI take our jobs in the future? Is a paper degree worth the time and money? Will the planet even be habitable in 30 years? Choosing a lifelong career in this day and age felt almost laughable. RMIT decided to flip the script – giving recognition to this uneasiness instead of promising certainty, while the category leaned into the tried and tested.
RMIT launched a new brand campaign, ‘What the Future?!’ – A musical performance that gave a contemporary expression to the audience’s feelings, turning their internal monologue of future uncertainty into a relatable experience across platforms. It delivered impactful engagement hooks including a catchy song, a visual style mirroring the fast-paced, kinetic energy of platforms like TikTok and a lovable earthworm character that breaks the fourth wall to connect directly with the audiences. Our core audiences (18-39 Year Olds) were
heavy video consumers leaning into many screens except linear TV. Going against the standard media playbook, we supported the 60 second long form video as the main act premiering on video on demand platforms and YouTube weighted towards Connected TV, to let prospective students immerse themselves in the musical performance . Act two was highlight reels designed for consumption across TikTok, Instagram and Facebook followed by Act three focused on ad sequencing and retargeting.
By acknowledging a shared consumer truth, RMIT was able to build an authentic connection with its audience resulting in 12.7 million completed video views across platforms while exceeding our reach goals by 11%, delivering 21.8 million impressions. On YouTube, we achieved a video completion rate of 87% – far exceeding the Australian average of 66%. RMIT ranked 2nd highest in the category across awareness, consideration and preference levels (Q4 2024 vs H1 2025).
Secure your B&T Awards tickets before it’s too late!
