Slightly later than expected, but well worth the wait, it’s your next look at the finalists’ work at the 2026 B&T Awards, presented by Rokt.
These are the campaigns that elicit a direct response direct, immediate response from a brand’s target audience such as signing up, clicking a link, posting on a social platform or purchasing a product.
As part of each submission, we ask agencies to submit a maximum 300-word condensed version of their entry. Below, it’s pasted verbatim. It’s their take on why they should win. But only the judges will decide.
Last time out, we looked at the Best Creator-Led Campaign finalists.
To find out who wins first, make sure you buy your tickets for the B&T Awards. It’s on 27 November 2026 in Sydney.
And don’t forget our live judging day for Agency of the Year and some Leadership and Marketing awards on 5 November, also in Sydney. Click here to see if you’ll need to suit up and present to our formidable in-person jury.
Buy your tickets for the B&T Awards, presented by Rokt, now!
Crystalbrook Collection, ‘Rest is Rational: Pausing Pays Off’, Crystalbrook Collection
In April 2026, Australians were being bombarded with reasons not to spend. Cost-of-living pressures, stubborn inflation and rising household expenses had turned discretionary spending into something to feel guilty about. Against this backdrop, Crystalbrook Collection needed to convince financially cautious Australians to book a luxury holiday during one of its most commercially important sales periods.
Instead of ignoring the economic conversation, Crystalbrook reframed it.
Rest is Rational challenged the idea that a holiday was an indulgence by positioning rest as something worth investing in. New consumer research provided the proof: 71% of Australians said simply having a holiday booked made them feel less stressed.
Launched during Stress Awareness Month, the campaign turned that insight into a simple proposition: Pausing Pays Off.
The idea was activated across an integrated mix of paid, owned and earned channels, including PR, social, search, display, video, CRM and digital. At its centre was the $1 Reset Reward, where Crystalbrook released luxury holidays for just $1, transforming the campaign promise into a tangible demonstration that taking a break could quite literally pay off.
The campaign combined brand storytelling with a clear commercial objective, using each channel to move Australians from recognising the value of rest to booking it.
The result was one of Crystalbrook Collection’s most successful sale campaigns.
Buy your tickets for the B&T Awards, presented by Rokt, now!
dentsu, ‘The Drop That Didn’t Stop: How eBay Turned Live Shopping into a National Event’, eBay Australia
The Drop That Didn’t Stop: How eBay Turned Live Shopping into a National Event
eBay launched “24 Hours of Drops” in Australia, adapting a live shopping format already established in mature markets like the UK and Germany. The challenge was less about introducing a new feature and more about establishing an entirely new consumer behaviour in a market where live commerce was still unfamiliar. The campaign needed to drive both platform visits and stream starts, while converting media attention into real commercial results.
The core insight was that Australians don’t set aside time to browse products online, but they do make time for experiences. Live shopping’s appeal lies not in product availability but in the thrill of exclusive drops and shared, real-time participation. Rather than advertising products, eBay promoted participation itself, positioning the event as a national shopping moment.
First, “Cultural Appointment” built anticipation through creator advocacy and reminder-setting across YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat, Meta, Reddit, and even Gmail and Outlook, supported by celebrity hosts including Jerome Luai and Lara Worthington. Second, “Turn Media into the Marketplace” transformed event-day advertising into an extension of eBay Live itself, using Meta Moment Maker placements, a live-stream simulcast within Meta feeds, and an eight-hour YouTube Masthead takeover manually refreshed hourly to mirror live streams in real time.
The results exceeded expectations across every dimension. Commercially, the event delivered eBay Live Australia’s highest-ever GMV day, with millions in directly attributable sales. Brand metrics showed strong lift, including gains in event recall, purchase intent, and a substantial spike in search interest for “eBay Live.”
Ultimately, the campaign didn’t just meet performance targets. It established a new benchmark for live shopping participation in one of the world’s least mature live-commerce markets.
Buy your tickets for the B&T Awards, presented by Rokt, now!
Droga5, part of Accenture Song, Poem, Hearts & Science, SBS, ‘SBS World Cup Watchers’ Rights Association’, Special Broadcasting Service
In 2026, SBS brought the FIFA World Cup to Australia live and free. There was just one catch.
With the tournament hosted across Canada, Mexico and the US, 65% of matches would air during Australian work hours. For once, fans wouldn’t have to stay up all night. But they would have to sneak away from their desks.
So, SBS created the World Cup Watchers’ Rights Association: the world’s first organisation dedicated to fighting for every Australian’s right to watch the beautiful game on company time.
The Association had a chairman in Nick Mohammed (Ted Lasso’s Nate the Great), a committee of Matt Okine, Mel Buttle, John Cruickshank and Matilda’s legend Lydia Williams, a website, a LinkedIn page, downloadable workplace resources and even an intern. The WRA gave fans the tools to make their case to the boss, and invited businesses to sign on as FIFA-Friendly workplaces.
Buy your tickets for the B&T Awards, presented by Rokt, now!
EssenceMediacom, Livewire, Special, ‘Backseat Arcade’, Uber
Uber needed to increase ride frequency among light users who had already tried the brand but continued to default to driving. Rather than relying on advertising alone, we created an immediate reason to engage with Uber and book again.
The idea “The Uber Backseat Arcade” transformed Uber’s passive trip screen into an exclusive in-app gaming experience, available only while riding. The moment a journey began, passengers were invited to play one of three retro games, with high scores unlocking ride vouchers worth up to 30% off their next trip. Every interaction rewarded participation, encouraged repeat booking and brought Uber’s promise,”You can’t do that if you’re driving”, to life through behaviour, not just messaging.
The campaign turned every Uber journey into a direct-response opportunity. In just two weeks, 20,000 riders participated, generating more than 18,000 gameplays and delivering a 78% engagement rate – almost four times the playable benchmark. More importantly, participation converted into measurable business outcomes: 6,893 ride vouchers were claimed and 83% were redeemed.
By combining seamless in-app participation, reward-driven incentives and contextual media, Uber Backseat Arcade demonstrated how direct response can extend beyond a single click or purchase. It transformed a previously passive moment into an immediate action, turning every ride into an opportunity to engage, reward customers and drive the next booking.
Buy your tickets for the B&T Awards, presented by Rokt, now!
Hatched x Nightjar for Jack Links, ‘Mr Beast WTF (What’s The Flavour)’, Jack Links
Jack Link’s partnered with global superstar Mr Beast to turn product trial into a game. Over 13 weeks, shoppers bought mystery-flavoured jerky, guessed the flavour, and entered for a chance to win $1M, all backed by a bespoke online game, retail activations and a 150+ strong influencer army.
CHALLENGE
Only 30% of Aussies eat jerky once a year, and the category was stuck as an impulse buy for older shoppers. Jack Link’s needed to win snackers under 40 – a discerning, gaming-obsessed audience who wouldn’t be swayed by free samples alone.
INSIGHT
Younger snackers were steeped in gaming culture, driven by an innate desire to play and win. Jack Link’s tapped into that instinct, turning product trial itself into a fun challenge.
IDEA
Team up with Mr Beast, and challenge Aussies to buy, taste and guess new mystery flavours for a shot at $1M. Activate through a retro browser game, mass in-store displays, and a live elimination final at Beef Week.
RESULTS
• 540K new household penetration
• 94% decrease in cost per new customer
• 51.4% increase in average weekly sales
• 65K competition entries
• 1.8M packs sold
Buy your tickets for the B&T Awards, presented by Rokt, now!
Smith St, OM Content, Coles, ‘Coles Goals’, Coles
How do you make Australia’s biggest passion the biggest redemption platform in Australia? Cue Coles Goals.
It may seem unexpected that an AFL sponsorship is entered into Direct Response. But Coles Goals broke the mould, turning partnership into purchase.
Coles’ AFL partnership has run since 2020, achieving 43% prompted awareness. But for a retailer that lives on a corner in every community, visibility wasn’t the end goal.
In 2026, food cost pressures intensified, with 37% more shoppers researching products and brands before buying and 1 in 2 shopping across multiple stores for value. With e-commerce growing 26.4%, we needed to accelerate online grocery adoption and give shoppers more reason to choose Coles.
The answer was in front of us: Coles Goals, a moment we’d spent years working towards owning. We evolved it from something fans recognised into something they could feel and act on – giving tangible value back while improving their AFL experience.
We built a single fan journey around the moment. From Monday–Wednesday, creative built anticipation. When a Coles Goal was kicked Thursday or Friday, fans received a code unlocking $20 off a $200 Coles shop. Creative and media synchronised the goal, reveal, replay and LED activation in real time, while weekend reminders extended the moment into the Coles app and shop.
Over the home and away season, Coles Goals generated 99,305 redemptions and online orders, with 12.4% from brand-new customers, beating the 10% acquisition target. Redeemed baskets delivered a 50% higher AOV, while every $1 invested returned $13.75 – delivering $1,986,100 in value back to fans.
The supporting TVC achieved 67% campaign recall among AFL fans, while intent to shop at Coles increased 24%.
Coles Goals turned fandom into value, value into action, and action into measurable business growth.
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Special, ‘The Pepsi Recycle Rethink’, Pepsi
Drinks brands constantly tell people to recycle their plastic and aluminium waste. But the truth is, two thirds of containers in Australia actually don’t get recycled. It was clear to us that ‘telling’ people how to recycling wasn’t enough to drive real action. So Pepsi decided to step up.
Australia’s existing recycling infrastructure relied on a stagnant 10c refund model that had not evolved in 50 years. To genuinely shift behavior, PepsiCo needed to make the act of recycling inherently engaging rather than relying on these empty lectures.
Partnering with TOMRA, global recycling tech company, and NSW Government-run recycling scheme “Return and Earn” we developed new identification code for Reverse Vending Machines that could detect unique Pepsi barcodes when deposited.
This technological breakthrough transformed a stagnant, rote chore into a gamified, consumer-first experience. In a world-first initiative, whenever a consumer deposited a Pepsi product, the machine’s new code prompted it to print a unique QR receipt. By scanning this code in real-time, the consumer could instantly discover if they had earned the standard 10c refund, or an additional amount of $100, $1,000, $10,000, or $50,000. By drastically elevating the incentive, Pepsi turned passive recycling into an actively rewarding experience.
Excitingly, this functionality is now compatible with TOMRA’s global network of machines, meaning that any brand in the world, not just Pepsi, can encourage greater recycling as we have here in the state of NSW.
Buy your tickets for the B&T Awards, presented by Rokt, now!
The Mix Agency & The Connect Agency, ‘Monopoly x FIFA World Cup 26 Campaign’, Monopoly / Hasbro Games
Challenge & Brief
With official FIFA World Cup 2026 licensing rights, Hasbro Games needed to take Monopoly beyond the games aisle and into football culture. The ambition was to make Monopoly synonymous with fans, shared moments and the excitement of the world’s biggest tournament.
Insight & Activation
Australians don’t just watch sport, they live for it. We identified the penalty kick as football’s most iconic high-pressure moment. It shared Monopoly’s emotional DNA of anticipation, risk and rivalry.
We turned that connection into Kick to Win: One Purchase. One Kick. $50,000 on the Line.
A $25 minimum spend encouraged basket building, while a frictionless digital entry journey and instant-win Digital Mastercard prizes drove immediate participation. The ultimate reward was a trip to Sydney to take a penalty shot against Mr. Monopoly for $50,000 cash.
We transformed retail into a football stadium through high-impact BIG W pallet activations, 40,000 on-pack stickers and independent retailer POS. Australia’s first-to-market HyperGram 3D holographic display at Chadstone created further disruption.
Digital and influencer content drove awareness and participation, while a live Monopoly FIFA World Cup Watch Party, delivered with Ultra Football and Sydney FC, turned the major prize into a national spectacle across Today Show and SBS.
Results
• The campaign delivered +27% Monopoly sales, contributing to +6% Hasbro Games growth, while retaining Monopoly’s #1 market-share position.
• BIG W grew +8% and Target +57%. The FIFA Legends Booster Pack became the #1 Hasbro game during BIG W’s Toy Mania sale.
• The campaign generated 54+ media hits, 4.6M PR reach, 4.09M influencer impressions and $347.7K EMV, alongside 13.5M paid social impressions.
By combining an unmissable in-store presence, a frictionless digital journey and a high-stakes experiential reward, Monopoly x FIFA campaign didn’t just ask shoppers to buy – it gave them 50,000 reasons to respond.
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Thinkerbell, ‘Little Listings’, Mattel Brickshop
In mid 2025, Mattel set out to launch Mattel Brick Shop, a range of car building sets under the Hot Wheels brand.
However, Mattel faced a 50-year LEGO monopoly in the ‘construction toy’ aisle. It also only had a modest budget, so a media-spending contest wasn’t going to cut it.
Rather than fight in the toy aisle, our solution was a contextual commerce hijack. Leveraging Hot Wheels’ 50 years of automotive credibility, we treated our models like genuine vehicles.
The insight: Mattel Brick Shop’s building sets look so much like real cars, we would launch them like real cars, borrowing the language, visual codes and tropes of the car world, anchoring the sets as a desirable automotive collectible for adults.
Rather than sending consumers to passive channels, we listed the models where high-intent car buyers were actively searching for specific vehicles, on carsales.com.au.
Instead of placing ads, we actually listed our models as if they were real cars for sale, featuring images shot by professional automotive photographers. We engaged racing legend, Craig Lowndes, to construct and list his own custom-built Mercedes Benz 300 SL, delivering a media hook that Craig was “selling his Mercedes”, driving consumers to the platform. We also engaged real car reviewers to give the sets a test drive, seeded them to automotive and revhead influencers, and placed print ads featuring our ‘trick photography’ in real car magazines.
This strategy delivered staggering immediate conversion. From 147 pieces of coverage, reaching 29M+ people, the campaign drove 3,025 views to Craig’s listing in launch week and his model sold in just 18 seconds, before Mattel sold its entire warehouse stock of 14,300 units in the 14 weeks post-launch, seeing it earn 7.1% market share by September. Finally, the campaign and immediate demand forced retailers to grant permanent shelf space.
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Thinkerbell, ‘inclusivelymade.ai’, Inclusively Made
AI is now where ideas begin, shaping the first drafts of our scripts, stories, and culture. But trained on historical data, AI inherits past biases, risking the automation of exclusion at scale and erasing the 20% of Australians living with a disability.
To challenge this at the source, Thinkerbell and Inclusively Made created inclusivelymade.ai, an intelligent premium AI platform designed to actively remove bias from the creative and production process. Guided by the core belief “Remove bias. Create extraordinary.”, the platform serves as an objective partner helping teams make inclusive decisions across casting, crew selection, storytelling, representation, and production. Rather than flagging blind spots as a late-stage compliance check, it embeds tokenism checks, accessibility frameworks, certification standards, and casting guidelines directly into the prompting workflow, proving that removing invisible filters leads to richer, more original work.
Built as a long-term behavioral change project to rewrite industry default settings, the platform was launched with a massive integrated ecosystem. Featuring three TV ads, three radio spots, digital and static OOH, and a launch stunt at Mumbrella360, the campaign received over $2M in donated media through Atomic 212° and Australia’s top media networks. Key industry leaders, including Woolworths, Bupa, Telstra, Mastercard, Big W, and KFC, backed the movement.
The impact speaks for itself: Inclusively Made certified productions have contributed $1.8M to employ people with disability, delivering 2,500 days of professional employment and achieving 89% inclusive representation across certified projects. Now expanding internationally into South American & European film industries, inclusivelymade.ai proves that inclusive storytelling isn’t just better representation, it’s better creative work.
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Yango, ‘Scape: The Gen Z Intent Engine’, Scape
Scape’s “The GEN Z Intent Engine” completely redefined direct response marketing for premium student accommodation by killing the traditional, trust-destroying web form.
Realising that Gen Z ignores standard display ads and 74% begin research on social media or AI, Scape recognised its demand-generation funnel was fundamentally broken. With 43% of young Australians experiencing loneliness, Scape pivoted from demanding personal data to offering genuine human connection.
To execute this systems change with zero incremental media spend, Scape shifted its budget into bespoke, conversational ad units across Social, Twitch, and YouTube. Instead of generic calls-to-action, these dynamic ads engaged students in a two-way dialogue, allowing them to self-qualify their amenity preferences directly within the unit.
Scape then retired its legacy capture forms entirely, routing high-intent users directly into WhatsApp to chat with a real team member. This frictionless engine was fueled by Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO), which mapped site content to high-intent AI queries to ensure Scape dominated algorithmic recommendations.
The commercial impact of replacing paperwork with conversation was explosive. The campaign drove a massive 108.9% increase in total leads—reaching 44,000—and a 225% surge in website conversion rates. By efficiently filtering out casual browsers through conversation, waitlist volumes dropped by 21.2%, significantly reducing the administrative burden on staff.
Ultimately, this zero-friction approach generated a 23.2% year-over-year increase in booking revenue. It also propelled Scape to the number one share of search at 38.3%, overtaking its primary competitor.
Scape didn’t ask Gen Z to work harder to connect; they simply offered a conversation, and a record number of students answered.
Buy your tickets for the B&T Awards, presented by Rokt, now!
