Home » B&T Awards The Work: Listen Up It’s The Best Radio/Audio Campaigns

20 October, 2023

B&T Awards The Work: Listen Up It’s The Best Radio/Audio Campaigns

A very timely list today with ARN’s takeover bid for Southern Cross Austereo being the talk of the industry this week. Our burgeoning list of witty radio and audio campaigns shows why this is a medium worth fighting for.

The jury was looking for a strong creative idea specific to the chosen medium of audio/ radio; execution and appropriateness of strategy and solution to the original brief, as well as evidence of effectiveness and success. This category covers all radio channels, including digital radio, as well as podcasts, streaming services and connected home devices. Entries must demonstrate ideas that are wired for sound; work that communicates a brand message through audio excellence, sonic innovation or superior aural storytelling.

We’d love to see you in the night. Why not come along and see who will be crowned the winners at the Hordern Pavilion on Friday 24 November 2023? Early bird tickets are limited so don’t run the risk of paying full price later.

Secure your table now!

And if you haven’t already, don’t forget to check out the entire short lists for the 2023 B&T Awards here and here.

Catch up also on the B&T Awards shortlisted work here:

Below are the finalists with each heading showing the name of the agency, the name of the campaign and then the client footing the bill. The words are as submitted by the entrant.

Amplify, Frisson Trigger, Sonos

Sonos Frisson Trigger. A groundbreaking music experience, engineered to give you goosebumps.

Challenge

Sonos tasked Amplify to create a campaign that would sustain cultural conversation around Era 300, the brand’s newly launched spatial audio speaker. The campaign had to celebrate the emotive power of sound, reinforce the brand’s credibility in music and reignite its innovation narrative.

Insight and Strategy

Sometimes, a piece of music connects so deeply that we feel a physical sensation, a “frisson”.

Frisson is a psychophysiological response to music that induces a pleasurable state resulting in skin tingling, chills, goosebumps, an elevated heart rate and pupil dilation.

What if we combined art, science and Sonos hardware to take spatial audio technology to the next level with a track engineered to cause frisson?

Introducing “Frisson Trigger”

Composed and mixed by Grammy-winning producer and spatial audio expert, Eric J Dubowsky in collaboration with academic experts, “Frisson Trigger” is loaded with sounds scientifically-proven to induce frisson.

From compositional choices including chord progressions descending the circle of fifths, a sharp timbre, melodic appoggiatura and unexpected harmonies to acoustic properties including high quality sound, brightness and, significantly, sound that moves through space.

Mixed in Dolby Atmos using innovative spatial audio techniques the track immerses listeners in the music, enveloping them completely in high quality sound.

The story was shared through the release of the track, online content and a media and influencer event that included a purpose-built listening space , featuring the ultimate, immersive Sonos spatial audio setup.

Results

The campaign reached 4,755,000 people with The New York Times describing it as “an emotional odyssey that showcases the potential of spatial audio innovation.”

BMF, Overcooked Generosity, ALDI

After a year of financial restraint, ALDI Australia encouraged Aussies to go all-out, not just on the Christmas spread, but on the spirit of generosity itself. Everybody wants to enjoy a feast with family and friends without worrying about how many prawns they can afford, or having to choose between mince tarts and panettone. So don’t carve by halves. Pile those prawns. Double up on desserts. Don’t hold back this Christmas, because when you shop at ALDI there’s always enough.

BMF, Special you can Buy, ALDI

Not everyone gets to experience a grandiose life-changing event every week, but with ALDI special is a thing you can buy, twice a week.

‘Special You Can Buy’ revels in the possibility and magic of the middle aisle, putting Special Buys up there with the most special things in existence. Like life itself. Whether it’s a state-of-the-art washing machine, luxurious bed linen or barista beating coffee machine, Aussie shoppers are reminded the Special Buys experience is one worth seeking out in store.

Essencemediacom, Purr More, Whiskas

To address a relevance challenge with younger cat owners, WHISKAS developed a brand campaign called “Purr More” to prove that cats purr more with WHISKAS.

The media agency uncovered an insight about the therapeutic benefits of a cats’ purr (to both cats and humans) which led to a strategic opportunity to use Spotify’s audio technology and data to help the audience experience the calming effects of a WHISKAS purr. The media idea was to create 3D audio “purr more” experiences in moments when the audience was using the medium for its relaxation benefits – resulting in a 5% increase in brand favorability.

Initiative, How To Build A Human, Lego

This campaign proves the power of media in reframing cultural perceptions of brands en masse.

LEGO DUPLO is most families first foray into the LEGO brand, offering a powerful developmental play-experience with many benefits for little minds under construction. It is a brand with significant heritage, a major benefit but also a curse. In a world with increasing tech fuelled educational toys they needed to re-educate parents about their superior play promise.

No amount of generic editorial would cut it. They needed trusted real-world voices, sharing tips in content they care about and distributed at scale to make it easy to talk to other parents about.

We leant into research citing fun and joy as lead drivers in shaping young minds, to influence their parents’, creating… HOW TO BUILD A HUMAN.

Partnering with Australia’s biggest parenting content platform, and Australia’s No1 podcast network, Mamamia, we created a new-world, eight-episode content series on how to ‘build a human’.

This series, hosted by Mamamia’s Executive Editor Leigh Campbell and LEGO-endorsed parental educator Gen Muir, covered a deep variety of research-backed topics decoding the developmental needs of modern children…all while expertly (and organically) weaving in the virtues of LEGO DUPLO play. To ensure parents streamed, downloaded, and replayed we recruited a raft of a-list local celebrities such as former Wiggle Sam Moran, Olympian Libby Trickett, and ultramarathon athlete (and burns survivor) Turia Pitt, to collide entertainment and education. Athletes, comedians, influencers and commentators were paired with topics most relevant to them, sharing real-life and relatable stories.

How to Build a Human built confidence and brand love amongst an extremely hard-to-win audience, and the ultimate sign it worked? Series 2 is already greenlit!

Octagon, The Mastercard Sonic Trophy, Mastercard

The women’s Rugby World Cup 2021 in Aotearoa (New Zealand) was one of the biggest sporting events in 2022. As a sponsor, technology brand Mastercard had a platform to showcase its innovation credentials – and use the ‘Player of the Match’ (POTM) Trophy as a way to inspire the next generation of female rugby players.

Problem was, Mastercard wasn’t top of wallet in Aotearoa, making demonstration of brand relevance and participation in the market critical. So, Mastercard needed to activate POTM with a cultural lens, reinforcing their commitment to the local market, as well as reaching the hearts & minds of sports fans in Aotearoa, demonstrating the brand’s understanding of the country and its culture.

We created the world’s first sonic trophy – mixing the excitement of live sport with fan passion, giving the world of rugby another reason to be excited during the tournament period.

Every trophy contained the live sounds of the match – young female superfans’ passionate voices, play-by-play broadcast commentary, and the electric energy of the stadium. Every sound was captured live and mixed in real-time at the Mastercard Sonic Studio. The resulting bespoke soundtrack was embedded within the trophy, and gifted to every Player of the Match, minutes after the final whistle, as a priceless memory.

26 matches, 26 bespoke trophies.

This innovative piece of tech captured the largest share of voice of the tournament, and had significant reach + earned media.

Starcom, A Very Merry Cellarbrations, Cellarbrations

During one of the most challenging retail periods, Cellarbrations needed to do something different. Instead of leaning on the same channels as competitors – we decided to cut through with audio.

We discovered a shocking insight we can all relate to….half of us don’t like the gifts they get from their friends and family.

Cellarbrations brand value is all about knowing what to recommend, so we used that to solve this unwanted gifts problem through innovative audio campaign that delivered cut-through and impact when Aussies needed it most.

We told listeners how they could avoid the shame of buying an unwanted gift by heading to Cellarbrations instore or online with a three phased partnership Nova that included Launching the Cheer, Intercepting the Bad Gift and Converting a Winning Gift. This was supported by a national Drive Partnership, a Nova first podcast competition and using street teams to intercept people while doing their Christmas shopping.

We achieved a Christmas miracle and delivered beyond all expectations and help thousands of people avoid buying an unwanted gift. All while achieving our goals.

It truly was reason for a Cellarbration(s).

The Royals, Coopers Mild, Coopers

For the Australian summer of cricket, Coopers Mild Ale took the sledging (taunting) that’s iconic to the game and made it milder — proving that mid-strength shouldn’t mean a lack of flavour.

We executed this by replicating a live radio broadcast of a cricket test match, tuning into the stump mic to hear two cricketers sledging a batsman. When it started to sound like it was going to get a bit offensive, our cricketers changed direction to a polite and non-threatening comment – a mild sledge.

The radio campaign catapulted Coopers Mild into the 3rd most recalled alcohol brand in Australia (up from 7th), and delivered a 44% increase of core message awareness of ‘Mid-strength beer that tastes like a full-strength’.

Other results:
Number 1 beer associated with taste
Number 1 beer associated with cricket
Consumers 700% more likely to recall Coopers as the sponsor of cricket

Wavemaker, Art of Drag, Paramount+

Paramount+ faced the challenge of launching the Drag Queen Specials show on their streaming service while standing out in a fiercely competitive market. To achieve fame and notoriety for the show, they needed an innovative media execution that would captivate existing and new viewers, especially during the Sydney World Pride, without being perceived as inauthentic amongst the LGBTQI+ community.

Strategy

The appeal of drag queens extends beyond a subculture, with comedy and audience interaction being significant engagement drivers. Queer slang had become an increasingly popular linguistic trend. Leveraging this insight, the media strategy focused on showcasing the distinct asset of drag queens – their voice, sass, and comedic audience “roasts” – to bring a taste of drag performances into the living rooms of their audience.

Idea & Execution

Wavemaker designed and implemented a 360-degree audio approach for Paramount+, utilizing linear radio, podcasts, audio streaming and a smart speaker skill.

We enlisted Art Simone, a renowned drag queen, to roast established talent and listeners across high-affinity environments, including popular podcasts. A bespoke digital radio station called Pride Radio was created to coincide with Sydney World Pride. We even created a smart speaker voice skill, allowing users to receive personalized roasts from Art Simone, enhancing the interactive experience.

Effectiveness

The audio-led approach successfully exceeded awareness and engagement benchmarks, reaching a broad audience of P18-45. The bespoke Pride station garnered significant listenership after promotion, and the smart speaker skill brought Art Simone’s roasts to over 1300 homes.

Despite concerns of rainbow-washing during Sydney World Pride, the campaign achieved positive sentiment. Notably, the strategy contributed to a 23% increase in first streams on Paramount+ Comedy Specials and a 16% increase in viewership during the show’s launch week. Paramount+ recognised the effectiveness of the audio touchpoints and has increased investments for future comedy launches.

As always, we are eternally grateful to our sponsors, without whom these amazing awards would not be possible.

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