The Cairns Crocodiles Awards are all about standing up for something and standing out from the crowd with exceptional creativity.
This was no better expressed earlier this year than in the winners of the inaugural Changing The World Campaign campaign.
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Gold Crocodile: Dentsu Creative, ‘Second Chance Champions’ for Transplant Australia
The Gold Crocodile went to Dentsu Creative for its ‘Second Chance Champions’ pro-bono campaign for Transplant Australia.
It was up against some stiff competition with scores of entries and nine worthy finalists from around Asia Pacific. In fact, Dentsu Creative was squaring up against the likes of VML Singapore and Special Australia in its bid to take home the first Gold Crocodile.
Its work was a masterstroke. Not only was it a stirring piece of work, but it delivered huge exposure for the charity and led to a huge increase in organ donor applications. While an overwhelming majority of Aussies are in favour of organ donation and the signup process takes just 60 seconds, precious few transplants are carried out. Less than one per cent of people who die each year are eligible for organ donation given the deceased must die in a hospital under very specific circumstances. This is exacerbated when you consider only 54 per cent of the deceased’s next-of-kin consent to donation – simply because they never discussed their loved one’s decision.
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There are currently around 1,800 Australians on the transplant waitlist, and 13,000 more on dialysis.
To find a way to talk to the country about this less-than-inspiring topic, Dentsu Creative and Transplant Australia created a national campaign and feature-length documentary about the Perth World Transplant Games – to tell a less sombre, more positive story within the category.
Launching across multiple streaming platforms, Second Chance Champions is a feature length documentary backed by PR that delves into the world of organ donation through an international sporting event called the World Transplant Games. Airing on Ch10, 10 Play, Apple TV+ and Paramount+, Second Chance Champions achieved national TV and online coverage, unlocking an audience of 12 million Australians. Or put differently, 50 per cent of the adult population. This figure increased by 3m through PR across TV News, Online, Radio & Print – resulting in 743 pieces of coverage and generating $14m in earned media (despite $0 media investment).
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Silver Crocodile: Howatson+Company, ‘TOUCH’ for Mastercard
Howatson+Company had a night to remember at the inaugural Cairns Crocodiles picking up 18 trophies, including three Gold Crocodiles. It also had a stellar evening at the B&T Awards last week—picking six trophies, including Advertising Agency of the Year.
But in the Changing The World category, the team from Surry Hills could only manage a Silver Crocodile.
Its ‘Touch’ for Mastercard was a brilliant piece of creative that approached filmmaking differently for the blind and low-vision community. To help promote Mastercard’s new Touch card that featured redesigned tactile notches to make payment easier for the blind and low vision community, it created ‘Touch’ to help redesigned cinema.
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The reliance on screen readers, audio descriptions, or asking friends what is happening on the screen often leads to a compromised cinema experience. Howatson+Company decided to flip the script, creating a priceless cinema experience everyone can enjoy.
‘TOUCH’ is a feature-length motion picture without pictures. Brought to life solely through Dolby 7.1 sound, without images or audio descriptions. Designed to be enjoyed by people who are both sighted and non-sighted.
It follows an original story of a neuroscientist trapped inside his father’s mind, along with his ex-girlfriend and an unsuspecting delivery driver. To escape, they must journey through crumbling memories and forgotten worlds.
The film was developed by award-winning filmmakers, in collaboration with consultants, composers, writers and actors from blind and low vision communities all over the world. Howatson+Company worked closely with inclusivity group Bus Stop Films and focus groups to consider the blind and low vision perspective at every stage of the production process.
‘TOUCH’ premiered in iconic cinemas across Australia, to sold out crowds of people across the spectrum of visual abilities, and is now being taught in film schools, giving future filmmakers a blueprint to make more inclusive productions.
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‘TOUCH’ reached over 74 million people, with 150+ global news stories, garnering more than $AU10 million in earned media coverage. ‘TOUCH’ was also scheduled to screen in cinemas and festivals globally in 2024 and beyond. And the production learnings from Touch have been turned into a lesson module and taught in leading film schools, giving future filmmakers a blueprint to make more inclusive productions.
Bronze Crocodile: Ogilvy Singapore, ‘Skins For Skin’ for Vaseline
Ogilvy Singapore’s Skins for Skin performed admirably at the Cairns Crocodiles Awards, taking home five Crocodiles including two Golds.
However, in the Changing the World category, it could only muster a Bronze. Still, it’s a very impressive piece of work that shows the growing importance of virtual worlds in everyday life.
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“Great audience targeting and use of multiple channels, including packaging, to contribute to a very successful clever campaign,” said one judge.
In Thailand, there are about 161 new burn patients every day, but the Thai Skin Bank, the collective depository of the nation’s donated skin, is empty. The lack of skin donations is mostly due to a lack of awareness. No-one talked about the subject, so nobody donated. Vaseline, which has been caring for skin since 1870, and has a strong presence in Thailand, wanted and encouraged skin-donor registrations country-wide.
Vaseline is about healthy skin for all. And this is particularly true for people who rely on skin donation. So Ogilvy Singapore created an experience where streamers exchange their favourite skin against the promise of a skin donation.
Few Thais knew that skin could be donated, so Ogilvy Singapore turned to those who knew the value of skin and had a strong social presence: professional gaming streamers. By partnering up with them, the agency let them exchange their favourite character skins in videogames for skin donation pledges for the Thai Red Cross.
In October 2023, 12 of Thailand’s largest streamers went online with a simple message: donate your skin in exchange of one of our favourite skins in the game. Reaching millions of young people over the course of 7 days, Ogilvy amplified the campaign further with a dedicated YouTube film.
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The results were very impressive, as well as millions of social media views and impressions, the campaign generated 30,000 new donor registrations through the Thai Red Cross from a base of zero. Nearly 24,ooo square centimetres of donated skin was collected and, most importantly, six lives were saved because of skin grafts donated via the campaign.
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