Invite the audience in

New channels, content proliferation and media fragmentation are blurring the effectiveness landscape. “With so much content, inefficiencies compound,” notes Anastasia Leng, Founder of Creative X, in the talk ‘A Masterclass in Creative Quality’. While new content and technology are shifting the landscape, some creatively effective work this year baked a participatory mechanic into both traditional and emergent channels. Take ‘Phone It In’ by Colenso BBDO, Auckland, for the telco Skinny, as an example. Winning the Grand Prix in the Radio and Audio Lions, it promoted a promise to keep prices low using reverse participation, making audiences contribute the voice-over. This novel approach earned Skinny a 34% increase in acquisitions year on year. Kraft Heinz’s ‘Draw Ketchup’ by Rethink, Toronto, similarly put consumers front and centre when using people’s drawings of Heinz as the main media asset. It took home a Gold Lion in the Creative Effectiveness Lions and saw brand affinity rise. Both pieces of work shine the spotlight on how hard traditional channels can work for integrated initiatives. But as advertisers identify new ways to appeal to Gen Z, the time is right for new campaign models. Samsung’s ‘Flipvertising’ by CHEP Network, Sydney, was awarded the Grand Prix in the Social & Influencer Lions, for its innovative understanding of Gen Z behaviour on social media. “I have never seen an example of how people got how the media works, got how the algorithm works and flipped it. If we can use that incredible depth of media knowledge and then turn it into something creative then that’s incredibly inspiring,” enthused Diageo’s Isabel Massey, Global Head of Media and Content Transformation, and a Media Lions Juror.