'Brilliant' Bud ads scoop Audio & Radio

BRANDS loomed large in the shortlist for this year’s Audio & Radio Lions, with Budweiser’s ‘One-Second Ads’ taking the Grand Prix.

The campaign, from Africa Creative DDB, Sao Paulo, involved a series of ads that each played just the first second of a famous song — challenging fans to guess the track.

“It’s a brilliant piece of work,” said Jury President Xolisa Dyeshana, chief creative officer, Joe Public,Africa and Middle East. “It is exceptionally creative, it’s insightful, it’s fresh and it harnessed the power of music, which is one of the biggest passion points of consumers.” The ads garnered 68 million impressions in the first two weeks of the campaign, with the one-second length making them unskippable.

Jury President Xolisa Dyeshana

There was another benefit to the brand from this . “From an efficiency point of view, for one second of an ad you don’t have to pay rights or publishing, ” Dyeshana said. “An efficient and fun solution.” He also pointed to the prominence of FMCG brands in the Audio & Radio shortlist and winners this year as reflective of a trend.

“Brands are back. We had a big showing from the beer brands, and a strong showing from the media and entertainment space,” he said.

“We really found that more so than in previous years, brands are embracing audio. Brands are embracing the power of sound and putting their might behind it.” Three Gold Lions were awarded in the Audio & Radio category to work from the US, Brazil and Saudi Arabia.

24, Auditoire, Double 2, OBO, Havas and Havas Events devised the spectacular event.

“It was bold, unforgettable and a clear reminder of the limitless power of outdoor,” Morelle said. “It redefined public space as not just a platform for visibility, but also for meaning.”

KitKat’s ‘Phone Break’, from VML, Prague, was an out-of- home campaign that presented scenes of people in public spaces with their phones replaced by KitKat bars.

The idea was to encourage consumers to take a break from their phones — without actually spelling out KitKat’s famous slogan.

“It’s a masterclass. Without words or logos it commu- nicates a strong message,” Morelle said. “It captures the moment we are living in, rein- forces the brand’s concept, and immediately sparks reflection.” Nine Gold Lions were awarded in the Outdoor category for work from the UK (3), Spain (2), Puerto Rico, Mexico, Ger- many and India.