01 October 2007

New Zealand’s advertising industry is riding a wave of international attention on the back of award wins and an imaginative promotional campaign at the Cannes Lions advertising festival in France.

New Zealand production companies won three film awards at the prestigious Cannes Lions event – Film Construction received a Silver Film Lion for a Tiger Beer commercial featuring a life-like Panda bear and the company also won a Bronze Film Lion for a commercial launching a new product from Frucor Beverages.

Kiwi production house The Sweet Shop was also awarded a Bronze Film Lion for a commercial promoting absorbent toilet paper, which asked Australians if they ‘fold or scrunch’ and gained a cult following in the market. It is the third consecutive year the company has taken out an award at Cannes Lions.

The Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival attracts more than 9000 delegates from 85 countries, who attend seminars and workshops as well as competing for the world’s most coveted advertising awards. The 2007 winning advertisements can be viewed at http://www.canneslionslive.com.

The profile of New Zealand’s advertising industry received a major boost at the event through a campaign dubbed I KISS New Zealand, which created an interactive art work based on a collective demonstration of the art of the kiss. Kisses were collected from hundreds of individuals via mobile phone cameras and the resulting digital display was featured on a website created to showcase leading work by the New Zealand advertising sector (http://www.justaddnewzealanders.com).

New Zealand directors and production and post-production staff from seven companies attended Cannes Lions 2007 and helped to collect kisses for the art work and raise awareness of the quality of ideas and innovation in the industry. The campaign caught delegates’ imaginations and hits on the site soared during the festival, with visitors increasing 10-fold during the three-day event. It was backed up by flip books, badges and t-shirts that became sought-after collectors’ items.

“The I KISS New Zealand campaign is a great example of the creative and imaginative approach for which New Zealand’s commercial industry is renowned,” says Kaye Glamuzina, a representative from New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, Investment New Zealand’s parent organisation.

“New Zealand directors and production companies are exporting their talent and ideas to all corners of the globe to meet demand for a fresh approach to marketing through commercials.”

Directors with The Sweet Shop, for example, have filmed in Colombia, Canada and Croatia in recent months, while also continuing to meet demand for commercials to be made in New Zealand.

More than 90 per cent of the company’s work is for offshore clients and it works collaboratively with a wide range of international partners. For example, the recent commercial made in Canada used a script written in New York and was filmed in Vancouver under a New Zealand director and producer, with post-production work carried out in New Zealand.

“New Zealanders are increasingly in demand because of their creative talent,” says Paul Prince, Managing Director of The Sweet Shop. “Globalisation is a feature of the film production industry as it is with many other sectors. It matters less where you are located – clients want the best quality and the brightest ideas and that’s where New Zealand stands out.”

He says the success of New Zealand-made films and the achievements of directors like Peter Jackson, Nicky Caro, Vincent Ward and Brad McGann have highlighted New Zealand’s capability as a craft centre of excellence.

“Commercials and films draw on the same creative community and the same expertise.”

Auckland-based Film Construction, one of New Zealand’s leading producers of advertising commercials, is also sending more of its directors and production crews to work overseas while continuing to attract international clients to New Zealand.

“The best creative in the world is written here,” says Stephen Douglas, General Manager of Film Construction. “Countries like China have a large and fast-growing market for commercials and they are constantly looking for something different.

“They like the fresh look and feel our directors can give them.”

Film Construction also has a designated Japanese department, which markets the company’s capability in Japan and brings work back to New Zealand.

Kaye Glamuzina says while creative punch and post-production expertise are key drivers of growth in the New Zealand commercials industry, the sector is also attractive for a range of other features.

“New Zealand is known for the beauty, variety and accessibility of its locations and is also very competitive in terms of costs. But there is another dimension that adds value, which is the work ethic, flexibility and practical problem-solving skills of people working in the industry.

“Rather than saying something can’t be done, in New Zealand they say there must be a way to do this and let’s find out what it is.”

For more information on New Zealand’s advertising production industry, visit http://www.investmentnz.govt.nz/section/14561.aspx.

For more information, please contact:

paul.voigt@investmentnz.govt.nz

+64 9 919 9042