News

Australian entries into Print category of Spikes awards drop by 75%

SpikesAsia_logo_alternative_portraitAustralian entries into the Print category at this years Spikes Asia Festival of Creativity have dropped by 75 per cent on last year, as part of a wider trend that has seen most ‘traditional’ categories shedding entries.

Numbers released as the festival got under way this morning reveal that there were just 12 entries from Australia into the Print category at the festival, down from 48 in 2013.

The number of entries overall in the category from across Asia slipped from 565 to 379. The Print and Poster Craft category also saw a marked decline in Aussie entries, down by a third to 29, from 45 last year.

Spikes previously announced that entries had grown by three per cent, up to 4,984 across the board from 4,832 in 2013. However, this was buoyed by 236 entries in the new categories of Healthcare and Innovation, the detailed breakdown of numbers reveals. A 68 per cent rise in entries in digital, and more entries from less developed markets such as Sri Lanka have also helped bump up the numbers according to chairman Terry Savage.

Click to enlarge

Click to enlarge

Last year six Aussie entries picked up awards in the print category, and in 2012 DDB Sydney picked up the award for its ‘Bikers-Police’, ‘Portaloo-Hearse’ and ‘Car Jack-Glass Truck’ work for Volkswagen.

Earlier this year, a number of questions were raised about the legitimacy of Australian entries into the Print category of sister festival The Cannes Lions.

While digital entries nearly doubled – up from 273 to 461, with Australian entries representing 90 of these – entries into radio, media, film craft, direct, outdoor and print and poster craft all declined.

The radio category saw its entries decline for the third year running, with 115 entries submitted overall, down from 154 last year and 162 in 2012. Australian entries dropped from 39 in 2013 to 14 this year.

Media saw a small slip in entries overall, down to 422 from 447, with Australian entries making up 74 of these.

Australian entries into the Film Craft category dropped from 100 to 90, with the category slipping from 331 entries overall in 2013 to 258 this year. Australia did win the most awards in the category last year, picking up 13 awards.

The Direct category also saw a slight drop off in overall entries, down to 329 from 342. Australian entries also dropped by two to 57.

The Outdoor category slipped by more than 100 entries overall, with Australian entries making up 48 of the 605 total entries. Last year Australian entries made up 56 of the 762.

However, the Branded Content and Entertainment, Creative Effectiveness, Design, Film, Integrated, Mobile, PR and Promo and Activation categories all either grew entries or remained stable.

Branded content and entertainment saw its overall entries modestly increase from 161 to 187. Australian entries account for 29 of those, up from 27 last year but below the 30 entries submitted in 2012. Last year Australia picked up nine awards in the category.

Creative Effectiveness entries remained stable across the board with 31 entries, the same as last year. Australian entries represent eight of those, up from the seven entered last year. Last year Australian agencies won four times in the category.

Australian entries in the relatively new category of Design continue to grow up from 22 to 39 this year, out of a total 332 entries, while film had modest growth up to 397 from 373 entries last year. However, Australian entries dipped slightly from 82 in 2013 to 77. Australian entries won 13 times in the category last year, with McCann Melbourne taking home the Grand Prix for its ‘Dumb Ways to Die’ campaign.

The Integrated category remained largely stable, with 59 total entries, up from 58 last year. Australia accounted for nine of these. The Mobile category is also burgeoning with a total of 186 entries this year, up from 124 last year, with Australian entries nearly trippling to 37, from 13 in 2013.

PR entries overall grew by 52, up to 247 from 195 last year.  Australian entries into the category also grew from 27 in 2013 to 41 this year.

The Promo and Activation category saw positive growth overall, up to 434 from 385 entries last year. Australian entries in the category grew from 52 in 2013 to 75 this year.

The new category of Healthcare has had a strong response with a total of 173 entries, 20 from Australia. The Innovation category, also new for 2014, received 63 entries, 14 of those from Australia which led the way in the shortlist announced last week, with three of the ten finalists.

The short-listed entries will be announced tomorrow, along with the shortlists for Media, Outdoor, Design, PR, Digital, Healthcare and Mobile. The shortlists for Direct, Promo and Activation, Radio, Film, Branded Content and Entertainment, Print and Poster Craft and Film Craft will be revealed on Thursday, with the shortlisted entries for Integrated and Creative Effectiveness announced on Friday.

Miranda Ward in Singapore

ADVERTISEMENT

Get the latest media and marketing industry news (and views) direct to your inbox.

Sign up to the free Mumbrella newsletter now.

 

SUBSCRIBE

Sign up to our free daily update to get the latest in media and marketing.