News

Cannes Lions deadline edition of Rouse Hill Times also carried one-off Band-Aid ads

The April 30 edition of suburban newspaper The Rouse Hill Times carried a second campaign for a big brand which was entered for the Cannes Lions, Mumbrella can reveal.

JWT Band-Aid campaign in The Rouse Hill Times

Band Aid: Soccer

The Band-Aid campaign, by creative agency JWT, ran on pages 20, 22, and 29. It ran immediately after a McDonald’s campaign by DDB which won a bronze in the Press Lions category.

The issue of “scam” ads is a growing one for the advertising industry, with claims that some work is created to win awards, rather than solve clients’ marketing problems. A hallmark of scam advertising is when work for a major brand appears only once, in a low cost publication, close to an entry deadline.

DDB had consistently refused to answer questions about where the campaign had run until it yesterday emerged that it appeared in the newspaper on the final day of eligibility for the 2014 Cannes Lions. The Rouse Hill Times is understood to be the cheapest newspaper in the News Local group for placing ads, with half pages offered at a rate card price of $949.21 including GST.

Mumbrella understands that JWT’s Band Aid press campaign has never run in print elsewhere, however it is part of a campaign currently running in a series of outdoor executions across Sydney since mid-April, and are expected to extend across Australia in the coming months.

Although the two campaigns which appeared in the Rouse Hill Times were created by different creative agencies, both McDonald’s and Band-Aid share a common media agency in OMD.

Jenny Willits, JWT Sydney’s GM, told Mumbrella: “We did have a print execution which ran in Rouse Hill, it was distressed media which we had the opportunity to enter.

“Band-Aid’s global positioning is about ‘heal the hurt’ and aimed at parents of active children. The three executions bring that to life showing the kids doing everyday activities and how mishaps can happen. We hope there will be a few more we can run in the course of the 2014 – 15 year”.

The Rouse Hill Times page 20JWT Sydney created three executions – titled “Soccer”, “Skateboard” and “Tree Climb” for the Johnson & Johnson-owned Band-Aid. Although entered in the Press Lions, the campaign – featuring images of active children drawn in blood on the back of a plaster –  failed to make the shortlist. (The campaign can be viewed online via the NewsLocal viewer – search for the Rouse Hill Times and  April 30, and go to page 20 onwards.)

Questions had originally been raised by Mumbrella readers about how widely DDB Sydney’s McDonald’s campaign had been run, along with that of Panasonic’s Silver Cannes Press Lions winner created by Saatchi & Saatchi.

Johnson & Johnson and OMD had not responded to Mumbrella’s request for comment at the time of publication.

Meanwhile, Mumbrella has still been unable to find evidence of Saatchi & Saatchi Sydney’s winning campaign for Panasonic in-car air conditioning. We welcome all information via anonymous email if preferred to alex@focalattractions.com.au.

Band-Aid executions:

JWT Band-Aid campaign in The Rouse Hill Times 2

 

JWT Band-Aid campaign in The Rouse Hill Times 3

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.