Norske Skog Newspaper Advertising Awards Announced

The Marlborough Express was presented with this year’s Norske Skog Newspaper Advertising Premier Award at the annual New Zealand Newspaper Industry Conference in Wellington tonight.

The awards announced at Te Papa, recognise excellence in newspaper advertising, marketing and promotion.

The winning entry by Marlborough Express was for an advertisement entered in two categories, the newspaper marketing categories for copywriting and automotive advertising.

Awards were made in seven categories for newspapers divided into three bands based on circulation. On the judging panel this year were as Convener of Judges, Chris Christensen, Mike Hutcheson from Saatchi and Saatchi, Bruce Gregory, retailer with extensive experience from both sides of the Tasman, Peter Aitken, Managing Director of Mazda New Zealand and Bill Sinclair, Managing Director of Century 21 Real Estate.

The awards are in their sixth year and are sponsored by Norske Skog Tasman Limited. The New Zealand Market Director of Norske Skog, Mr Willie Townend said "The Norske Skog Advertising Awards are an excellent opportunity for newspapers to show their skills and talents in promotion, marketing and advertising. Norske Skog is proud to be associated with a competition that has great support from the industry and where the winners have demonstrated such a high level of achievement".

Convener of Judges, Chris Christensen said “This year the judges had a far more challenging role. And this is how it should be. It shows greater commitment by the newspaper industry to the role advertising must play in the medium’s success. Raising the awareness levels for advertising skills and techniques within the industry is the great value of the Norske Skog Awards.”

A full list of Category winners has been distributed via email and can be viewed on the nzpa-online website www.nzpa-online.co.nz

2002 Norske Skog Newspaper Advertising Awards

AWARD CATEGORIES

Newspaper Promotions – House Advertising

Up to 10,000

Winner: Ashburton Guardian for Ashburton Today Campaign

The Judges commented: Community focused, very graphic, simple and well executed.

10,000 to 25,000

Winner: Wanganui Chronicle for Daily Dose Campaign

The Judges commented: A clear, clever, creative answer to any consumer reaction to a price increase – most importantly it was successful.

Over 25,000

Commended: The Evening Post for the Most Important City in New Zealand

The Judges commented: A sophisticated, witty and entertaining ad campaign.

Commended: Waikato Times for Read In All The Right Places

The Judges commented: A strong simple message with a sense of community

Winner: The New Zealand Herald for their Brand Campaign

The Judges commented: Well produced, clear and to the point. Great use of graphics.
Newspaper Marketing - Revenue Generation

Up to 10,000

Commended: The Gisborne Herald for Bull Week Promotion

The Judges commented: a creative example of a revenue generating feature.

10,000 to 25,000

Commended: The Nelson Mail for Baby T-Shirt Promotion

The Judges commented: This entry showed good ingenuity.

Overall comment: The Judges found it difficult to find a winner, and note that it is easy to give something away but much harder to sell through promotion.

Over 25,000

Commended: Waikato Times for Grass is Greener Campaign
AND for Minibus Giveaway

The Judges commented( for Grass is Greener): Unique, innovative, with real cut through to its target audience.

The Judges commented (for Minbus Giveaway): Involving, engaging and clearly successful.

Winner: The Dominion and The Evening Post for Autopacs

The Judges commented: Very relevant to target audience, it had cut through and it worked!

Best Use of Colour

Up to 10,000

Commended: The Whakatane Beacon for Garland Motors

The Judges commented: A nice idea, taking advantage of the Christmas season.

Winner: Ashburton Guardian for Armstrong’s Benjamin Moore

The Judges commented: Very true colour reproduction.

10,000 to 25,000

Commended: The Marlborough Express for Heagney Bros.
AND The Marlborough Express for Musgrove Building Centre

Winner: The Marlborough Express for Peter Mark Floor Pride

The Judges commented: Exceptional colour reproduction used well to involve the reader in all of these advertisements.

Over 25,000

Commended: Otago Daily Times for Dunedin City Council

The Judges commented: An attractive advertisement with a good mix of colours.

Winner: The Southland Times for Special Edition – We Need You

The Judges commented: A complex marketing challenge and production problem well handled.

Promotional Products

Over 25,000

Commended: The Press for Port and Jug Gift

The Judges commented: good presentation and a little bit different.

Winner: The Dominion for Wake up with The Dominion Bath Robe

The Judges commented: A promotional gift well matched to its promotional theme.

Community Promotions

Up to 10,000

Commended: Ashburton Guardian for Community Appeals

The Judges commented: Consistency and community involvement, well done.

Winner: The Gisborne Herald for Ezone Drug Awareness Week

The Judges commented: Very well targeted at a very vulnerable group in society.

10,000 to 25,000

Commended: Bay of Plenty Times for What I Love About Tauranga Calendar

The Judges commented: An excellent example of a newspaper being close to it’s community.
Commended: The Marlborough Express for Express Yourself Paper Fashion Show

The Judges commented: A previous winner, showing good from again.

Winner: The Timaru Herald for ACC Think Safe Campaign

The Judges commented: Unique creativity with a hard hitting message.

Over 25,000

Commended: The Press for Age of Dissent Feature

The Judges commented: A sensitive subject well handled.

Winner: The New Zealand Herald for Schools Programme

The Judges commented: A big investment in a great resource project and a wonderful commitment to education.

Classified Advertising – General

Up to 10,000

Winner: The Whakatane Beacon for Sportsworld

The Judges commented: Excellent layout, great result.

10,000 to 25,000

Commended: The Nelson Mail for Nelson Grey Power Association

The Judges commented: The Nelson Mail segmented this market and gave it an important profile in the eyes of the advertiser.

Winner: The Northern Advocate for Open All Hours

The Judges commented: This promotion highlights the ability of newspapers to aggregate important holiday information in one place.

Over 25,000

Winner: The Dominion for Café a gogo!

The Judges commented: Great little ads, very good use of colour.

Classified Advertising – Automotive

Up to 10,000

Commended: Ashburton Guardian for Gluyas Motor Group AND for Smallbone Bros. Ltd

The Judges commented (for Gluyas Motor Group): Clever use of film technique to illustrate it.

The Judges commented (for Smallbone Bros): Imaginative use of the medium covering all the areas of the business, well executed.

Winner: The Whakatane Beacon for McKenzie Auto Group

Judges comment: A good mix of launch information and promoting vehicles for sale, well done.

10,000 to 25,000

Commended: The Nelson Mail for Houston Motors

The Judges commented: The history information engages readers and endorses customer service. Nice display of car categories.

Commended: Wanganui Chronicle for Wanganui Motors

The Judges commented: Strong client identification, simple clean lines, clever use of features to support the car.

Winner: The Marlborough Express for Blenheim Toyota

The Judges commented: In a class of its own.

Over 25,000

Commended: Otago Daily Times for Cooke Howlison Toyota

The Judges commented: Nice use of colour and positioning.

Commended: The Southland Times for GWD Russells Ltd

The Judges commented: Simple execution, well done. Good use of contrast colour.

Winner: Otago Daily Times for Stephen Duff Motors

The Judges commented: Great use of copy supporting Stephen Duff, powerful layout and nice use of colour.

Classified Advertising - Real Estate

Up to 10,000

Commended: The Whakatane Beacon for Harcourts

The Judges commented: Use of colour wash to good effect.

Winner: Ashburton Guardian for First National Real Estate

The Judges commented: Innovative approach involving owner in the message.

10,000 to 25,000

Commended: Bay of Plenty Times for Property Market

The Judges commented: Successful venture to increase revenue - a good response to a market threat.

Winner: The Marlborough Express for Agents’ Choice Feature

The Judges commented: Nice marketing idea, good timing help extend reach.

Over 25,000

Winner: The Evening Post for Property Post Front Page Feature Home

The Judges commented: A good opportunity for vendors of upmarket properties. Great use of new technology.

Copywriting

Up to10,000

Commended: Ashburton Guardian for First National Real Estate

The Judges commented: There was a good idea behind this ad but it didn’t quite reach its potential.

10,000 to 25,000

Winner: The Marlborough Express for Blenheim Toyota

The Judges commented: Great creative. A lot of advertising agencies would be proud to claim this campaign.

Display Advertising – Commercial Promotion

Up to 10,000

Commended: Ashburton Guardian for Armstrong’s Benjamin Moore

The Judges commented: Although a bit wordy, it makes a strong claim to home owners for the benefits of maintaining their home with Benjamin Moore products.

Commended: Ashburton Guardian for Rosebank Resthome

The Judges commented: The ad is clear, personal and the question and answer format is effective. Shows a good understanding.

Commended: The Whakatane Beacon for Hallmark Homes Ltd

The Judges commented: Clear and concise, strongly supported by suppliers.

10,000 to 25,000

Commended: The Marlborough Express for David James Tree Services

The Judges commented: Creative result but easily understood by the average reader.

Commended: Wanganui Chronicle for Kaitoke School

The Judges commented: Very creative and clearly defines the positive aspects of Kaitoke School.

Winner: The Marlborough Express for Ashwood Park Retirement Village

The Judges commented: A class act for a regional newspaper.

Over 25,000.

Commended: The New Zealand Herald for Hilton Auckland

The Judges commented: This fine, well presented supplement and wrap reflects the quality, class and ambience of the advertiser’s product.

Commended: Otago Daily Times for McDonalds Dunedin

The Judges commented: Quirky, creative, great teaser campaign.

Commended: The Southland Times for Road Safety Southland

The Judges commented: Well thought through, easy to read, great local content.

Winner: Otago Daily Times for the Otago Rugby Union Highlanders Campaign

The Judges commented: A strong, consistent, creative series with a local involvement that works very well.

Display Advertising – Retail

Up to 10,000

Commended: Ashburton Guardian for Robilliard’s Gemtime Jeweller

The Judges commented: Succint, shows value, price and product. Good quality reproduction of a product difficult to portray.

Commended: The Whakatane Beacon for Garden Fresh

The Judges commented: Classic price and product ad. Good product message , uncluttered.

Winner: Ashburton Guardian for Armstrong’s Benjamin Moore

The Judges commented: This ad is directed specifically at the paint customer and involves them with the use of tips. Elevates it above “just another paint ad.”

10,000 to 25,000

Commended: The Timaru Herald for Collins Mitre 10

The Judges commented: Strong price and product, good reproduction. The clarity of the offer to the consumer is obvious.

Winner: Manawatu Evening Standard for Rascals

The Judges commented: This campaign is consistent in look and feel. The ads are clearly targeted to customer. Fresh colours, matching merchandise.

Over 25,000

Commended: The Evening Post for California Home and Garden

The Judges commented: Eyecatching ad. Clearly illustrates wide range of merchandise available for Christmas gifts.

Commended: The New Zealand Herald for Golf Today

The Judges commented: Very good display presentation. Could have scored a birdie if they had more clearly shown dollar savings and put more emphasis on brand.

Winner: The Daily News for Browning Optometrists

The Judges commented: Very targeted campaign, strong display ads for all aspects of the optometrist business along with personalizing the company.

Display Advertising - Features

Up to 10,000

Commended: Ashburton Guardian for Rangitata Diversion Race Management Ltd

The Judges commented: On the face of it a dull subject but the feature presents a lot of relevant information in an interesting manner.

Winner: Wairarapa Times-Age for Wairarapa Weddings

The Judges commented: Good layout and art direction. A good range of information, well presented.

10,000 to 25,000

Commended: The Marlborough Express for Classic Fighters Marlborough 2001

The Judges commented: An excellent feature, well presented.

Commended: The Nelson Mail for the House of the Year 2001(Nelson Region)

The Judges commented: Good use of photography. Its great to see a feature where the houses are the heroes not the advertisers.

Winner: Manawatu Evening Standard for Your Wedding

The Judges commented: A clean magazine style, nice size and format. A good marriage of advertising and editorial.

Over 25,000

Commended: The New Zealand Herald for Knowledge Wave Conference

The Judges commented: Good print graphics made the case very well.

Commended: Otago Daily Times for Fashion

The Judges commented: An excellent effort in presenting local fashion.

Winner: Sunday Star-Times for New Line Productions Inc. for Lord of the Rings Feature

The Judges commented: Comprehensive. Informative. Well presented. It provided a great print companion to an already well publicised movie.

The six finalists from all category winners who were eligible to be considered for the premier award were:.

The Marlborough Express for Ashwood Park Retirement Village

The Marlborough Express for Blenheim Toyota

The New Zealand Herald for Schools Programme

Otago Daily Times for the Otago Rugby Union Highlanders Campaign

The Southland Times for Special Edition – We Need You

Sunday Star-Times for New Line Productions Inc. for Lord of the Rings Feature

NORSKE SKOG PREMIER AWARD WINNER:

The Marlborough Express for Blenheim Toyota

The Judges commented: Just Outstanding.

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