The Brand Agency wins Round 5 of Siren Awards for Road Safety Commission ‘Bottle Siren’ spot

The Brand Agency has won the single category and Round 5 overall, with the ad “Bottle Siren” for the Road Safety Commission.  Creative team Niall Stephen (left) and Lachlan Banton (right), who have been in the advertising industry for just 12 months, used the sound of blowing across an empty bottle “pan flute style” to imitate the sound of a siren. 

The simplicity of the elements of the ad, deliver the “don’t drink and drive” message in a way that stands out.

Listen to the winning ads here.

Says Stephen: “We work in entertainment as much as we do advertising and that forces you to tell your story in a truly interesting way.” 

Says Barton: “An important element of an effective radio ad is a brave client, as a unique creative can feel foreign and scary.”

Marketforce won the campaign category with the ads “Car, Neighbours, Boss” for client Oz Lotto. The ads by creatives Joe Hawkins (left) and Neil Martin (right), highlight life’s full of everyday problems but when you win Oz Lotto, you can take care of them very easily.

The craft winner was sound engineer Matt Perrott (below right) from Uncanny Valley sound studio for the NSW Water Safety ad. The ad “Be Water Safe, Not Sorry” effectively illustrates through sound effects what can happen when you drink or take drugs around water.

Says Joan Warner, CEO, Commercial Radio Australia: “All category winners used radio’s unique ability to form a picture in the mind of the listener.” 

There were a number of highly commended entries highlighted by the judges. Single category highly commended entries included one of the ads from the campaign winner, the Marketforce ad “Neighbours” for Oz Lotto by Joe Hawkins and Neil Martin. Also, highly commended was McCann Melbourne ad “Holiday Deadline” for Worksafe Victoria from creative team Corey Thorn and Zosia Kilpatrick.  The Clemenger BBDO Melbourne ad, “Think of Us Before You Drive” for Transport Accident Commission (Victoria) by Ray Ali and Carlo Mazzarella was also highly commended. 

Highly commended in the campaign category was the series of ads “Be Water Safe, Not Sorry” from Loud for the NSW Department of Justice by creative Rosie stone.  The Monkeys campaign “Beef. The Greatest” from creatives Hugh Gurney, Chelsea Parks and Grant Rutherford, was also highly recommend.

Highly commended in the craft category was Paul Le Couteur from Nylon Studios Melbourne with the ad “Enforcement – Think of US – Drink Driving”, for the Transport Accident Commission.  Also, highly commended was Ross Batten from Rosco Audio for the ad “The Hunt for the Hunt for Red October” and Zach Taylor from The Studio for the ad “You’re in a Pastacup”.  

The Siren Awards, run by Commercial Radio Australia, celebrate the best in radio advertising and are judged over five rounds throughout the year by a panel of industry experts, made up of creative directors from leading ad agencies, known as the Siren Creative Council.

The 2018 Gold Siren winner will be announced in May 2018 and wins a trip to the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.  The client of the winning 2018 Gold Siren Award also wins a ticket to Cannes.  Silver Sirens are awarded in each of the three categories: single, campaign and craft.  There is also a client-voted award, a $5000 cash prize, presented to the writers of the ad voted the best, by a panel of clients.