Lotto – Cog
An animated, anthropomorphic cog is tired of the daily grind of being part of a machine and breaks free, to the tune of "Wish Me Luck As You Wave Me Goodbye."
The advertisement, a throwback to the early years of animation, starts in black and white and fades into colour as the cog escapes the factory and explores the beautiful natural environment outside.
The animation was done by Brent Chambers, founder of Flux Animation and a key figure in New Zealand’s animation community since the 1980s.
Collection reference F200088
Year 2002
Credits Production Company: Saatchi & Saatchi; Animation: Brent Chambers – Flux Animation Studio
ASB – Goldstein
An advertisement from the popular ASB Goldstein series.
In this episode Ira Goldstein inspects his new Jennian Home. "I want a hot tub," instructs Goldstein. "A bowling alley. Two lanes. Get a little pin action."
Amusing antics ensue as he tries his hand at DIY. "ASB makes the home buying process so easy."
The Goldstein series appeared at at time when New Zealand was keen to move away from British and American cultural influences in favour of celebrating a uniquely Kiwi national identity.
David Walden of Whybin TBWA recalls the genesis of the campaign: "someone (I can’t remember who) said: 'What about if we had a bloke from the toughest financial market in the world [New York] come down to look at New Zealand and see what makes this bank different.' Someone then jumped in and said: 'Yeah, and while he’s here looking at the bank, he could fall in love with New Zealand as well.' […] At that point, Scott Whybin as executive creative director got involved and said: 'It’s a bit like Local Hero, the movie where an American is sent to a small Scottish island to build a refinery with the inherent difficulties, and actually falls in love with Scotland and works against the oil company.' Thus Ira was born and the tension between him and his boss was created." – Howard Russell, "Advertising Campaigns: The Fab Five," AdMedia, August 2003
Collection reference F202693
Year 2007
Credits Production Company: Whybin TBWA
Telecom – Gorilla
This advertisement is part of Telecom’s "Clever Toys" campaign. A stuffed gorilla’s girlfriend leaves him. Relishing his independence, he is "ready to part-tee."
He uses his mobile phone to phone women from his black book while drinking and binging on bananas. Fortunately he is with Freetime, so he can make lots of calls before finally finding someone else who is also ready to part-tee!
Collection reference F202710
Year 2007
Freeview
Makeshift TV aerials are shown attached to a deer head on a batch, hooked onto a fryer in a fish and chip shop, hanging from a singing fish ornament, held with one hand by a woman doing her ironing on her apartment balcony, and propped up by a young boy on a rooftop as his granddad watches sport below.
"Come on and take a free ride: enjoy your favourite programmes, in digital quality, for free."
Collection reference F202697
Year 2007
Xtra Broadband
A man playing on his computer is interrupted by the Xtra Ordinaries, who burst in with the plan of shooting him (and his guinea pig) into space.
The advertisement evokes the imagery of the film Men in Black (1997).
"As well as a free broadband modem and free connection, you and two friends could win a trip to space – or an alternative mind-blowing adventure… Sign up with Xtra Broadband and brace yourself for the ultimate space adventure."
Collection reference F202712
Year 2006
Toshiba DVD Player
A distraught couple are being interviewed by police, they tell of the horrific scene they have witnessed. As they become more and more upset, the police become increasingly disbelieving of the scenario. Turns out they're describing a scene from The Terminator (1984) – "he said, 'I’ll be back'!"
"Toshiba DVD Video – when it's perfectly clear, it's perfectly believable."
Collection reference C9749
Year 2001
Credits Production Company: Film Construction; Creative Team: Darran Wong Kam, Connan James; Director: Perry Bradley; Producer: Peter Hewitt; Director of Photography: Keith Wagstaff; Agency Producer: Jen Storey; Post Production: Digital Post; Sound Post Production: Soundtrax
Radio Hauraki Promo – Finalist 2001 Radio Awards
Commercials for radio stations' own brands, in the form of promotions and trailers, feature strongly in the New Zealand Radio Awards. This finalist from 2001 reinforces Radio Hauraki's position (at the time) as Auckland's "classic rock station," contrasting the soundtrack of everyday life with what its listeners really want to hear "classic rock – that rocks."
Collection reference 175271
Year 2001
Credits Advertiser: Radio Hauraki; Producer: Phil Yule, The Voice Box
Charlie's Apple Juice – Winner 2005 Best Radio Commercial Creative
In the 2000s, the New Zealand Radio Award categories for commercials diversified. This was the winning creative entry for New Zealand Radio Station Writers, Agency Writers & Production Houses.
Collection reference 175693
Year 2005
Credits Advertiser: Charlie's; Writer/Producer: Something Radio, Shaun O’Neill & Grant Brodie
New World
A young boy jumps on his bike and, with his dog following along, pedals off to New World – casually passing through various North Island towns on his way.
Then he bikes home with his groceries.
Closing title: "New World: the only local supermarket."
Collection reference F202703
Year 2007
Credits Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi Wellington; Director: Peter Cudlipp (Sydney Film Company); Music: Don McGlashan
Powerade
The 2007 All Blacks are shown on the field, at dramatic moments in the game. Slow motion and x-ray vision reveal the movements of their muscles.
The advertisement tells us that the hydrating power of Powerade Isotonic allows the rugby players to perform at their best.
According to the voiceover, Powerade is "scientifically proven to help you perform at your peak for 10% longer."
Collection reference F202706
Year 2007
Credits Cast: 2007 All Blacks
Woolworths – Whitestone Cheese
Whitestone Cheese boss Bob Berry, of Oamaru, tells the story of 20 years of growth: "we knew what a good cheese was, but we didn’t really know how to make it." They do now. The cheese is shown being made and tested with the utmost care.
The shots of the pale cheese are intercut with shots of the Otago landscape ("just like wine, there are regional differences with cheese"), Oamaru stone and farming scenes. The subtle colours and rugged textures of the countryside mirror those of the cheese.
Collection reference F202711
Year 2007
Nutri-Grain
A young boy plays rugby in the backyard. "Yes Sir, That’s My Baby" plays on the soundtrack. According to the voiceover, "with protein and carbon for muscle and bone strength, Nutri-Grain is part of a balanced diet – helps build them up into Iron Men."
When the game gets rough and he falls over, his worried Mum comes out and hugs him. Cut to several years later, the boy is now an adult rugby player, still in the hug with his Mum.
Voiceover: "He’ll always be a baby boy."
Collection reference F202704
Year 2006
Sanitarium – Wholegrain Fables
A storybook opens and an animated fable starts.
Two grains of wheat grow up together on the farm, in the summer sun. One moves to the city and "becomes very refined, knocking around with the in crowd: pastries, white bread and sweets – people liked them a lot." The second "stayed true to the wholegrain, down on the farm."
Eventually "people became sick of refined grain, and his unsubstantial mates, searching instead for wholegrain goodness." The refined grain is shown in a state of dissipation, languishing in a decrepit apartment with a donut.
"People went searching for the goodness only wholegrain could give them. And so wholegrain looked after them for ever more. Which shows, if you stay true, people will eventually recognise your goodness and live happily ever after."
Collection reference F202707
Year 2007
Grainwaves – The End of the Affair
Mr Potato Head waves wistfully from behind a window, a haunting piano melody plays – the end of the affair with the potato.
Closing title: "Grain waves, the multigrain chip."
Collection reference F202699
Year 2006
Cadbury Continental
A man wearing a suit puts a box of thank you chocolates into his colleague’s pigeon hole. She shares the chocolates around the office, and all of his workmates start smiling at him. We then return to a shot of the pigeon holes – each one now contains a chocolate box.
Closing title: "Cadbury Continental: Chocolates of Consequence."
Collection reference C24391
Year 2000
Sealord
Amateur fishermen are shown in a variety of comic situations.
Voiceover: "leave the fishing to the experts. Sealord is the number one fishing company in New Zealand and Australia. We catch or carefully select our fish to bring you the finest seafood. Like Canadian wild salmon."
A man is then shown enjoying a salmon feast on a picnic table by the ocean.
Closing title: "Sealord, the seafood experts."
Collection reference F202708
Year 2006
Macleans
Introducing the Macleans 3-way clean toothbrush, with three independent heads: "Experience a new feeling of clean."
An attractive young man and woman cast admiring gazes at each other. This advertisement mixes up old-style information and facts, with new words ("3-way clean"), sexual innuendo and double entendre.
Collection reference F202700
Year 2006
Wanganui Toyota – Winner 2005 Best Jingle
At the 2005 New Zealand Radio Awards, this song for Wanganui Toyota won Best Client Jingle.
The music was composed especially for the client. The rousing tune suggests the adventures that car ownership opens up: "wild western beaches," "driving in style for the avenue mile," "tackling hills," "when you’re wanting to go with a boat on the tow"…
Collection reference 175697
Year 2005
Credits Advertiser: Wanganui Toyota; Writer/Producer: Gareth Curtis, Stooges
Ford Territory – Eyes in Back of Head
Without looking backwards, a woman comments on things happening behind her – proving that women do have eyes in the back of their heads, just like the new Ford Territory Ghia.
The car "comes with a reverse camera that gives you eyes in the back of your head."
"Ford Territory: the possibilities are amazing."
Advertisements of the early 2000s such as this one and the Ford Focus puppy advertisement speak specifically to the female viewer as subject rather than object, marking a departure from the traditional strategy of marketing cars towards a male audience.
Collection reference F202696
Year 2006
Ford Focus – Puppy
A woman drives around the city and parks in a parking building. Only after parking does she realise she doesn’t have her handbag. Then she remembers, to her alarm, that she left it – with her puppy inside – on the roof of her car. Thankfully the dog is safe and unruffled thanks to the new Ford Focus – "smooth as."
Typecasting is used in this advertisement to evoke the successful romantic comedy Legally Blonde (2001).
Advertisements of the early 2000s such as this one and the Ford Territory – Eyes in Back of Head advertisement speak specifically to the female viewer as subject rather than object, marking a departure from the traditional strategy of marketing cars towards a male audience.
Collection reference F202695
Year 2006
Suzuki – Grand Vitara
A number of Suzuki Vitara are driven by different groups of people through varying beautiful, but challenging landscapes.
The drivers and passengers all sing along to a rock version of the classic Louis Armstrong’s "What a Wonderful World."
Closing title: "Suzuki. Way of Life!"
Collection reference F202709
Year 2006
Novus – Show Us Your Crack
The jingle "show us your crack" plays as dancing Novus staff come to the rescue of a range of people with cracked car windscreens.
"Show us your crack" was originally a radio advertisement, with visuals added to the same jingle for television.
This advertisement was the subject of a complaint to the Advertising Standards Authority – the complainant said it was snide innuendo referring to female genitalia. The authority ruled against the complaint, saying that the wording clearly referred to windscreen repair and was unlikely to cause widespread offence.
Collection reference C24784
Year 2003
Credits Audio Production: Dave Hunter
National Bank – Our Summer Game
A range of New Zealanders play cricket anywhere, anytime: a family in the suburbs, a suited man while waiting at an intersection, a farmer in a field.
Closing title: "Our summer game."
Collection reference F202701
Year 2006
Pioneer – Forage Products
Farmer Noldy Rust of Te Pahu speaks to the camera as he goes about his daily duties feeding and herding his cattle: "We love it here, it’s who we are and what we enjoy doing. With Pioneer we’ve taken the farm to the next level."
Closing title: "More milk, more money with Pioneer."
Collection reference F202705
Year 2007
Credits Cast: Noldy Rust
Business Mentors
Stephen Tindall of the of Tindall Foundation gives business advice on the telephone. Meanwhile a woman, climbing along the ledge outside his window, tries to attract his attention.
"Hmmm," says the voiceover, "you could always get us to introduce you. Learn from the best for free – Business mentors."
Collection reference F202694
Year 2006
Genesis Energy
Doing her bit for climate change, a pukeko takes her chicks into a suburban home and switches off the lights with her beak.
Closing title: "together we can make a big difference to tomorrow."
Collection reference F202698
Year 2006
Air New Zealand – Amazing Journeys
A guy dives from a jetty and flies across the land to surprise his girlfriend at Otago University.
"Air New Zealand – Amazing Journeys. Everyday."
Collection reference F202692
Year 2007
Credits Song: "Awhi Reinga," by Jim Hall; Vocalist: Jayne Ellison
Libraries – Let Your Mind Go
Readers sit reading in a library, a noisy soundtrack of contrasting sounds gives an insight into what they are reading.
"Libraries: let your mind go."
Collection reference C9746
Year 2001
Credits Production Company: Curious Films; Creative Team: Steve Cochran, Toby Talbot; Director: Darryl Ward
Domestic Violence – Eggs
A woman's face is superimposed onto an egg shell. As she narrates her story of the domestic violence against her, the egg shell is shattered.
"This happened when Rebecca was seven months pregnant. Call 0900 REFUGE to donate $20.00"
Collection reference C24833
Year 2003
Credits Production Company: Film Construction; Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi Wellington; Director: Michael Duignan
Parihaka – The Art of Passive Resistance
A British flag overcomes animated letters spelling "Parihaka." Every time they are razed to the ground, the words rebuild and rise up.
"Parihaka: The Art of Passive Resistance, an exhibition held at the City Gallery Wellington August 2000 to January 2001."
Collection reference F197790
Year 2000
Credits Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi Wellington; Production Company: Silverscreen; Director: Francis Salole; Creative Team: Len Cheeseman, Howard Greive
Instant Kiwi – The Milky Way
This advertisement combines a catchy whistling jingle – used across Instant Kiwi television campaigns of the time – with blokey humour.
Each morning a man goes out for a country run, and each morning he stops and drinks from the glass milk bottle waiting by somebody else's mailbox. Eventually the owner of the mailbox (and the milk) realises what is happening and finds an imaginative way of getting his comeuppance.
Collection reference F197280
Year 2000
Credits Production Company: Saatchi & Saatchi
Lotto – Trapeze
Lotto coloured balls perform tricks – they jump and catch each other like trapeze artists.
Closing title: "anything’s possible."
Lotto made over 40 advertisements in the Anything’s Possible series during the early 2000s. All are only 6 seconds long, and feature the Lotto balls mimicking a range of objects and living things – from flowers, to a solar system, to a buzzy bee, to a spirograph.
Collection reference F199416
Year 2002
Credits Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi Wellington; Production Company: Oktobor Auckland; Music: SJD (Sean Donnelly)
Lotto – Flowers
Lotto coloured balls burst into flower.
Closing title: "anything’s possible."
Lotto made over 40 advertisements in the Anything’s Possible series during the early 2000s. All are only 6 seconds long, and feature the Lotto balls mimicking a range of objects and living things – from flowers, to a solar system, to a buzzy bee, to a spirograph.
Collection reference F199398
Year 2002
Credits Production Company: Saatchi & Saatchi; Music: SJD (Sean Donnelly)
Lotto – Solar System
Lotto coloured balls orbit around each other, like a solar system.
Closing title: "anything’s possible."
Lotto made over 40 advertisements in the Anything’s Possible series during the early 2000s. All are only 6 seconds long, and feature the Lotto balls mimicking a range of objects and living things – from flowers, to a solar system, to a buzzy bee, to a spirograph.
Collection reference F199403
Year 2002
Credits Production Company: Saatchi & Saatchi; Music: SJD (Sean Donnelly)
Fresh Choice Roslyn – Winner 2009 Best Commercial
This commercial won Best Single Commercial at the 2009 New Zealand Radio Awards.
It uses humour and sound effects to promote a "singles night" at a Dunedin supermarket, at which shoppers can indicate they are looking for a partner by putting a single banana in their shopping trolley.
Year 2009
Credits Advertiser: Fresh Choice Roslyn; Writer/Producer: Jamie McAulay, Southern Creative, Radio Network Christchurch
Four Square – First Date
A young man nervously waits at bus stop outside the Four Square, holding a bunch of flowers.
Two elderly women who are waiting also suggest "you know, she might like some chocolates… and perhaps some bubbles might go down well." He ducks into the Four Square to get them.
The bus arrives and the driver points to a sign prohibiting food and drink, so the man gives the items to the women. "Hmmmm… how convenient," they say.
Closing title: "Four Square: at your convenience since 1924."
Note that Mr 4, a beloved figure after appearing in many decades of advertising, features in the background signage.
Collection reference C25116
Year 2004
Credits Production Company: Central Host
Speights Beer – Winner 2000 Best Radio Commercial (By Agency Writers / Staff)
These three commercials for Speight's Beer won the Best Radio Commercial by advertising agency staff at the 2000 New Zealand Radio Awards.
They used Speight's Beer's already well-established "Southern Man" trope to humorously re-imagine three literary styles: Mills and Boon romances, a James Bond film script and Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights.
Collection reference 314731
Year 2000
Credits Advertiser: Lion Breweries Ltd; Writer/producer: Glenn Wood, John McCabe, Saatchi & Saatchi, Auckland
Tui – Yeah Right
This advertisement draws upon gender stereotypes as a source of humour. It shows the back view of a man flushing the toilet, then putting the toilet seat down. A closing intertitle, "Yeah Right," then appears.
The successful and somewhat controversial "Yeah Right" tagline, which pokes fun at Kiwi social norms and topical current events, is also used in Tui’s billboard advertising.
This particular advertisement provoked a complaint to the Broadcasting Standards Authority, claiming it was "objectionable, offensive and a bad model." However, the complaint was not accepted – the Chairman ruled it did not reach the threshold to cause either serious or widespread offence and the humorous message could encourage men to show greater consideration towards women.
Collection reference C25017
Year 2004
Credits Production Company: Silverscreen
Lynx
A man applies Lynx and goes out for the night. He is bitten by a mosquito, and in this way passes the "Lynx effect" onto a set of other people. The subsequent chain of events demonstrates that Lynx is irresistible to the opposite sex.
Closing title: "The Lynx effect – now stronger than before."
A complaint to the Broadcasting Standards Authority that the ad "was totally offensive and pornographic by any standard" was not upheld. The advertisement had been shown on TV3 at 10.50pm, restricting viewing to a targeted adult audience.
Collection reference C24857
Year 2003