The Buzz In That Message Is A Wonderful Thing

Michael Hedges June 25, 2012 Follow on Twitter

Always seeking the zeitgeist, advertising people have thoroughly embraced technology. With that understood, does traditional media have a chance? Apparently so, whether you can hear it or not.

Winning the Radio Lions Grand Prix at this year’s Cannes Lions advertising festival was São Paolo agency Talent for its Go Outside outdoor sports magazine campaign. Putting it all together required participating radio stations to add a 15 kHz tone to their broadcast signal for two hours every evening during the half-month campaign. Why? Though humans couldn’t hear it, mosquitoes can and to them it sounds just like dragonflies, which, of course, eat mosquitoes. The campaign was called Radio Repelente: during those two hours each evening when mosquitoes look for humans to bite it was safe to go outside. It was the first Radio Lions Grand prix for a Brazilian agency. The campaign, which aired in São Paolo last April and reached an estimated six million people, also won a Gold Radio Lion for best use of radio as a medium.

“How do you judge that against a traditional radio campaign?" asked jury president Rob McLennan, quoted by AdAge (June 20). “The debate comes down to, can you use radio to make a difference in the world, and that's a wonderful thing.” Talent is Publicis Group agency. The jury checked out the mosquito-fighting claim and found it true to the word.

Sound, more of the human audible sort, gave Australian agency SapientNitro a Gold Radio Lion for its Earphone Bully campaign, winning for best use of music or sound design. “Earphone Bully employs 3D digital sound through headphones, enabled in mobile and web, which is where the audience is found these days,” said creative director Ralph Barnett. “It’s a great example of work that makes a difference, through its emotional power as much as its understanding of technology, to connect its audience with a powerful experience in a relevant medium.” Earphone Bully is an anti-bullying organization. With the subject much in the news recently, it’s a powerful message.

Automobile ads have always worked nicely with radio, as a considerable portion of radio listening takes place in cars. Five out of the 55 total Radio Lions awards went to agencies pitching automotive products, topped by Net#work BBDO Johannesburg winning a Gold Radio Lion for best scriptwriting for a Mercedes Benz campaign. Two Brussels agencies, Leo Burnett Brussels and Publicis Brussels, won Silver Radio Lions for Fiat 500 and Renault Clio campaigns, respectively. Hamburg agency Jung von Matt won a Bronze Radio Lion for a Mercedes Benz campaign as did JWT Mexico for a Ford campaign.

Radio broadcasters are also highly adept at using their own medium. Brussels agency Mortierbrigade created a series of humorous promos for Flemish public channel Radio 1’s consumer program Peeters & Pichal, winning a Silver Radio Lion. London radio station XFM, owned by Global Radio, won Bronze Radio Lions for the very serious and impassioned live ad breaks during its War Child fundraiser show last December. Changing medium, São Paolo agency Lua won a Silver Outdoor Lion for its more than slightly surreal “Ozzy Osbourne” campaign for radio station Kiss FM.

There was a record 34 thousand entries for the 2012 Cannes Lions with 1784 for the radio category, which was up 30% over last year. The 59th Cannes International Festival of Creativity, as it’s officially known, closed June 23rd.

Listen to all 55 of the 2012 Cannes Radio Lions winners here:

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