New Zealand Company Wins Major Advertising Award

News Release From 141 Palace Plus

24 June 1999

Auckland-based marketing company 141 Palace Plus has won the world's premier media advertising award announced in Cannes (France) today (Thursday 24 June, NZ time).

The company won the first ever Media Awards Grand Prix at the 46th International Advertising Festival for the New Zealand launch of two PlayStation games and a brand campaign in 1998.

The entry focussed on the Youth Target Market section of the awards. Not only did it win one of only 17 Lions awarded but it also took the Grand Prix making it the best entry in the entire show.

141 Palace Plus' entry was for Tekken 3, Gran Turismo and the launch of the PlayStation Symbols advertising activity.

The campaigns included theatrical street performances bringing the video games action to life using crash scenes, piles of 'dead' bodies, a Grim Reaper at traffic intersections and fake protest marches by people carrying placards featuring the symbols used on PlayStation console buttons.

Deborah Pead, the company's director, public relations and account director on the PlayStation account, said it was the second time the work had been recognised.

"We picked up two merit awards at the New Zealand Advertising Agency Media Awards earlier this year for the PlayStation campaign and also won a gold for another piece of work," she said.

"This is like winning an Oscar. It's a great boost not only for our company, Sony Computer Entertainment New Zealand and others working on the account - it's also a big accolade for the New Zealand marketing industry."

Media jury president Paul Woolmington of Young & Rubicam, New York commended the campaign's understanding of the consumer, the brand and the media.

"It understood the soul of the brand," said Woolmington. "Media was at the centre of the whole solution."

On the PlayStation business in New Zealand, 141 Palace Plus works closely with advertising agency Whybin TBWA, Dunham Bremmer, a production company and bullseye media (correct spelling).

"This is a fantastic endorsement for integrated marketing where advertising, PR and event marketing all work across the line together to bring the brand to life," Ms Pead said.

The win marks the second Grand Prix honour to go to PlayStation at the Cannes Festival. The previous day the Press & Poster Jury awarded the top prize to the PlayStation "nipples" ad produced by Simons Palmer TBWA in London.

The first Cannes show to honour media creativity awarded 17 Media Lions. Ms Pead said even though the United States had 77 out of the total 421 award entries in the show, no Media Lions were awarded to US businesses.

New Zealand and Great Britain each won three.

Ms Pead said both the New Zealand and Cannes awards had extended the concept of 'media' from traditional areas such as TV, radio and print to include virtually any area where marketing activities could be utilised to promote brands and products.

"141 Palace Plus is one of this country's leading event marketing, PR and direct marketing companies and we have a strong reputation in New Zealand for creating successful brand campaigns in a variety of non-traditional media," she said.

"Until this year, however, there has been no forum in which to show our work or have it judged. Now there is, we're showing and we're winning. It's great to know you don't have to be big or famous and based in the US or Europe to have your work recognised."

141 Palace Plus is a member of the 141 Worldwide Network of more than 40 similar agencies. In New Zealand, it is part of The Communications Group which includes The Bates Palace advertising agency and The Media Palace, a media planning and placement company.

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NOTE TO EDITORS: Further information about the awards can be found at www.canneslions.com. A media report can be found at www.adweek.com

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