This is the first of what will hopefully be a recurring segment here on IDEAWOLF – my Favorite Agencies Located On Continents Other Than North America (or FALOCOTNA for short, which incidentally sounds like a type of Italian cheese…).
This week’s entry is on ColensoBBDO of Auckland, New Zealand.
Maybe it’s because they live on islands in the middle of nowhere, or maybe it’s because they are all distant descendents of convicted criminals, but -whatever the reason - the Kiwis’ take on advertising is different and more resourceful than most.
Yet Colenzo consistently shines above the field. They have to be considered the top creative agency in NZ (they proudly declare it on their site), and one of the top-10 creative agencies in the world.
Their work bears all the hallmarks of a top shop – Simple platform ideas, a fresh approach to concepts and executions, and innovative use of media. And, like most highly creative agencies, Colenso’s best work is for its nonprofit clients.
For proof, look no further than their work for the New Zealand Book Council.
You know advertising is good if it can actually make reading seem cool. And with this video, Colenso succeeded where so many tried and failed – visually capturing the excitement of reading a good book.
The execution is just brilliant. The concept of making the book come alive is not new, but making the book’s setting out of the pages is a great non-traditional take on it. Who knows how long it took to film that entire sequence of stop-motion animation with cutouts, but it was worth every second.
But Colenso’s Book Council installment from the year before might just be even more innovative.
The agency created ReadAtWork.com – a website that, once opened, fills your screen with a fake Windows XP desktop. The lone folders on this desktop are for books, which open as powerpoint files visually formatted to look like business presentations. And the books are there in their entirety – no Cliff-Notes versions. The idea was that people at work could read instead of working while still making it look like they’re working.
With this site, they tried something a new, yet novel (no pun intended) ideea – make reading seem bad. Lo and behold, the only time people are sure to read is when it is frowned upon. Sadly, the site no longer exists. It would be a little outdated now anyway, since XP is mostly a thing of the past.
Colenso’s biggest project, however, was something done on a much grander scale.
To prove that Yellow Pages really could help you accomplish anything, they helped a young entrepreneur build a five-star restaurant in a tree.
The elegant finished product sits over 30 feet above ground in New Zealand’s towering redwood forest and has been booked for two years in advance practically since it opened. And every company whose services were called upon to take part in the project was found using the Yellow Pages.
Colenso’s also created a billboard that “bleeds” every time it rains to encourage Kiwis to drive more cautiously in bad weather. A sight that striking will definitely make you slow down, if for no other reason than to take notice.
In addition, their work for New Zealand’s Channel 3 includes these innovative posters/outdoor boards promoting America’s Next Top Model…
and Law & Order.
It’s very rare to find an agency that can turn every product they touch into gold, but ColensoBBDO is one of those Midases.
Tags: ColensoBBDO, FALOCOTNA, New Zealand, New Zealand Book Council, Read at Work
