The Monkeys Claims Inaugural Cairns Crocodiles Awards Grand Prix As APAC Agencies Perform Strongly Across The Board, Presented by Pinterest (2024)

The Monkeys, part of Accenture Song, has claimed the inaugural Cairns Crocodiles Awards Grand Prix after collecting four Gold Crocs, three Silver Crocs and one Bronze Croc.

After two strenuous rounds of judging, with only the sharpest marketing minds from across Asia Pacific involved, Mark Green, Tara Ford and the rest of the team have taken home the top award this year following a string of exceptional campaigns for the likes of Victoria Bitter, The Sydney Opera House and Telstra.

The judges lauded The Monkeys team for their “nearly flawless” campaigns, moving quickly on the cultural zeitgeist to generate incredible results for clients and delivering joy to customers.

That judging panel included the likes of Anneliese Douglass, director, marketing and communications, AUNZ, Nestle; Anny Havercroft, head of global business marketing South East Asia, TikTok; Leandro Perez, vice president, CMO APAC, Salesforce; Shawn Park, head of global brand group, executive vice president, CJ CheilJedang Headquarters and Stacy Malone, VP of global business marketing, Pinterest.

The Advisory Council consisted of Andrew Tindall, global creative and media partnerships director, System1; Jeff Estok, managing partner, Navigare; and Robert Brittain of his eponymous consultancy.

Here’s a look at the rest of the winners in alphabetical order and some words from the judges.

Audio Craft

As one judge said, “Wieden and Kennedy rarely miss” and, with this campaign for CJ CheilJedang’s Bibigo dumpling brand, the agency proved another hit.

It even beat out Howatson+Company’s “Touch” for Mastercard and The Monkeys’ “Play It Safe” for the Sydney Opera House, which is quite something.

B2B Campaign, Sponsored by LinkedIn

B2B can be seen as dull and overly safe but Enigma’s “Ken Oath” campaign for Kennards Hire was anything but. It shows how two words transformed the business and led to huge affinity boosts with its customers.

Beauty and Wellness Campaign

Resolution Digital’s “MECCA Presents Sol De Janeiro” campaign was a triumph for the beauty retailer.

The judges said that it was brilliantly integrated, with beautifully designed OOH assets. But they also lauded its effectiveness in delivering a huge sales increase for the brand among its target audiences.

Branded Content and Entertainment

Thinkerbell’s “Postcodes of Origin” for XXXX Gold has proven to be one of the best campaigns of recent times – leveraging a huge cultural moment whilst delivering brilliant results for the client.

Changing the World Campaign, Sponsored by Pinterest

The Changing the World Campaign Award was one of the most sought-after trophies among the entrants.

Dentsu Creative’s “Second Chance” campaign for Transplant Australia delivered on every front. Not only was it a stirring piece of work, but it delivered huge exposure for the charity and led to a huge increase in organ donor applications.

Creative Commerce

Howatson+Company’s “35+” campaign for the Lord Nelson Brewery saw the agency pick up its first trophy and one of its two Golds.

Based on the idea that Lord Nelson’s Three Sheets Pale Ale was typically enjoyed by older buyers, the agency decided to lean in – creating a campaign announcing it was only for those older than 35. Our judges loved the campaign’s wit, humour and flipping of traditional conventions on their heads.

“A stellar entry,” said one judge. “I really couldn’t fault it.”

Data-Driven Creativity

Thinkerbell picked up another Gold for its “Brewery Duty” campaign for Lion. It flipped the idea of jury duty on its head, enlisting regular Aussies to join a beer-tasting panel.

One judge said it was “unique, creative and built on strong consumer insight” as well as being a campaign that “impacts the full product chain at Lion” and delivered “outstanding results.”

Design

VML Ogilvy Japan’s second trophy is for a piece of incredible work. The “Edible Literature” campaign for Kameya Yoshinaga was beautifully crafted and left our judges in awe at its form.

“A truly unique concept combining stories with tasting experiences and integrating the story into the packaging cements the connection,” said one judge.

Digital Craft

VML Ogilvy Japan was one of a number of agencies from outside Australia and New Zealand to take home a Cairns Crocodiles Award.

Its “Santa in the Sky” drone show for Coca-Cola was a fantastic piece of work. Our judges said the execution was “brilliant” and said the concept was “beautiful.”

Direct

Ogilvy Singapore’s “Skins for Skin” campaign for Vaseline took home the Gold in a very competitive category.

“It creatively integrates digital and real-world challenges in a way that resonates effectively with a young, tech-savvy demographic effectively promoting the campaign message,” said one judge.

Experiential and Activation

Bring – Universal Music for Brands picked up its second Gold for “Music 101” for Campari-owned bourbon brand Wild Turkey. The judges loved the clarity of the execution and the performance against its targets.

Film

Could it have been anyone else? The Monkey’s epic and inspiring “Play It Safe” featuring Tim Minchin for the Sydney Opera House captured the minds of creatives all over the world.

One of our judges called it an “emotive” campaign with “a beautiful balance of past and future and the possibility with boldness.”

Film Craft

Yep, it’s “Play It Safe” again. This time, judges lauded it as a “beautiful tribute” and delivered a “powerful message” about the importance of creativity and bravery in the arts.

FMCG Campaign

Another APAC winner, VML Singapore’s “Change the Angle” for Unilever-owned beauty brand Lux picked up the gold. Taking a new look at everyday sexism in sports, the judges celebrated the campaign for its smart use of technology and agenda-changing impact.

“It’s a great campaign, that isn’t about the brand but about giving a voice to female empowerment and respect,” said one of our judges.

Food and Beverage Campaign

Yep, The Monkeys’ “England Bitter” collects another Gold Crocodile here in what was a very hotly contested category.

“A lovely idea to leverage a cultural moment and I love that 30,000 cases of England Bitter were actually manufactured and sold…that’s great,” said one judge.

Healthcare, Sponsored by Alternaleaf

Dentsu Creative’s “Second Chance” for Transplant Australia picks up the Gold again. One of our judges said that it was great work for a great cause that demonstrated the power of earned media.

Integrated

Resolution Digital’s fabulously evocative “MECCA Presents Sol De Janeiro” picked up the inaugural Integrated gong.

Judges loved the campaign’s “clear and clever” audience targeting along with the use of “very relevant creative and integrated main and digital media media mix.” They also loved the “amazing results.”

Media

Initiative’s “Cricket Covers” for NRMA is the perfect example of smart, creative use of media. “So simple, yet so impactful,” said one judge.

“Brilliant,” said another. “NRMA delivers the best return on OOH assets and gains more than $3 million in earned media during Test Cricket.”

Media/Entertainment Campaign

Yep, it could only have been EssenceMediacom and Barbie.

“Pink creative brilliance,” said one judge. “Great results after bringing Barbie to life outside the silver screen.”

Music Campaign

BRING, Universal Music’s agency for brands picked up the Bronze and Gold trophies in this campaign. But it was “Do It Again” for FIFA that won the top trophy.

Created for the FIFA Women’s World Cup, “Do It Again” saw Australian musician Mallrat and Kiwi musician BENEE come together to produce the tournament’s official song. One judge branded it an “outstanding entry” notable for its “brilliant results” in what is often a difficult category to show effectiveness.

Out of Home

There could only be one winner.

EssenceMediacom’s work for Barbie literally made the film unmissable. But the media plan was creative and innovative, with some truly inspired activations and choices. All told, it ensured Barbie’s spot as the biggest film of that year.

Public Relations Campaign

Again, it was The Monkeys, Part of Accenture Song, that picked up the Gold here for “England Bitter”. Seizing on the furore during last year’s Ashes series when the poms accused the Australian team of cheating.

“VB certainly won (back) the moral Ashes with this brilliant and cheeky stunt. Johnny Bairstow and Piers Morgan won’t like it, but the results are as convincing as a Warnie five for back in the day. A brilliant opportunistic campaign that stoked rivalry and the media conversation for days,” said one judge. We’ll leave it to you to work out whether they’re English or Australian.

Print and Publishing Campaign

Initiative’s Rufus sub-brand picked up the Gold in Print & Publishing for its “Take Me Back To ‘07, Girlfriend” campaign that saw the agency resurrect the beloved Aussie print mag for a special edition to promote the launch of Class of ‘07 on Amazon Prime Video.

Hitting on nostalgia and targeting influencers with a clever execution, one judge called it “ingenious” and that it illustrated the “enduring power of print.”

Radio and Audio

Howatson+Company’s “TOUCH” campaign for Mastercard was exceptional and, in a less competitive field, would have picked up a couple more Crocodiles.

However, as it stands, “TOUCH” was a beautifully executed piece of work that made our judges think long and hard, reconsidering what they take for granted in this world – something only the best creative can.

Retail Campaign

Cutting through in such a crowded market can be remarkably challenging. So, Howatson+Company decided that Matilda Bay didn’t need to. Rather than trying to challenge Australia’s largest brands, it would piggyback on their popularity and it worked spectacularly well.

It’s unlikely you’ll see a smarter retail campaign for years.

Social and Influencer

Ogilvy Singapore’s “Skins for Skin” was a resounding success for Vaseline, perfectly leveraging the reach and engagement that only the best social campaigns can.

“Great audience targeting and use of multiple channels, including packaging, to contribute to a very successful clever campaign,” said one judge.

Strategy and Effectiveness

The Hallway’s “Impressions” for Boody was celebrated by our judges for its “insight-led, visually impactful” approach in “high media channels.” The results were pretty impressive, too.

Travel/Leisure Campaign

Connecting Plots’ “Find Your Happy Place” for the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW for the Sydney Royal Easter Show was another campaign that leaned into feelings of nostalgia to remind punters of the happy memories they had at the Easter Show as children.

Our judges loved its clear response to the brief and its effectiveness in performing against the goals set by the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW.