Aotearoa’s Media Industry Celebrated - 2024 Beacon Awards in Association with Ooh!Media

With Clint Roberts, veteran beacon awards host, back for another hoorah, the event was held at a sparkling Aotea Centre in Auckland.

The night was filled with anticipation as the industry eagerly awaited the announcement of this year's winners. With a broad and dynamic range of campaigns up for contention, our winners represent standout thinking, innovative approaches and outstanding client results. Our judges narrowed the numerous entries to 106 finalists, ultimately awarding 8 Gold and 35 Silver beacon awards. Four executive awards, the most prestigious of the evening, were also awarded to deserving nominees.

The 2024 beacon awards convenor of judges, Louise Bond, noted that, “agencies and our very important media partners have worked incredibly hard to deliver successful outcomes for advertisers, while grappling with considerable change and an incredibly challenging time for our local media partners."

"The common theme running through the finalist entries was a focus on the tried and true and the use of technology and data to improve ROI."

This year there were a number of outstanding campaigns that shone above the rest delivering sound insight, clever strategy and strong results to win gold awards.”

The Comms Council Media Committee also felt that results belonged at the core of Media Business of the Year, which they awarded to NZME for the second year in a row. 

Sales Team of the Year, a prestigious and hard-won title, was claimed by the Go Media, which the Comms Council Media Committee felt was a standout winner.

The 2024 Best in Show was tightly contested, with three campaigns dominating the Gold awards. Ultimately, FCB claimed the prestigious title, for their work with AMP, ‘Investars.’ Our international panel of judges felt that this campaign’s balanced use of insight and media strategy brought ingenuity, creativity and clear results to a rarely innovative channel. 

This year’s Inspiring Individual Award in honour of Sandy Smith, now over a decade strong, had more entries than ever. MBM’s Charlotte Lobo was awarded this heart-warming honour, with a video describing her empathy, patience and tireless mentorship presented to the audience by her colleagues.

Finally, judged by a panel of international industry leaders and auditors, Media Business of the Year went to PHD. This award encompasses business vision, employee development, financial performance, client acquisition and development, industry contribution, and creativity and innovation. The international panel of judges praised PHD’s ongoing drive to evolve and innovate; their understanding and weathering of the changing media landscape; and their proven longevity with client accounts and staff retention. The judges felt that PHD’s contribution to community development demonstrates a well-rounded understanding that rising tides lift all boats.

Overall, the event showcased the incredible talent and creativity of Aotearoa’s advertising and media industry, within a challenging and rapidly evolving landscape. All winners and finalists deserve congratulations for their dedication to delivering work that pushes boundaries and inspires others.

“Full of community spirit, warm welcomes and amazing work, the evening was a much-needed celebration of Aotearoa’s advertising industry. Thank you to our sponsors, judges, MC, production crew and my own team for the months of hard work required to make the night a joyful success,” said Simon Lendrum, CEO of the Comms Council.

For the complete list of results including gold, silver and finalists, please visit the Comms Council website: https://commscouncil.nz/beacon

 

The 2024 beacon awards in association with oOh!media are made possible through the generous support of our sponsors oOh!media, TVNZ, Are media, Cartology, Meta, Nielsen, NZME, Stuff, The Radio Bureau and Google.