Australia – Australia’s racing and wagering brand, TABtouch, has launched a new campaign, in an aim to bring to life the excitement of the punt, creating a magical world where the epic atmosphere of Excalibur meets everyday West Australian punters. 

Created in collaboration with Clemenger BBDO Sydney, the new campaign titled ‘Phone in the Stone’ brings to life the features punters need to unleash the power of the TABtouch app.

TABtouch said that this new campaign is the latest from the wagering brand since the launch of its brand campaign using Gene Simmons to hero the punter.

Katie Roberts, head of marketing at TABtouch, said, “TABtouch has all the features of a modern punting app, and this campaign is a natural extension for us to promote the innovative app in a new and exciting way that’s unique to the brand.”

Meanwhile, Brent Kerby, CEO of Clemenger BBDO Sydney, noted, “The TABtouch platform continues to celebrate the punter, with irreverent work that stands out in the market. This kind of work only happens with a client partner who values creativity.”

The campaign is now available nationally on Sky Racing, as well as in WA on subscription and free-to-air TV, cinema, print, OOH, digital, and radio.

Australia – Frucor Suntory’s popular beverage line, V Energy, has launched a new campaign, in an aim to bring good vibes and smiles to audiences around Australia and New Zealand for the promotion of a brand new energy drink, ‘V Refresh’. This developed in partnership with marketing communications agency Clemenger BBDO in Sydney.

The new ‘V Refresh’ is a new taste profile that is light, crisp, and refreshing. The new no-sugar, low-calorie energy drink is available in two delicious flavours, Citrus Lemonade, and Pineapple & Watermelon. 

To promote the new product and to engage a new generation of energy drinkers, Clemenger BBDO Sydney has bought the much-loved V Bugs back. This time, they are on a new adventure dancing under waterfalls and cracking open a refreshing can of V Refresh with mates in the midday sun.

Through the TVC and outdoor takeovers across Australia and New Zealand, audiences will be inspired to rethink their current views on energy drinks and continue to be delighted with V’s upbeat branding.

Allison Yorston, CMO at Frucor Suntory – Oceania, shared that they know their consumers love the taste of V Energy but they are also starting to look for options that are better for them, which led them to develop V Refresh, a lighter and crisp-tasting drink that still offers that iconic V burst of energy. 

“The diversified recipe and vibrant contemporary packaging allowed for us to work with the team at Clemenger to create a launch campaign that was still connected to the heritage of the V Energy brand but could connect with a new audience,” said Yorston. 

Meanwhile, Chris Henbrey, V Energy’s marketing manager for APAC, noted that the cascading waterfall and relaxing oasis setting surrounded by good friends helps to communicate both the product benefits and occasions associated with V Refresh. 

“As we drive awareness and curiosity with our new energy offering through this new creative we hope our consumers are inspired to also try something new,” said Henbrey.

Darren Wright, executive creative director at Clemenger BBDO Sydney, commented, “When we launched the big brand idea of ‘Can you feel it?’ last year, we wanted it to be a platform to put positive vibes into the world. The V Bugs’ roadtrip to Wham! did that in spades. This time to launch V Refresh, the positive vibes danced under a waterfall to Kool & The Gang.”

The campaign is now available on TV, outdoor, social, and BVOD across ANZ, with the underlying theme of ‘kicking off the afternoon with a refreshing drink’.

Australia — Mars Food Australia, the manufacturer of MasterFoods, is making its first foray into the D2C space, with ‘MasterFoods Flavour Club’. Clemenger BBDO worked with the MasterFoods team to craft the ecomm product proposition through consumer interviews, prototype development, testing and optimisation, packaging design, and working closely with Mars Food R&D and logistics teams.

The launch campaign features a partnership with multi-hyphenate Flex Mami. The work is built off the insight that social conversation has dwindled post-Covid lockdown, and as Australians begin to entertain again, there is a desire to spice up dinner party conversations.

Each MasterFoods Flavour Club Kit pairs spicy conversation starters with MasterFoods’ recipes and iconic herbs and spices range with four occasions in mind, each kit bringing a new set of flavours and recipes to explore.

Examples of Flavour Club Kits Masterfoods has come up with include ‘Curry night with mates kit’, a selection of ‘essential’ herbs and spices to make the ultimate curry to share with friends coupled with ‘essential’ questions curated by Flex Mami; another one is ‘Your dating essentials kit’, a hot ensemble of MasterFoods’ herbs and spices paired with Flex Mami’s spiciest questions – guaranteed to break the ice on a first date; and  ‘Epic high tea kit’, a sweet curation of MasterFoods’ baking essentials range with sweet and sour question cards to dial up a wholesome tea party, among others.

The questions don’t beat around the bush, with each kit delving into the themes of love, life, death, career and psychology, meaning there’ll be no room for small talk at the dinner table.

Each kit comes with a selection of MasterFoods recipe cards tailored to the included herbs and spices, ‘flavour hacks’ cooking tips and tricks.

Rachel Humphrey, portfolio marketing manager at Mars Food Australia, said, “We’re all about flavouring up dinner times, helping Aussies to create easy, flavoursome dishes they will be happy to share with others.”

Humphrey adds, “For us, a meal is so much more than the food on the table – it’s where you gather with friends and family to talk, laugh and reminisce. Working with Flex Mami has meant we can take this one step further, really getting to know one another over a delicious meal.”

Clemenger BBDO Sydney has been working with MasterFoods for over 25 years.

Brent Kerby, CEO of Clemenger BBDO Sydney, shared, “The MasterFoods team has been ambitious with their push into the direct to customer space, and to leverage the opportunity it presents to create meaningful connections with their consumers. This campaign is the embodiment of the MasterFoods belief that when flavours connect in the kitchen, people connect around the table. We see this project as the first iteration of many DTC future innovations.” 

Western Australia — Racing and wagering Western Australia brand TABtouch has recruited global rock music legend and co-lead singer of KISS, Gene Simmons in a promotion to encourage punters to use their ‘Touch’ in a new brand campaign spearheaded by a series of three TVCs from Clemenger BBDO Sydney.

‘The Touch’ campaign underscores the passion of TABtouch customers who believe they have the knack of picking a winner – and reminds them to use it wisely with the help of the iconic rocker Gene Simmons.

The campaign consists of three short videos, all starring Simmons and goes into a hypothetical scenario where the rock legend switches roles with an everyday TABtouch user or punter to sing them praises and tips on a reworked version of ’80s Stan Bush hit, ‘You’ve got the touch’. Simmons is clad in his usual KISS ensemble and sings praises to a bewildered but much amused TABtouch fan.

The series culminates with ‘Unplugged’, where Simmons reminds punters that even those with ‘The Touch’ should gamble responsibly – and not at the expense of spending time with people they love.

Brendan Willenberg, executive creative director ofClemenger BBDO Sydney, said that when TABtouch came to them with the brief to go big, they took them literally by getting the seven-foot Gene Simmons to rip out an old 80s anthem that worships the punter. Willenberg adds that the campaigns are a lot of fun and already doing wonders for the brand.

Katie Roberts, head of marketing of TABtouch, commented, “We’re thrilled to be launching our new ‘The Touch’ brand campaign together with the Clemenger BBDO Sydney team who have built on the equity of TABtouch to bring some fun and excitement to the brand. Here at TABtouch, we are in the business of entertainment, so who better to front our campaign than the ultimate entertainer Gene Simmons.”

Meanwhile, Michael Downing, director at Sweetshop, shared, “These scripts had me with ‘that’s not a horse mate, that’s Gene Simmons from KISS’. This is the comedy I like to do. Smart, reality-based ideas with Gene Simmons. In a pub. With a chicken parmie. Ordinary folks trying to go about their day and when juxtaposed with the Glam Rock world they ignite a quiet explosion of comedy. And then there’s Dene the Head Banger who lives in his Mother’s basement. That’s actually me!”

The campaign is running nationally on Sky Racing, and in Western Australia on subscription and free to air TV, print, OOH, digital and radio – with more spots coming in the future.

In addition to the TV campaigns, Clemenger BBDO has refreshed TABtouch’s brand design to ensure it is distinct and modern with a bold new visual identity to be used across audience touchpoints.

Sydney, Australia – Flare, the social and content offering by advertising agency Clemenger BBDO Sydney, has been appointed by cruise brand Carnival Cruise Line to handle its digital mandate.

Carnival Cruise Line is deemed to be one of the most popular cruise lines in North America. It operates 24 ships designed to foster memorable vacation experiences.

Through the partnership, Clemenger BBDO Sydney will be working closely with media agency SPEED, which takes on responsibility for the cruise line’s media strategy and buying.

Kara Glamore, Carnival Cruise Line’s vice president for Australia, commented they are excited to work with a partner who they know is going to deliver the communication vision they have for the Carnival brand, and Flare’s breadth of abilities will assist in focusing the content to drive impact with the customer.

Meanwhile, Pete Bosilkovski, the CEO of Clemenger BBDO Sydney, shared that with vaccination rates soaring and the eventual return of cruising feeling closer on the horizon, they are all looking forward to adding a bit of fun to their lives, and no one does fun like Carnival. 

“We’re excited to partner with Carnival, to help develop a digital and social media program to get people excited about future family fun holidays. I’m also really thrilled for the Flare team who put forward a brilliant pitch response, and continue to go from strength to strength with their innovative social media thinking,” said Bosilkovski.

Lewis Steele, Clemenger BBDO Sydney’s head of social, said, “With Carnival, we’ve developed an approach that will allow an unprecedented level of flex and optimization for the brand. We can’t wait to produce the work and get it out into the world, it’s going to be a whole lot of fun.”

Just recently, Clemenger BBDO in Sydney has appointed Steele to assume the role of head of social, and was tasked to lead the agency’s Flare Sydney.

Australia – Global pharmaceutical company iNova Pharmaceuticals in Australia has partnered with advertising agency Clemenger BBDO Sydney to launch a new campaign for its liquid cough syrup brand DURO-TUSS. 

iNova Pharmaceuticals distributes a wide range of market-leading medicines and consumer healthcare products, with a strong focus on cough, cold, and flu. The DURO-TUSS Lingering Cough Liquid and Immune Support is a new category first product which is targeted to helping consumers find a solution to this common and often irritating problem. 

In a brief comic, BBDO personifies ‘lingering cough’. Titled, ‘Duro-Tuss Lingering Cough Hero’, the campaign is a series of 6-second bumpers where ‘lingering cough’ does things to ‘irritate’ the female protagonist who is trying to keep her ‘peace’ and do yoga.

Andrew Jenkin, iNova’s managing director, shared that in a highly cluttered and seasonal category, it was important that people got the message out in a clear and memorable way. 

“We’d like to thank the team at Clems for creating a campaign we believe will be effective both this year and beyond,” said Jenkin.

Meanwhile, Darren Wright, the executive creative director, commented, “A cough is a pain at the best of times, but a lingering one that hangs around even when you’re feeling better, that’s just annoying. We wanted to bring that feeling to life with a bit of humor.”

In July this year, iNova Pharmaceuticals has also launched a campaign for its brand ‘Difflam’ in Singapore and Malaysia, alongside creative agency The Teeth.

Sydney, Australia – Advertising agency Clemenger BBDO in Sydney has appointed Lewis Steele, former head of social and content at creative communications agency Connecting Plots, to assume the role of head of social.

Steele brings with him 15 years of experience working on both the client and agency sides. Aside from his recent role at Connecting Plots, he has also worked with media agency One Green Bean in London and Sydney, where he held accounts including Heineken, Sky TV, and Sydney Water. 

In addition, Steele has previously worked at NRMA Motoring & Services locally and with The Coca-Cola Company abroad in a multi-market role based in London.

In his new role, Steele will be leading Clemenger BBDO Sydney’s social and content arm, Flare Sydney.

Commenting on his appointment, Steele said that he is pumped to be joining the team, and he looks forward to growing and developing the Flare offering.

“Flare answers a clear need in the market for more agile, culturally in tune, and impactful social creative, and with the agile team structure and network backing we are perfectly placed to continue to deliver on this. We’re a fast and curious bunch, and we have access to some of the country’s best talent across multiple disciplines in the Clemenger Group, all under one roof,” said Steele.

Meanwhile, Pete Bosilkovski, CEO of Clemenger BBDO Sydney, said that the social and content offering Flare has experienced growth over the past 12 months and they are excited to bring in a well-accomplished and modern thinker like Steele into the business. 

“Lewis brings a progressive point of view on the digital and social media landscape having worked at Coke and some of the best digital and social agencies in the country. His body of innovative and culturally driven work on some of the biggest brands in the world is most impressive,” said Bosilkovski.

Most recently, Clemenger BBDO Sydney has also announced the appointment of Graham Sweet as the new head of brand planning. He was tasked to handle the overall brand planning of the agency.

Sydney, Australia – Advertising agency Clemenger BBDO Sydney has appointed former chief of strategy at global communications and advertising company Saatchi & Saatchi, Graham Sweet, to be its new head of brand planning.

Sweet brings with him almost 20 years of experience in brand strategy across a variety of sectors. Within that time, he has worked with some of the most recognized agencies and brands globally. Aside from his former role at Saatchi & Saatchi, Sweet was previously head of strategy at socially-led creative agency We Are Social. Some of his past roles also include being the planning partner at marketing firm DDB, and the strategy director at full-service media company Bohemia.

Clemenger BBDO Sydney’s Chief Strategy Officer Lilian Sor commented that Sweet has a phenomenal track record as a strong brand planner, and that they could not be happier to welcome him to the Clemenger Sydney planning crew and agency.

“Loving nothing more than navigating the challenges of big brands and holistic communications, Graham is a simplifier and he’s focused on strategy as a means to an end, not the end itself. Optimistic and motivated, Graham is an advocate of creativity and a tech enthusiast, and is sure to enhance our agency and our clients’ businesses,” said Sor.

Just recently, Clemenger BBDO Sydney announced its collaboration with Sydney Water, the organization that manages the environment and health of the city’s waterways. The agency released a new water-saving campaign titled ‘Turn it off, Bob’ to serve as a reminder for Sydneysiders to conserve water.

Sydney, Australia – Sydney Water, the organization that manages the environment and health of the city’s waterways, has recently released a new water-saving campaign titled ‘Turn it off, Bob’, with the aim to remind Sydneysiders to conserve water.

Done in collaboration with advertising agency Clemenger BBDO Sydney, the new quirky campaign features Australian actor and conservationist, Shane Jacobson as Bob. The debut spot, in what will become an episodic series, introduces an unwitting Bob enjoying a very long, hot shower until his water-wasting ways get the better of him.

Maryanne Graham, Sydney Water’s General Manager of Customer, Strategy and Engagement, shared that they have had great success in reducing water consumption through education campaigns that traditionally run during the hotter summer months.

“This campaign highlights that it’s the behaviors we adopt all year round that ultimately help us keep water in our dams in periods of low rainfall. Shane’s passion for water and his tremendous ability to cut through is a great match for Sydney Water. Our customers have told us they want to know more about how they can save water and this campaign is all about doing just that,” said Graham.

Meanwhile, Brendan Willenberg, the executive creative director of Clemenger BBDO Sydney, said that they needed a way to remind Sydneysiders to think twice and be water-wise. 

“Bob is a ripping character to deliver this message in a tongue-in-cheek way and Shane is just perfect for the role given his incredible personal commitment to water conservation. There’s lots more of Bob and his handy water-wise hints coming this year, we can’t wait to share it,” said Willenberg.

The campaign is already running across TV, OOH, and digital, as well as social channels. Future spots will be launched at the start of spring and during The Ashes cricket series in January 2022.