Most Read of 2022: ANZ

This year saw a creative industry bouncing back from two of the hardest years it’s ever had to endure. In-person events were revived; working from home nestled alongside a return to the office; and creativity brought a newly reopened world back to life in vivid colour.

We’ve rounded up the ad campaigns, brand activations, people, and research that resonated the most with Aussies and Kiwis alike. From beer ads to body positivity, from kangaroos and unicorns to new thoughts on strategy and when not to listen to consumers, here’s a list of ideas and images worthy of your attention.

Brewer Lion Encourages Aussies to Give a XXXX About the Environment

This piece from Thinkerbell tapped into the issue of sustainability, a key theme among creativity in 2022, and framed it through an urgent Australian angle: The end of the world means the end of beer. If that doesn’t convince you the planet’s worth saving, nothing will.

Strategy Needs to Stop Pretending to Be Rocket Science

Colenso BBDO’s Rob Campbell delivered to LBB multiple brilliant thinkpieces, three of which (one, two, and three) ranked in the most viewed Kiwi articles. Rob’s always been an unorthodox thinker, pushing against the grain - and his thoughts on strategy and how it’s used (and misused) challenge conventional wisdom in ways exciting and daring. In this featured article, he argues that we’ve overcomplicated what are ultimately a fairly simple set of questions about how strategists can maximise impact.

Bras and Things Helps You Find Your Big Boob Energy

This delightful campaign from fabric, part of TBWA Group puts a feminist spin on the ever popular phrase “big d*ck energy”, highlighting women celebrating and reclaiming their own bodies. Not a male gaze in sight.

FROM NOWHERE with TBWA\NZ Launches to Provide NZ Clients with Global Talent

Earlier this year, multi award-winning creatives Ashley Wilding and Daniel Davison founded a fully remote global agency. FROM NOWHERE is a startling new addition to the Aotearoan creative landscape - it aims to work from different countries and continents on New Zealand clients.

Furphy Gets a Truck Stuck for Crisp Lager Launch

Thinkerbell and beer strike again, with an installation that pretends to be a stuck beer truck (in the middle of the Sydney CBD) promoting Furphy’s new Crisp Lager. Few things will make you remember a beer brand more than seeing one of their trucks trapped vertically in an alley on your way to work!

Breast Cancer Foundation NZ's 'Pre-Check' App Teaches Your Hands How to Look for Breast Cancer

A staggering piece of work, this app from Colenso BBDO was designed to teach your hands how to look for breast cancer. It recreates the symptoms through a phone screen, offering a  tactile experience to women who need to know just what to watch for,

Kangaroo Takes a Unicorn on an Australian Adventure in Global Tourism Campaign

M&C Saatchi teamed up with Will Arnett and Rose Byrne to tell the story of a kangaroo showing a unicorn around down under. It’s a classic piece, highlighting iconic Aussie landmarks and cultural touchstones, and made quite a splash as it debuted at home and overseas.

Bossing It: Having Tough Conversations with Nikki McKelvie

DDB Aotearoa’s managing director spoke to LBB about the questions she asks herself every day to be the best leader she can be. The conversation is frank, revealing, kind, and uplifting - all of which could be said for Nikki’s magnificent leadership itself.

Here’s Why It’s Not a Good Idea to Listen to Consumers

Thinkerbell appears again for one last hurrah - but this time, not with a creative piece, but with the thoughts of the agency’s founder Adam Ferrier. One of the most original and incisive minds in the business, when Adam speaks it’s worth listening - and here he speaks (as he often does) against the received wisdom that “the customer is always right”.

Air New Zealand Weaves in Māori Magic to Address Sustainable Tourism

Finally, LBB’s Esther Faith Lew went behind the scenes of one of the year’s most magical campaigns - how did Flying Fish use a levitating canoe to reinforce a message of sustainable tourism? And how does one even make a canoe fly?