Cannes Contenders: Australia

Telstra - This is Footy country

Country Australia is famous for many things. Among them, a passion for local football and spinning a cracking yarn. 

This ad for Telstra, the telco with the best outback coverage, combines both to riotous effect. 

Entertaining work loved by real punters, the kind of legit creativity that deserves recognition at Cannes.

Tourism Tasmania - The Off Season

Australia is spoilt for holiday spots drenched in sun year-round. So to tempt people to visit our chilliest state, at the coldest time of year, is ballsy. But for travellers wanting a different kind of holiday, it’s an irresistible challenge.

Funny. True. Persuasive. And who doesn’t love the stone age charm of the ocarina flute?

Rugby Australia - There's Something In The Water

A cinematic treatment that elevates the idea like a player hoisted up in a rugby lineout. 

Simple, beautifully crafted direction plunges you into the Pacific. One of those ideas you get immediately but can’t stop watching until the end.

Dylan Alcott Foundation - Shift 20 

The problem: 20% of Australians have a form of disability, yet only 1% are represented in advertising. The solution: To increase inclusion, encourage brands to re-shoot their ads and replace existing talent with talent that has a disability. 

It’s a typically powerful Cannes Lion-y idea. What makes it award-worthy is the scale of major companies they persuaded to commit to the initiative. I’ve seen one brand’s new ad so many times (starring a vision impaired hero) I’ve forgotten the original. Proof that representation in advertising can make a difference to perceptions around disability.

ROLLiN’ - Smooth

Never has an online car insurance quote felt so wonderfully weird. 

This film is a gloriously psychedelic metaphor for what could have been a boringly functional proof point: our online quote UX is frictionless. Hats off to the team who clearly crafted the bejesus out of this. You can see (and hear) interesting creative decisions behind every frame of the film.