Is Vinnies really ‘Australia’s most effective brand’? No, of course not
I suspect that you’ll be reading a bit about the St Vincent de Paul Society in the trade press today.
Because “officially” it’s the most effective brand in Australia. And the thing that’s made it “official” is a press release from the organisers of the Effies Awards for effectiveness.
Sadly, wonderful as Vinnies is, the title is bullshit.
What it actually means is that a single well crafted case study did quite well in a number of different categories of The Effies.
As is true for 99% of awards programmes, these are the ‘best of the entries’ and no more than that.
What does ‘most effective’ mean? A claim becomes credible when it’s specific, not abstract.
Vinnies would be more effective if they didn’t have to exist. In fact, a true measure of their effectiveness as a brand would be if they disappeared altogether, then their job would have been done.
The gongs are just back slapping at the expense of the most disinfranchised.
Minor point of clarification Tim.
The statement that “we currently see McCann sitting on top of various creative rankings thanks to one brilliant (Dumb Ways To Die) campaign” is not entirely correct.
McCann Australia has in fact been extensively awarded at Cannes and numerous other shows over the past year across several brilliant campaigns, including V/Line Guilt Trips, Impossible Orchestra / Care Aware, Corelle and L’Oreal.
A fair point, Ben. Particularly re Impossible Orchestra. I think I should have used the word “mainly”.
Cheers,
Tim – Mumbrella
Anyone who has read an Effies entry lately will probably struggle to read through the first half of the entry. They’re excruciatingly dull and rarely ground-breaking.
As organisers of the Effies in Australia, we as the Communications Council will take your feedback to Effies Worldwide. You raise a good point and it is consistent with our view. The Effies have been well regarded around the world owing to their robust judging process and focus on measuring campaign effectiveness. This approach undermines what the Effies stand for. We appreciate your comments.