The 30 best ads from Campaign Brief’s 30 years. 2001: RAC Security Services classified press

Campaign Brief WA turns 30 this month, so over the thirty days of June we’re looking back and choosing the best ad done in each of our 30 years.

2001 wasn’t exactly a vintage year but The Brand Agency did a couple of nice press executions: one a classified campaign for RAC Security by Des Hameister & Drew Ridley; the other a single ad for the Asthma Foundation by Ridley & Spencer Battista.

The RAC campaign scored two winners and six finalists at the Caxtons – an excellent result at the national press advertising awards. Think of them appearing in the context of all those home services ads in the paper and they’re pretty good.

The Asthma Foundation ad scored a Silver and the People’s Choice award at the now defunct Australian Folio Awards for magazine advertising.

And an honourable mention to the ‘Hit Me’ TV campaign for Scratch ‘n’ Win by Marketforce’s Mat Garbutt and Levi Slavin. Directed by Sauce Films’ Mark Zagar, the campaign had a ‘Scratchie’ walking around annoying various people in various places until they hit him.

Lindsay Medalia thought it was “derivative” of Saatchi & Saatchi London’s ‘Irritating Eyes’, and he’s probably right. In fact, if memory serves, the creatives showed the client that ad as a way of explaining the concept for Hit Me.

Well, whatever. It was a bit of fun at the time and memorable now. It was also very effective. The objective of selling 500,000 $4 tickets in 24 weeks was achieved in just 5!