Australian ad agency BMF has won Round 3 of the 2023 Siren Awards with a radio ad that doesn’t sound like a radio ad.
The Sirens Council selected the BMF produced “Special You Can Buy — Atoms 1078,” as the best single ad of the round. The brand spot for the Aldi supermarket chain treats Special Buys with the same reverence as some of the most special things in existence.
“To make an effective radio ad, don’t act, sound, or be like a radio ad,” said creatives Kiah Nicholas and Emily Field. “Retail ads rarely leave anything to the imagination. But they should, because letting listeners connect the dots, and creating a smile in the mind, is what makes for effective work.”
“We had a quality job to do on Aldi Special Buys. We found ourselves asking: what is special? Is the universe special? Earth? Humanity? Love? This microcosm? And out of everything in it, what makes Aldi Special Buys special? Then, in our state of existential-like insanity, we thought the obvious: It’s special, you can buy!”
The ad is now in the running for the 2023 Gold Siren Award best radio ad.
CRA chief executive officer Ford Ennals said: “BMF’s winning ad is another outstanding example of radio creative at its best. It delivers unique storytelling and introduces an unexpected element to capture attention. I’m looking forward to hearing more high-quality ads that stand out from the crowd over the coming weeks and encourage all agencies to enter.”
Other winners included Sound Engineer Nick Gallagher from Cue Sound studio, who took home the craft category winner for the West Australian Ballet piece, “Music. Ballet. Side by side.”
The Siren Awards are run by CRA to recognise outstanding radio advertising and are judged by industry experts across five rounds throughout the year, plus a final call round. Winning entries from each round are entered into the 2023 Gold Siren Awards, with the winner to be announced in May 2023.
Listen to the Round 3 winning ads here.