Tonight ` (GRUNTS) Love them? Great value energy. Great-auntie Beverly? I'm well over 70. CLEARLY: Great value energy! ...loathe them,... Everyone is going crazy! ...they get your attention. (SCREAMS) But does sex really sell? It's not gonna happen. What about cute kids? Let's get (SINGS SHRILLY) looooooost! Or fluffy animals? Yep, you can never have too much protection. Plus, we take a stand for penguin rights,... What do you think of penguins? (CHIRPS) ...go in search of advertising gold... It's a strange job, I guess, coming up with stories, coming up with ideas. ...and ask the question, 'Is the corporate world manipulating our emotions?' POP! Copyright Able 2016 Welcome to the 2016 Fair Go Ad Awards ` a celebration of the best and worst commercials on TV, as voted by you. Yes, the votes have been counted. The winners and losers will be announced in just a wee bit. Yes, here's a wee taste of the finalists in both categories, in no particular order. JUSTIN BIEBER'S 'SORRY' OK, time to shake up ad land. Strike up the band for your favourite brand. Whose ad's the baddest? That's just bad. So get up and to go 2 Cheap Cars for huge savings! What's hot and what's not. Will it work if you twerk? Who sold you the gold? Would you rather be mowing or towing? And who's really got pull? Annie Whittle and Quinnie? That penguin again? Or 'Get Lost' girl? (SHOUTS) Here's where you get to decide. So, there you have it. Those were the top 10 in both categories ` the ones you love, and the ones you love to hate. My nana ` wise woman ` used to say there's a fine line between love and hate, but the corporate world is really good at manipulating your emotions. Mm-hm. They do it on TV, in the supermarket, on the street. Consumer experience isn't designed, it's carefully engineered. DRAMATIC MUSIC I love corn chips. I love sunglasses. I love barbecue tongs. I love big barbecue tongs ` man tongs. I'm a consumer. I love spending. If there's some spare change in my pocket, then let's go shopping. POP! But, you know what? I've never thought about what I buy and where I buy it. Have you? UPBEAT MUSIC AUT's Dr Sommer Kapitan thinks deeply about our shopping habits. There's a saying that you study what you, uh, what you might have failings in. She's an expert in consumer behaviour and says retailers have ways of getting us to part with our money. Today she's gonna share four. TWINKLING MUSIC I think there's very clearly people who are more frugal and controlled in their spending, and then there's those of us who don't control our budgets as much. When we want to feel happy or change our mood, we buy something that makes us feel good. If you are in a shopping environment and you're feeling sad, studies show you are more likely to purchase because you want to change your state. What have we got? What have we got? Grace and Michelle have a classic shopping mindset. I came here for a summer dress and a piece of jewellery. And this is not what you have? No. (LAUGHS) OK. The feeling's contagious. That's my bracelet. I got a matching necklace too. All of us feel great after buying. I feel nice. Icy. Yes. Dr Kapitan says all shoppers struggle to resist a discount. I think we are all susceptible to sales, especially those frugal people who control their budgets, hold on to our money. Those are the guys who are more likely to see something that's 60% off ` 'That's a real good deal. I have to be smart and take advantage of that offer.' When I talk to consumers about it, they describe it as a rush, an excitement, literally a feeling of winning. TWINKLING MUSIC The decoy effect is all about size and comparison. It's best explained using coffee cups. I might introduce the larger size, not because I want you to buy the larger size, but because, in fact, I want you buy the middle size. The decoy itself is the largest option or the smallest option. It makes that middle option look more attractive. In NZ, there used to be just these two sizes up front ` tall` a short and a tall, right? They wanted to increase sales. Everyone in NZ was buying short. So they began to introduce the taller size. So then we would move to the middle one. Yes. The decoy effect works across all products. The 65" is 4 grand; the 55" is 2 grand. Suddenly the 55" looks a lot better in comparison with the 65". This suddenly looks far more attractive in this set up than by itself. TWINKLING MUSIC Retailers love signs and colours, but there's another sense which some companies pitch at. We are outside the biscuit shop, and it smells amazing. Yeah. That is not an accident? Uh, no, that's very much on purpose. It's designed to catch the commuter crowds and the shoppers as they walk through to capture your sensory experience. They don't need a sandwich board. They've just got a whiff of deliciousness. Markus Hasler knows about the power of smell. He owns the cookie shop. You imagine yourself walking up Queen Street. Your car needs a warrant of fitness, the dog needs to go to the vet. You are in your own world, but you come here, and you can smell this beautiful smell of freshly baked cookies. It's an impulse purchase, and the smell has a great deal to do with it. We can be pulled in all sorts of directions by marketing. The people at Colmar Brunton know this. They've turned television ads into a science. # Wise men say... # Beth Rundle tells me they can measure your feelings during an ad by recording our minute facial expressions. They're only, like, half a second long, and we typically look at eyebrows, corners of eyebrows, corner of the mouth. The result is a worm running alongside the ad. We can tell an advertiser where an ad is working really well, or where it's perhaps a little bit slow and needs some action. There are pink worms showing women peaking during the romance. And the blue is the men. Female happy with hand-holding. While the men turn off when another male goes to great lengths to be romantic. Guys kinda go, 'I can't be that romantic. I can't do this with my woman. 'I'm useless. I cannot do this stuff.' But they still come back up at the end. The key for the advertiser is that we feel good at the end when their product appears. We know people who are more engaged with the piece of advertising are more likely to feel stronger about the brand and therefore more predisposed to buying that brand when they go shopping. Back on Queen Street, Dr Kapitan has one final lesson for us. So, why is it when I walk around, Sommer, every sale has a time limit on it? Everything runs out right now? Well, that's very clear. It's called the scarcity effect. And it means we have an all different range of buying, but if it's for a limited time only ` sell out, preorder now ` then we are much more inclined to purchase it. The scarcity effect is best viewed walking the shops. So what they are doing is showing you really big signs, like 40% off. Suddenly, my attention is captured. And if I'm inclined to buy anything from that store, now I'm into it. 40% off; limited time; got to get it now. Dr Kapitan says the bigger the discount, the more inclined we are to buy, no matter what the original price. Grace agrees. She just bought something for her feet. I think working in retail, you realise that sometimes sales aren't as great as the banner out the front makes them out to be. I would personally only shop when something's, like, 40% to 50% off. # ...a merry little Christmas night. # So if you shop this Christmas, remember, retailers know more about you than ever before. So by all means get something special for a loved one. But be warned ` shopping is an emotional activity. Oh, that was interesting. Now I'm really focused on the corners of my lips and my eyes and my twitching. Am I making funny faces? Be sure to go home and keep an eye on our micro-emotions for domestic, you know, issues. Exactly. Now, after the break, we announce your picks for best and worst. And we're gonna take a stand for penguin rights. (CHIRPS) They're cute and very Kiwi. He's been in the mud. Bless him. So why is this guy so blue? You could say that those ads maligned and denigrated penguins. Time to ask some tough questions. What do you think of penguins? Plus,... Guys, what is that? ...the secret of success is storytelling. It's a strange job, I guess, coming up with stories. Have Lotto struck gold? UPLIFTING MUSIC (LAUGHS) You know that person - the one who seizes the day, shines, full of life, never stops inspiring. (UPBEAT MUSIC) They're a force of nature. At Nature's Own, we search the world for potent ingredients because nature can be a powerful force for your health and we want to help everyone get the strength they need to be a force of nature. Join us and discover their stories at naturesown.co.nz. 1 Welcome back. Every year, hundreds of people complain about ads. And contrary to popular belief, sex doesn't always sell. There, I said it; we're done with it. And neither do cute creatures. Here's Hannah. Come on, you two. Come on, sweethearts. Little blue penguins ` they're little, they're blue... and a little bit brown. He's been in the mud, bless him. They're beautiful, beautiful birds. They're parts of our wildlife. They're our neighbours ` they're our locals, and, uh, they're gorgeous animals. You don't have to sell penguins to Ian Roberts. Come on, girls. Come on. On his lifestyle block just out of Palmy North, he's got chooks,... COWS MOO ...he's got cattle, and he's got baby birds in a rose bush. Amazing! And what's he think of penguins? Penguins are kinda nice. I don't like to see them maligned. Maligned? That's what Ian thought when watching the telly with wife Faye. TV: With Tower Insurance, if your car is stolen, we'll get you back on the road with a rental car. What in particular about that ad bothered you? I find it intriguing how the character of penguins have, um, been portrayed as stealing bicycles, breaking into houses. You could say those ads maligned and denigrated penguins. If they were talking about people, that wouldn't be acceptable. But did Ian just sit there simmering with righteous indignation? Hell no! I thought, 'Well, I'm going to do something about this.' And he did. He complained to these guys ` the Advertising Standards Authority. Now, just because we're sitting round sipping tea being ladies doesn't mean I'm not going to ask the hard questions. What do you think of penguins? Lovely animals. Lovely. What do you think of them? Very elegant birds. You got Ian's complaint in. Is it unusual? I think Mr Roberts' complaint about the denigration of animals was the first aspect` ...first time we've dealt with that. Yeah, dealt with that particular aspect. Like a work of art, advertising can offend one person and amuse or delight another. In the case of the penguin ad,... Our offensiveness test is serious or widespread offence. And so that's a reasonably high threshold. Ian had genuinely held concerns, but not sure that they would be concerns that, um, other members of the community would share. Each complaint is looked at to see what advertisement standards may have been breached ` is the offensive or misleading or socially irresponsible? We do have a stereotyping rule in the code for people, but we don't have a code for penguins. Could say the penguin ad lead to fear of or contempt for actual penguins. It was fairly clear that no penguins were harmed in the filming of the advertisement, and I think it was a lighthearted advertising campaign. It was decided the penguin ad hadn't breached advertising standards. No further action was necessary. Ian doesn't regret sticking up for the penguins. I would hate to think we've got a generation of children growing up afraid of penguins or that penguins might do something nasty to them. So, Ian, you're a champion of the penguins? (LAUGHS) If you put it like that, yes. C'mon buddy, there's a boy. And our penguins do need champions. these ones have been rescued. Bandit here's had a flipper amputated. He's has a great life here with us now. But penguins living in the wild and close to where we live need our help. We need to keep our cats in at night and our dogs on a leash. Because penguins are an... ...essential part of our national heritage. It's kind of nice to know they're there. Let's stick up for the penguins. Let's hear it for the penguins. And as to Ian's complaint about the penguin ad... It was a tongue in cheek exercise. COWS MOO It was heard, and I'm happy. That's fine. Of course, one of the most popular ads full-time would have to be the Bluebird chip ad, with the penguins. I sense a bit of a trend here. They weren't maligned there, were they? We did hit Tower up for a response. We wanted to get to the bottom of this. They told us penguins are great little birds, and they're impressed that they're always dressed in a tuxedo. Funny stuff. They also told us they hope the actions of one cheeky penguin doesn't tarnish their reputation forever. No. Right, time to announce the four finalists, in no particular order, for NZ's worst ad. PERCUSSIVE DRUM BEATS Even with Emmy Award winner Parris Goebel choreographing the moves, you weren't buying NZ Post's pitch. It's not gonna happen. Looking like those slightly too long airline safety messages, this vibrant video is NZ Post's way of explaining how it doesn't have to deliver parcels to your home address; to the gym instead, maybe. Plenty of you marked it 'return to sender'. Don't forget to organise funeral insurance today. Doing it shortly. There is a place we're all going someday. No, not power walking with Annie Whittle. Death claims us all, but if you want to claim funeral cover, well, it seems plenty of you are still a bit touchy hearing about it in Cigna's ads. Sorry, Quinnie. Tower had a great year with the penguin, but maybe it's time to flip that bird. You certainly did. No cute kids in this one. Perhaps that's what turned voters off. Let's get stoked! Get free! Our final four of worst ads for the second year running, Hyundai's Let's Get Lost is still rarking up some of you. SHOUTS: ...over there! Quiet in the backseat. We're nearly there. (YELLS SHRILLY) So, those were the four finalists. And the winner of the worst ad for 2016 is... NZ Post. PERCUSSIVE MUSIC PLAYS Parcel Collect is a new way to get your parcels delivered. If you know you're not gonna be around when your parcel arrives, you can have it delivered to any one of over 180 handy locations instead. That means you can pick up your parcels when and where it suits you. Sign up for your parcel delivery locations at... Want to choose how you get your parcels delivered? You can. So, the people have spoken. I have to say, though, still a huge fan of Parris Goebel. And you know what? Winning worst ad's not always a bad thing, because it means you're getting cut-throat. Yeah, and I think collectively, as a nation, we've become better twerkers since that ad's gone on screen. I wish I had. But, no. After the break ` we announce the winner of best ad for 2016. And we go behind the scenes of a big campaign in search of gold. Let's get (SINGS SHRILLY) looooost! Ads are supposed to sell,... So get up and go to 2 Cheap Cars for huge savings. ...make corporates money. UPLIFTING MUSIC But all that glitters is not gold. It's not gonna happen. And... CHEERING, APPLAUSE Who will win the coveted title of best ad? Welcome back. If there's one thing all good ads have in common, it's good storytelling. Mm-hm. A good story can push the emotional buttons and stop you reaching for the remote. It's been a winning formula for Lotto. And this year, they invited Pippa behind the scenes of their new campaign. It's called 'Mum's Wish'. FUNKY MUSIC We've all spent the money. Go travelling. Pay off my student loan. And I would go on holiday. In our heads, at least. I'd buy a house. Holiday home. I wouldn't do smart things with my money, I don't think. And in any given week, hundreds of thousands of us will bet on winning, even though we know the odds. Well, they're stacked against us. Wanna get rich. (CHUCKLES) You know, you dream about winning the lotto every now and then. Could be me. It's a fantasy that seems like it doesn't need selling. It's a strange job, I guess, coming up with stories, coming up with ideas. Everyone has an idea of what they'd do if they won Lotto, But a lot of people just say, 'I'd quit my job.' 'I'd do whatever.' That's not really an emotional kind of story to tell on TV. Like, that's what we'd all like to do, but it's not really going to connect to people in a way that a TV commercial needs to. And Brett should know. He's one half of the creative team behind Lotto's latest ad ` you know, the one where the mum buries the gold under the clothesline. UPLIFTING MUSIC (LAUGHS) UPLIFTING MUSIC CONTINUES The aim for a good Lotto ad is to connect, and it's fair to say they've been hitting the mark in recent years. # Every mile and every... # Wilson the loveable dog was our 2011 best ad winner. And last year's winner ` Lotto's Pop's Gift. # Yeah. # So the pressure's on with Lotto's latest offering ` the tale of four siblings and the treasure Mum left behind. How difficult is it to follow up on something that had the success that Pop's Gift had? The second album. All set? Take one. Every ad you ever make, there's always a leap. You know, as much as you can research, there's something where you have to believe that what you're doing is going to be a story that resonates with people. It's a bit far-fetched, but Lotto's got lots of inspiration from real life. One thing we are finding is actually the types of winner stories are changing over the years. Whereas they were once more about the, sort of, riches and materialism, they're actually much more about freedom and generosity and people really wanting to give back ` give stuff back to the people they love, so that's really reflected in these kind of stories. But in an age when we're seeing the demise of the big scale ads, Lotto's still committed to the medium. And the creative talents behind the ads believe now more than ever there's a demand for good quality storytelling, be it in a TV series or a commercial. People are thinking that online everything's shorter and people have less time, but it's actually not that true, because they bulk watch shows. They sit down and watch 10 hours back to back, so people are actually demanding more of storytelling and more of stories. So although the mediums do change, and how where people and how people stuff has changed, I think stories are still relevant, and having a longer time to tell stories is really important. And does that storytelling pay off? Same numbers every week for 21 years now. Every now and then when there's a big jackpot. Yeah. Sometimes. I pretty much buy it when it gets closer to the big jackpot. Do you know what? If I won Lotto, I'd still be here tomorrow. Aw! And that's what everyone who's never won Lotto always says. And then it never works out to be that way. Right, time to get down to business. And in no particular order, here are the four finalists for the best ad of 2016. TWANGY GUITAR MUSIC This is the victory lap. Holden rolled into town with a hero, a villain and a lovely wee lady who'd had her car park nicked. Ah, towing the towie. Wish we'd thought of that on Fair Go. Look at the towie. Look at his face. It never gets old. Not yet, anyway. Let's Get Lost. That was Hyundai's facelift on last year's Tucson ad. Yep, it's a finalist in the worst and the best, so at least you noticed. Let's get (SINGS SHRILLY) Looooost! Hyundai clearly paid attention after this campaign won worst ad last year. True to their word, the wee girl's still fronting, the ad's less shouty and quite a bit sweeter. Hyundai lovers clearly got behind this one. Greg Grover from Nova is far from over. He's no ranter; check out the witty banter. Great value energy. Great-auntie Beverly? I'm well over 70. CLEARLY: Great value energy! And you've already seen behind the scenes of Lotto's new campaign ` Guys, what is that? a story of buried treasure and a mum who never let it change her family. This one seemed a bit darker than most, but it aimed straight for the heart. (LAUGHS) Lotto took out first division last year in our Ad Awards, but have they hit the jackpot this time? So, those were our four finalists. And the winner of the best ad for 2016 is... Hyundai. GENTLE MUSIC Let's get (SINGS SHRILLY) loooooooost! Let's get off the map, get out of cell phone range. Get fish and chips. Get ice cream! Let's get absolutely, hopelessly, totally, acely (YELLS) loooooost! Let's get lost, Dad. Getting lost, bub. Let's get lost in the all-new Tucson. So, talk about pretty phenomenal turnaround. Worst ad last year, best ad this year. Congratulations, Hyundai. Amazing. Yeah, make up your mind, NZ. Which one is it? Pippa got the job of presenting the advertising industry's high flyer with a very special trophy. So, this is kinda weird and probably a Fair Go first. This time last year we surprised the team here. Thank you so much for being good sports. Their Get Lost ad had taken out our worst ad. So it's quite possible they think we're here today for all the wrong reasons. 'Now, I love being the bearer of good news, 'but maybe it's worth dragging this one out for a little bit longer.' I know we came to see you last year. I just wanted to say, um, congratulations. You're the winner of our best ad this year. Oh, thank you very much! (LAUGHS) That's pretty great. Much nicer than last year! Isn't it? Well done. Well done.> 'The team credits some minor changes to the ad with helping it go from worst to best.' They weren't massive changes, but they were, you know, I think they were paramount to the viewers' enjoyment of it. And so as a result of that, you know, the outcome we're thrilled with, so it's great news. And as for the star, who I've always had quite a soft spot for... She is a brilliant young girl, and to get some of that feedback was quite tough. And so this year, to get the result for Kayla, I'm absolutely thrilled. She deserves every accolade that comes her way. We'll be seeing a lot more of Kayla on the screens in the years to come. And we've changed things up this year, with a beautiful new trophy ` a piece of art, really. Seems only appropriate now that we've made peace with Hyundai. Spectacular. It's cool, isn't it? So, after the bitterness of last year, the Hyundai team gets to enjoy the sweetness of success for 2016. You know, that trophy ` that piece of art ` I loved it. In fact, I wanted to keep it. But we will meet the artist behind it next week. Looking forward to that. But that's the Ad Awards for this year. Thanks to all of you who voted. And congratulations and commiserations to the winners and losers. Normally, the ad awards are our final show. But we're back next week with a one-hour special. We've challenged Kiwi kids to find a solution to one of the biggest consumer issues facing our generation. Welcome to our shores of shame. We're all to blame because it directly comes from us. Behind the thin green veil of mangroves... lurks a plastic wasteland. They found half a car down here? Practically. Wow. We buy, we wrap, we dump. It's a major consumer problem. If it doesn't change, we're all really in trouble. We've mobilised Kiwi kids in search of a solution. It's a bit upsetting to see how much is actually out here in our waterways. It's the rubbish revolution. Yeah! A Fair Go special. That's next week. Goodnight.