‘News-pee-per' print advertisement by FCB Media wins NZME 2024 Imprint competition

A unique and innovative print advertisement by FCB Media that was infused with a dog friendly attractant to encourage puppy toilet training, has won New Zealand Media and Entertainment’s 2024 Imprint Competition.

The advertisement, dubbed ‘News-pee-per’ with Purina and printed in the NZ Herald, was infused with a special pheromone that is attractive to dogs. The ad had a clear call to action for pet owners – place it in your puppy’s toilet spot to encourage them to go where they’re supposed to go!

As well as commenting on the effectiveness and creativity of the ad, Imprint judges lauded its use of a media channel that may sometimes be used in this way – old newspapers to mop up puppy pee - to enhance that behaviour and create something useful for new puppy parents.

Judges described it as a compelling ad that celebrated the print medium, going beyond awareness and delving into consideration and introducing a practical way for the ad to be used. They admired the amount of time and effort put into the ad, which was people-safe, puppy-safe, and extremely clever.

James Butcher, NZME Chief Commercial Officer, says the calibre of entries this year was impressive, and FCB’s was a definite standout.

“This is the second year we’ve run the Imprint Competition at NZME and it’s been a real success. Not only does it encourage agencies and advertisers to get creative around the use of print as an advertising medium, but it also provides talkability and interaction for our print readers. We are really pleased to award the grand prize to FCB for their truly innovative campaign with Purina and we are thrilled to be sending them to New York to attend Advertising Week New York this October,” he says.

Anne Lipsham – FCB Media Chief Strategy Officer says: "Thanks NZME, we are stoked to win this competition! Not only was it fun to work on, but such a good example of that collision between media, creativity and innovation. Turning the usual static print ad into an actual utility, we helped Purina facilitate a training moment in those crucial early days when bonds are being formed. Wish this was around when I was toilet training my puppy!"

Margaret Hawker, NZME Head of Commercial Publishing and Innovation, says: “Print offers a flexible advertising environment that enables innovation, impact, interactivity and extended dwell time for those reading a newspaper. The winning ad by FCB showcased all those things as well as usefulness, making clever use of the newspaper once it had been read, serving a unique purpose. This ad couldn’t have been run via any other platform but print, which speaks to the uniqueness of the channel for advertisers.

“Creative and smart ad placement can transform a page on a newspaper into a huge opportunity to connect with an audience, with excellent product recall and driving interaction. We’d like to say a huge thanks to our expert panel of judges, and congrats to FCB for taking out the win amongst a pool of fantastic entries that were of an extremely high standard,” says Hawker.

The Imprint judging panel featured well-known advertising and marketing experts:
• Brad Collett – Chief Creative Officer, Federation
• Mikayla Hopkins - Head of Marketing, Tracksuit
• Simon Hofmann - General Manager, Brand and Marketing, Kiwibank
• Christie Cooper - Creative Director, The Monkeys
• Graham Dolan – Group Creative Director, NZME

ENDS