AUCKLAND, Today: Export Ultra has scored big at Cannes Lions, bringing home two awards for its cheeky Cold Call Back Service campaign—earning global props for solving a classic Kiwi summer struggle with style.
The wins?
- Silver in Media Lions – Local Brand
- Bronze in PR Lions – Best Use of Humour
Not bad considering Cannes Lions had over 26,000 entries from nearly 9,000 countries.
The campaign took on the age-old beer-freezing fail. Toss your Export in the freezer, text ‘ICE ICE’ to 423, and Vanilla Ice himself calls you before it explodes. Genius.
That simple trick hit hard. It clocked over 234,000 interactions and pushed Export Ultra sales up 38% year-on-year during the campaign.
“To see it awarded at Cannes is an incredible honour for everyone who brought it to life, and a proud moment for creativity in Aotearoa.” – Fraser Shrimpton
Fraser Shrimpton, Marketing Director at DB Breweries says, This idea came from a deeply relatable Kiwi moment – and we had fun solving it in a way that only Export Ultra could.
“To see it awarded at Cannes is an incredible honour for everyone who brought it to life, and a proud moment for creativity in Aotearoa.”
The campaign now sits in the top 2% of all Cannes entries—a massive feat for any brand, and especially sweet for a local one.
Special New Zealand led the charge, with earned media driven by Special PR. Dentsu Aotearoa delivered the media strategy, while Raydar handled activations across retail.
Direction came from Peter Martin at RSA Films, with production support from Heckler Sydney.
These wins celebrate the power of Kiwi insight, humour, and craft—and mark a proud global moment for Aotearoa’s creative scene.
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