Round 1 of the 2021 Siren Awards goes to whiteGREY

Creative agency whiteGREY has taken out the overall prize in Round 1 of the 2021 Siren Awards for their work on a campaign for the Missing Persons Advocacy Network (MPAN).

Commercial Radio Australia’s Siren Awards recognise excellence in radio advertising, and whiteGREY were recognised for their creative use of audio for the ‘Missed Birthdays – Rigby Feilding’ advertisement.

The campaign ad, created by Benjamin Mann and Nic Molyneux, features a personal message from a sister to her missing brother on his birthday. The pair say they did their best too use radio’s influential reach and the ad’s emotional message to raise public awareness, with the ultimate goal to hopefully connect to the missing person.

“Radio has a real power to elicit one-on-one emotional responses within audiences,” said the pair. “It’s why the best radio, whether it be funny or sad, makes us feel something. Emotion, and an emotional reaction, is the key to an effective radio piece and getting people to take action.”

Eardrum’s Ralph Van Dijk won the campaign category for work on CRA’s coronavirus-based advertising campaign, highlighting how radio remains a relevant medium for advertisers to utilise during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Congratulations to the winners of Round 1 of the 2021 Siren Awards for their hard work, creativity and innovative use of audio,” said CRA chief executive Joan Warner.

“The winning ads, as well as those that were highly commended, demonstrate the effectiveness of radio advertising and how impactful it can be in challenging times.”

Cameron Horn from Southern Cross Austereo was highly commended for the campaign “Music, Elevator, Harold” for Lullaby Sleep, while SCA sound engineer Nat Marshall received highly commended in the craft category for the Hillseafood commercial “Rum Chum Chum.”

Round 2 of the 2021 Siren Awards is now open, with entries closing on 4 July 2020. The 2021 Gold Siren winner will be announced in May 2021.

Catch up on the winning ads here.