Lee Clow speaks at Caxtons

The Caxton Committee today announced the first speakers confirmed for the 2012 Caxton Seminar and Awards, to be held from Friday October 12th to Sunday October 14th at Hamilton Island.

Joining Caxton delegates at the celebrated annual advertising event will be speakers including Commonwealth Bank Chief Marketing & Online Officer Andy Lark, PHD Media Australia Strategy Director Chris Stephenson and Special Group Creative Director and Founding Partner Tony Bradbourne.

And in a Caxtons first, one of advertising’s legendary creatives, Chairman and Global Director of TBWA\Worldwide, Lee Clow, will make a special ‘virtual’ appearance at the event, with an interactive live-streamed address to delegates.

Clow is arguably best known for his career at Chiat/Day, where, along with another ad legend, Steve Hayden, he created a watershed moment in advertising history with the breakthrough 1984 Orwellian commercial that introduced the Apple Macintosh to the world.

Andy Lark was appointed Chief Marketing Officer at the Commonwealth Bank in June last year, bringing with him his vast marketing and online experience across business to business and consumer sectors, a strong record in emerging technologies and development, and use of online and social media marketing channels. 

Most recently, Andy was instrumental in launching the Commonwealth Bank’s New “Can” campaign.

New Zealander Tony Bradbourne has worked in agencies in London, Amsterdam and Auckland. In late 2008 he co-founded Special Group, which has since gone on to win national and international acclaim. In 2010 the agency won a Cannes Grand Prix for their ‘Iggy Pop + Orcon’ campaign, while last year Special Group picked up four Caxton Awards including the prestigious Quinlivan Black.

Chris Stephenson has over ten years’ experience in media planning and strategy at PHD London, Vizeum UK and PHD Australia, where as part of the leadership team he heads up strategic thinking within the agency. In addition to client work Chris takes the lead on maintaining a culture of finding a better way through creativity, thinking and the use of PHD’s proprietary planning process ETNA.Caxton Chairman, Justin Drape, said ‘This year’s event is going to be inspiring. We’re privileged to have Lee Clow involved because it’s an opportunity to listen to, and learn from, a true industry legend. Andy, Tony and Chris will also be sharing their experience in telling brand stories so the entire forum is set be thought-provoking.’

More announcements will be made in coming weeks about speakers at this year’s event. The 2012 Caxton Seminar and Awards will be held from Friday to Sunday, October 12th to 14th, at Hamilton Island in the Whitsundays. 

The Caxton Awards are open for entries until July 26.

For general information about this year’s Caxtons, and to download an entry kit, pleasevisit: enterthecaxton.com

About The Caxtons

Now in its 38th year, The Caxton Seminar and Awards (“The Caxtons”) is an annual celebration of creative excellence in newspaper advertising in Australia and New Zealand. The combined awards and seminar format is unique within Australian advertising and media. It is one of the most respected advertising programs in Australia and the only seminar of its kind in the region.

Each year a panel of judges (hand-picked for their experience and expertise in advertising creativity) are invited to select the most outstanding newspaper advertisements for the current year across print, online, mobile and tablet platforms.

Held at a different venue every year, The Caxtons attracts a high calibre of delegates from across the advertising and media industries, and has become renowned for inviting world-class speakers to address the seminar – all of them luminaries in their own creative field.

July 2012