Just before we departed for our Christmas party we snapped this shot - the ghost on the right is all part of our office. She’s really nice…

L-R - Monique Unwin, Dave Johnson, Judi Lewis, Tony O’Halloran, Lyndon Brill, Han Lee, Mark Cole, Aleks Pawelek, Masami Iida, lauren Portelli, Mark Ashley-Wilson, Kris Rees, Richard de Nys, Jeremy Brook, Elain Liu, Simone Brandse, Tom Markham, Dave Graville, Ben Neill, Saul Betmead, Lionel Hunt, Sarah Hadfield, Joan Lind, Naser, Adam Leddin, Ella Horsfall, Darren Bailey, Guy Lovell.

Sitting - Stephen Pearson, Charna Henry, Rose-Anne Nasr, Hanna Kilada, Vi Ngyuen, Lisa Cordukes, Milanka Novakovic, Karen Smailes

Our awesome Agency Super Organiser Monique Unwin has just hit the magic ten years working for Lowe Rivet. She was also recognised by Job Centre Australia who gave her a lovely award last night (below). How sweet it is Mon that we all get to work with you every day! Here’s to the next ten!! Congratulations.

Lauren is an Account Manager who also happens to be tops! Her answers are listed below:

1) Which is the campaign that impressed you most this year?
Probably not the most outstanding of the year but I do love the Queensland Art Galleries promotion of Andy Warhol at the moment.

2) In your job, which is the most important thing you learnt this year?
Overcommunication is overkill. Keep it plain and simple.

3) As a marketer what’s on top of your agenda for 2008?
Thought provoking communications encouraging customer involvement.

4) What, in your opinion, will be a killer application/key trend in marketing in 2008?
I think that advertisers are more likely to react to the opportunities arisen from digital media and social networking sites such as Facebook. Huge opportunities lie ahead!

5) Which book would you give as a Christmas present to a colleague?
David Malouf, The Complete Stories - all bookshelves should be graced with the presence of good Australian writing.

We venture across to the Account Service team to see what our Head of Client Servive, Joan Lind has to say…

1) Which is the campaign that impressed you most this year?
I guess it should be a political one, but sadly it wasn’t.  Being a car buff, the campaign that impressed me most was the new Range Rover Discovery - great great product design through to memorable involving print ads which felt like they were for Australians rather than another TA in another market.

2) In your job, which is the most important thing you learnt this year?
The toughness of this industry and yet it still attracts so many great people.  Thank you Lowe for making my arrival here fun and “full” of life.

3) As a marketer what’s on top of your agenda for 2008?
To ensure best in class thinking and communication solutions for all our clients via richer understanding and appreciation of their business.

4) What, in your opinion, will be a killer application/key trend in marketing in 2008?
Digital, digital, digital, and hopefully greater understanding of the importance and innovation required in the Online shopping space in Australia.

5) Which book would you give as a Christmas present to a colleague?
“Observations of a very short man” by Nigel Marsh.  Written by an ad man, who truly understands the meaning of insight and human behaviour, and the importance of humour in all steps of life.

Today we venture to the top end and have our Group CEO’s answers to the calendar… check them out below.

1) Which is the campaign that impressed you most this year?
I loved the campaign for Melbourne with the two giant balls of wool unravelling around the city. So spectacularly on brand showing Melbourne as an interesting place, alive with culture and surprises. Beautifully crafted work, warm and inviting. It made you want to go there soon.

2) In your job, which is the most important thing you learnt this year?
Wait to hire the very best people; make sure you like them heaps as well

3) As a marketer what’s on top of your agenda for 2008?
To show our clients new ways to be more successful

4) What, in your opinion, will be a killer application/key trend in marketing in 2008?
Continued escalation of digital in all its guises onto centre stage

5) Which book would you give as a Christmas present to a colleague?
‘Lunar Park’ by Brett Easton Ellis. He’s a brilliant writer and extraordinary story creator, and he pushes all the boundaries with this great fiction

Chris Hunter is RIVET’s shiny new Executive Creative Director. Today he tackles the Advent questions:

1) Which is the campaign that impressed you most this year?
It seems like every day there’s a clever new campaign doing the rounds on email. But most raise a brief smile and are then forgotten. In the real-world sense, I think Dove has got it right with its continuing Campaign for Real Beauty. It’s got cut-through, depth and staying power. And from what my female friends tell me, it’s right on target.

2) In your job, which is the most important thing you learnt this year?
An empty barrel makes the most noise.

3) As a marketer what’s on top of your agenda for 2008?
Keep it real and keep it simple.

4) What, in your opinion, will be a killer application/key trend in marketing in 2008?
Brand authenticity. People will gravitate towards brands with integrity, especially those that are prepared to listen to consumers. Brands relying on price-driven retail strategies and indifferent products or services will find life increasingly difficult. (We all know who you are.)

5) Which book would you give as a Christmas present to a colleague?
For those with strong constitutions, ‘The Road’ by Cormac McCarthy. It scared me.

The best receptionist in the western world offers her thoughts below. Ms Ella Horsfall:

1) Which is the campaign that impressed you most this year?
The freerice was awesome, and also Stella Artois (By Mr Ben smith and Neil McGuirk) They asked for their names to be mentioned…

2) In your job, which is the most important thing you learnt this year?

Having not been here all that long, I would have to say everything! I have learned heaps about the world of advertising….And, of course, how to answer the telephone nicely.

3) As a marketer what’s on top of your agenda for 2008?

getting an even bigger computer screen for reception!?

4) What, in your opinion, will be a killer application/key trend in marketing in 2008?

I’m not sure anything can really top Facebook!

5) Which book would you give as a Christmas present to a colleague?

Why Girls Can’t Throw … and Other Questions You Always Wanted Answered, by Mitchell Symons, includes: What’s the kindest way to tell a friend he has halitosis? Does vegans’ shit smell less than non-vegetarians’ shit? Why don’t women have beards? If your eye came out of its socket but remained attached, could you turn it around and look at your own face?

Jeremy is a Senior Account Director who works across all RIVET projects. He answers today’s advent questions.

1) Which is the project that impressed you most this year?
I’ve really been taken by freerice.com. It hasn’t got the best design but its very simple and effective at entertaining and educating in equal measure. The Facebook application is particularly nice.

2) In your job, which is the most important thing you learnt this year?
It’s not how much your interactive budget is but what you do with it that counts.

3) As a marketer what’s on top of your agenda for 2008?
Ensuring that the quality of our creative is reflected in the quality of its results.

4) What, in your opinion, will be a killer application/key trend in marketing in 2008?
Interactive will be recognised as a key inclusion of all campaigns, agencies, marketing plans.

5) Which book would you give as a Christmas present to your colleagues?
How Proust Can Change Your Life (Alain de Botton) - its a modern guide to life.

From today all the way to Christmas we will be asking a staff member to give their views on the year we have had, and what they expect from the year to come… all based on the same questions.

Today it’s Mark Ashley-Wilson - Head of Interactive.

1) Which is the project that impressed you most this year?
The Rice Project, The Heidies and ElectroCity.

2) In your job, which is the most important thing you learnt this year?
That more and more budget is now online focused. The TVC is NOT the first thought any more. We have repositioned our agency to include the interactive team on every briefing. Agencies need to do this otherwise their clients will go to specialist shops.

3) As a marketer what’s on top of your agenda for 2008?
It’s still about client education. When our clients get the potential of what interactive can offer they will spend more and reap the rewards. On a platform level I think that mobile marketing will dominate the discussions.

4) What, in your opinion, will be a killer application/key trend in marketing in 2008?

The start of the Web 3.0 world. Bring it on!!

5) Which book would you give as a Christmas present to your colleagues?
Adland: A Global History of Advertising. Weird but not many in our (interactive) field know about where it all began. Go back in time to see the future…

Rivet has taken the Asia Pacific region’s most prestigious interactive honours with two trophies at AWARD for ElectroCity, its website for Genesis Energy. ElectroCity won Gold for best Online and Mobile Game, and Silver for best Website. The game was created by Rivet’s Sydney-based Interactive Creative Director, Tom Markham.

Only eight Golds were given out at AWARD, the single most important regional advertising awards show. This is despite a record total of 360 Finalists — from not only Australia and New Zealand, but also countries as far afield as China, Malaysia, The Philippines and Singapore.

Rivet’s New Zealand office rounded off a hugely successful night with a Bronze in the Flat Direct Mail category for its Vodafone Welcome Pack mail piece, and also had a Finalist for the Roost Mini Mortgage Guide. As an added bonus, sister agency Lowe New Zealand had two AWARD Finalists — for the ‘They weren’t born to be worn’ campaign for SAFE (Save Animals From Exploitation). Lowe’s ‘Baby in the water’ commercial for Watersafety netted Film Construction three Bronzes — for Direction, Cinematography and Editing.

Well done to all the people that worked on these campaigns. Campaign Brief has more coverage of the awards.