ARIA Awards Return Adland Categories, Seeks Judges

The ARIA Awards will once again celebrate the best use of homegrown music in advertising.

Announced today (March 14), the 2024 ARIAs will present the Adland categories, best use of Australian music in advertising, for a second year.

ARIAs will be handed out for two categories – “up to” and “over two minutes” in duration.

Innocean Australia and Australian Marine Conservation Society were the inaugural winners in the category for “over two minutes,” for their Voice of the Sea campaign, featuring music by John Williamson.

Meanwhile, 72andSunny with Campfire X took out the “two minutes or less” category for Google Helping You Help Others, featuring music from multiple ARIA Award winner Baker Boy.

Williamson, the ARIA Hall of Fame inducted “bush music” legend, was on hand for a presentation Wednesday night (March 13), where ARIA CEO Annabelle Herd presented the pointy trophies.

“It’s an honour to be part of the inaugural award from ARIA to encourage advertisers to use Aussie music,” he enthuses. “My song ‘Voice of the Sea’ has also been turned into a picture book for kids. This will hopefully continue to spread the message of the Australian Marine Conservation Society to take care of our precious oceans”.

Winners will be selected by an expanded judging academy, which will function similar to those that determine other ARIA Award categories,

Applications are now open for the academy, which will comprise advertising professionals, media specialists, music sync experts and more.

"We are so thrilled to welcome back a very important strategic addition to last year’s ARIA Awards,” comments ARIA’s Herd, “and continue to celebrate the pivotal role advertising and the broader media and marketing industry can play in spotlighting Australian talent and creativity, especially when it concerns the outstanding musical talent on our shores.”

The Adland awards launched in 2022, as part of the trade body’s Our Soundtrack Our Ads -- a joint initiative between Our Soundtrack Our Stories and M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment. The Out Soundtrack initiative is an extension of the Our Soundtrack Our Stories movement which launched in 2021, pushing for local businesses and the media to use more local music.

“Musicians and advertisers both have a critical role in telling our nation’s stories and defining our culture,” Herd continues. “We’re looking forward to continuing to promote and expand this important award category and welcome all applicants for the judging academy."

Holly Rankin, who performs as Jack River, spearheaded the local push for more businesses and media to support Australian music in 2021.