When you create something new for the world to see you have a real mix of emotions: good and bad. You feel equally excited, nervous, apprehensive, proud and just a little scared.

Will people like it? Will they understand it? Will it work as well as intended?

Then the big day comes. The launch. The unveiling.

And among the many plaudits and back slaps is a vociferous chorus of boos.

“This is rubbish”, and “What a waste of money”, and “What drugs were these idiots on?” – and these are only the mild and publishable detractions (and the saner ones).

Your immediate response is defensive then angry – well at least mine was.

You come out swinging in defence of the creation you and a whole team of people have sweated and agonised over for months.

But then it only really boils down to opinions and everyone is entitled to theirs.

And let’s face it. You’ve got to take the good with the bad. Being criticised goes with the territory and is one of the irritations we’re paid to endure.

The piece of work that caused such fervent debate was a cinema and television ad titled Barossa. Be Consumed. – created by the combined teams at KWP! Advertising, our client the South Australian Tourism Commission, Moth Projects headed by the incomparable film director Jeffrey Darling, and featuring the dark and mysterious music track, Red Right Hand by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.

When I was defending the work in numerous interviews, I remember saying at the time something along the lines of: “At the end of the day, the work will be judged by the results it does or does not achieve.”

So here we are, about a year or so after the lauded and lambasted creation hit the screens for the first time.

And the results?

Well, Barossa visitation levels were nowhere near as healthy as they should be or had been in past years – now the region is enjoying some of its best numbers.

The Barossa Visitor Centre has recorded its biggest enquiry levels ever.

And through ongoing research we know 30,000 more people among our target audience are considering a holiday in Barossa.

So, that’s more than a pretty good result in anyone’s book.

But there’s a little more good news too.

The international tourism film industry thought it was pretty good too. After winning gold and the Grand Prix for best in show at the Cannes Corporate Television & Media Awards, it has gone on to collect a total of seven Grand Prix and 10 trophies in 11 countries including France, Germany, Poland, Portugal and the USA.

And still there is a little more.

Last Friday, Barossa. Be Consumed. was named the world’s best tourism film of the year by the prestigious Comité International des Festival du Film Touristique in Vienna.

While awards are a nice reward for all those involved, one of the greatest roles they play is to put a great big international spotlight on the Barossa and South Australia.

And for that, like the ad and the region, I am on top of the world.

James Rickard is creative director of Adelaide’s KWP! Advertising.