This week’s Bestadsontv.com guest judge is Andy Jex, chief creative officer at TBWA\London.
BEST TV
Sorry Chorus, any other week you would be a winner. Your "Bad Net"
spot with slow internet visualised in the real world is beautifully
realised with superb detail and wit. Unfortunately, it doesn't get to
win this week. There are two stonkers ahead of it - The New York Times
and Setapp.
In "Life needs Truth"
the type brilliantly takes the lead role which is just perfect for a
brand that's a bastion for written journalism. The way the live free
jazz together with the sound design somehow allow the viewer to read the
poetry of the interloping headlines is genius. Because of the craft it
flows amazingly well. The whole thing is balanced to perfection. A truly
excellent example of an ad made in lockdown that rather than be
restricted by these confines has actually embraced them and delivered
something progressive.
Then from the same agency, but tonally a world apart - is Setapp.
It's so refreshing to see work like this again. I've been waiting for
it's like for what seems like an age. At long last it's here. Please,
everyone be inspired, let's have more. That said this lot make it look
easy. It really isn't. The work feels effortless and the off kilter
twisted take here is sublime. It's tightly written, astutely directed,
impossible not to love.
But if I had to choose (which I do), it would be Setapp, by the width of a shed snakeskin.
BEST PRINT
My runner up here is Brewdog, but Netsafe is my runaway favourite. It helps people decipher real from fake news in an interesting, fun and super relevant way. Smart.
BEST OUTDOOR
I
can't pick a winner in this category either. This time it's for a very
different reason - I don't really like any of them. I must say though
that the positioning behind The Vegetarian Butcher
is truly excellent - vegan food pitched to people that love meat -
that's great, so too is the name - it's just that the work is slightly
underwhelming.
I'd give a notable mention to Hanbel
as a runner up as the idea of a virus to fight a virus is interesting,
but honestly do we really need hand sanitiser advertising?
BEST INTERACTIVE
My favourite here is definitely #FreeFortnite.
Epic games have been really punchy yet methodical in their pre-planning
in their attack on Apple. All of which is epitomised here by the cheek
of pastiching the iconic "1984" Apple ad. Not knowing the original won't
make one iota of a difference to the devoted legions of gamers who will
have rallied around Epic Games' challenge. Whether it's enough to get
what the developer wants, is another thing entirely.
As a runner up I choose the smile masks, simple, fun and relevant. Nice one.