This week's Bestadsontv.com guest judge is Ben Tollett, group ECD at adam&eveDDB, London.
BEST TV
Winner: Libresse 'Wombstories'.
As a womb-less guy who goes faint at the sight of blood and red at the
thought of discussing sex, I feel particularly ill-equipped to review
this spot. But here goes. The thing that struck me most was just how
amazingly awkward this ad made me feel. It's packed with stuff nobody
has dared talk about in advertising before and offers insights into some
incredibly intimate experiences. It's breaking new ground for sure. And
not just in its subject matter, but in its craft. This film waves
goodbye to linear story-telling and says hello to multi-media, multiple
stories and a multitude of brilliantly colliding emotions. A worthy
follow-up to Viva la Vulva which proves that ads for sanitary towels can
be radically different. More than that, it shows that film advertising
can be a whole different beast too.
Runner-up: ME by TMB 'My Goal'.
I love the dream-like simplicity of this spot. Simple idea, simple
story-telling. Made me chuckle. I really didn't see the fly swatter
moment coming. But now you will. Sorry.
BEST PRINT
Winner: Starwax 'You're not alone if this ad disturbs you'.
This ad spoke extremely strongly to obsessive compulsive me.
Fortunately, creative me got really heavily into the idea too. Which is
why risky gambler me is willing to bet it will shift a shit ton of
cleaning product.
Runner-up: Rimax Ecoline '100% Recyclable'.
99% of this ad is a picture of toxic land fill. Which makes me feel
100% sick. Not an emotion I'd especially associate with foldaway plastic
chairs, but hey, this is advertising. The world is going to hell in a
handbasket and what we all need to do in response is upgrade our home
furnishings.
BEST OUTDOOR
Winner: Liga Contra el cancer: 'Prevention Murals'.
Bold idea to help prevent cancer by painting murals in memory of the
recently deceased, with inscriptions encouraging people to go for
check-ups. It looks like it actually worked too. What's not to like
about ads that save lives?
Runner-up: Burger King Finland 'Sometimes You Just Want A Whopper'.
Yes I know it's Whopper Detour rebooted for OOH, but stealing customers
from right under your competitors' noses is always gonna be a great
idea. I'd be loving it even more if it ran for more than a couple of
days in a couple of locations.
BEST INTERACTIVE
Winner: Ali Forney Center 'The Queer Brick'.
I love this campaign for its tough-minded tonality. The expertly
crafted copy. The pithy bon mots. The simple instructions that make me
believe genuine change is within reaching distance. Words this powerful
lift you up and carry you along with them. That and I'm a sucker for a
nicely painted brick.
Runner-up: Corona 'Match of Ages'.
The year of corona virus must have been a pretty crappy year for Corona
beer. Plundering the best bits from the previous 70 years seems like a
really great way of getting over it.