BEST TVFirst up, TELEVISION:
Overall Winner: Garnacho's '
Overhead Kick'. I need a job number for this. It isn't part of the "Best Six" ads we are judging, but today we have collectively watched it at least 73 times (Oliver watched it 73 times, Amy doesn't care) and it's 10 seconds of TV which will add millions to the Garnacho brand - well done to whoever scripted that.
Back to the ads...
Favourite: Tesco's '
Become More Christmas'.
Amy: It really gives us so many laughs. Once you see the transformation of the dad and mum, you'll want to see more! The ad also smartly captures the infectious enthusiasm that many people display during holiday preparations.
Oliver: You could put OMC's 'How Bizarre' on a film of a motionless spoon and I'd love it. Maybe I'm biased because I'm English and so is this ad, but people embracing Christmas early while others resist/warm to it later is a relatable truth and the visual execution is fun and memorable. My mum doesn't shop at Tesco because there isn't one close by, but I bet her and her friend have talked about "that silly Tesco advert" and that's the whole point.
Runner Up: Apple makes ads for creatives and so the craft and detail of '
Fuzzy Christmas' is great. Tencent's '
Answer Me' is nice, but very long and always going to struggle when placed against Christmas.
BEST PRINTSplit decision. Everyday English Academy & Celio.
Amy: Everyday English Academy '
Little Tom Cruise'. It is stunning yet somewhat shocking, making us to stop and figure out what it says. Love how they messed up with world-renowned person and we look forward to more "mutations" coming!
Oliver: We see what some of these are trying, but some feel forced and miss the mark. If held at gunpoint on Rue Amelot, I'd go Celio '
Seen On The Street' for the idea. But the execution is very busy and I think no line or a smart line would make it better.
BEST OUTDOOR Favourite: Delivereasy '
Delivereasy VS Uber'.
Oliver: I have a thing for billboards. And we like brands who aren't scared of showing personality and humility. Everyone does. Yet in our experience it's very hard to get brands to do so. Delivereasy is bold, playful and made us chuckle, so well done to everyone involved.
Amy: Delivereasy is the coolest. Runner up: Heineken Silver '
Ice Cooler, Sphere' is also cool as it's giant. I think it would be extremely impressive if we saw it in real life.
BEST INTERACTIVEAmy & Oliver saying the same thing at the exact same time: Some feel familiar, others feel like technology for the sake of "doing something digital" or novel. If we had to choose one, we would opt for Celio '
Seen On The Street'. It cleverly gives the idea of using free public imagery from the digital world and making ordinary people famous for 5 minutes.
No runner up.
This week's guest judges are Amy Cheng and Oliver Davis, creative directors at Edelman, Hong Kong.
In an almost unbelievable beginning to the story, Amy and Oliver met on the set of Power Rangers in 1994. Visiting from completely different parts of the world, both had won a competition on their favourite children's TV show. On day one of this memorable life event, while surrounded by the star-studded line-up of Red Ranger, Pink Ranger and Blue Ranger, Amy turned to Oliver and said "In 30 years from now, we could be Creative Directors at the world's best PR Agency". Ok, she didn't say that. The truth is, they didn't say more than a simple "hi" and "bye" to each other. But who would have thought, years later, they would meet again in Hong Kong and discover they were among the same group of ~8 awkward and shy children visiting 'Angel Grove', California all that time ago.
Since reuniting in 2019, Amy and Oliver have, in parallel, worked their way to becoming the creative leads at Edelman Hong Kong, heading up the agency's creative output and Chinese and English disciplines, respectively. In the past year and a half, they have expanded the agency's creative department, reshaped the type of work they want to agency to be known for, made strides in executing on that plan, welcomed a breadth of new client relationships, and written a joint bio for Bestads with a made up story about how they met each other as kids on the set of Power Rangers.
