Sometimes an idea doesn't have to be new to be fresh.
We've got a number of familiar themes this week. But some are none the worse for it.
BEST TVThe Word has a classic volkswagen-y feel about it. They've also managed to cram in the entire range and numerous attributes from affordability to spaciousness. A tour de force without feeling forced. (As they don't say in Germany.) The 'Life on Mars' era 'woman driver' joke ruins it a bit for me but otherwise it's pretty timeless. A nod to
Coke's Border Guard thing. I know it's a curious cousin of the 8am whisky spot from India but actually felt like it was going into Stella Artois territory. In a good way.
BEST PRINTNokia, London Underground and others have been there before with 'isolating one small bit of the city by removing the rest'. But the inception reference for
Batelco and the link to the product lift it up. Not to mention the ridiculous levels of craft. A nod too to
Mercedes for a fresh take on 'Mother Nature pays you back/forward for doing the right thing/not doing the wrong thing.'
BEST OUTDOORIn Outdoor we've got a giant tube of glue holding a huge block suspended from a crane. I've seen a wallpaper commercial a million years ago with a bloke stuck with paste to a wall suspended in a similar fashion. Not to mention Araldite sticking the car to the wall. And yet, the
Pattex glue idea is the biggest execution of the week - and thus gets the vote. A nod to
Fair Trade Bananas and the directed audio - just wonder if the copy could have been quicker when you were in the zone.
BEST INTERACTIVEInteractive should be new by definition. I liked the
'Shortland Street' facebook promo. It's the kind of thing that could end up being more interesting than the show itself. The first facebook soap. Now there's an idea. A nod to
Havana for having the world's slowest loading site. I have no idea whether it's any good or not. But after three hours, I'm giving it the benefit of the doubt.
So there you go. If you can't be new, be relevant. It's fresher than you might think.
This week's guest judge is David Guerrero, chairman and chief creative officer of BBDO Guerrero, Manila.
After being bitten by a snake in Thailand, David watched hours of televised sport to survive. He did so, but at the same time disastrously rekindled his love for English football. Fortunately he has been distracted by the task of founding his Manila-based agency and putting it in the top 10 of the region's creative league table 'The Work'. He has also been named one of Asia's top 10 creatives by trade magazine Campaign Brief Asia. The same publication has named BBDO Guerrero Ortega Philippines Agency of the Year in 2006 and 2007. Last year he added gongs at Cannes, One Show and in-book entries at D&AD to an existing tally of Golds and a Grand Prix at global shows. He has headed a number of juries including AdFest, Melbourne and Cannes, the first from South East Asia to do so.
