Seen and noted

BEST TV
Winner: John Lewis. The big thing I learnt at DDB is that a great idea might not always be a great TV idea. I mean - you might have to let go of an idea that logically does the job brilliantly to one that logically does the job and lends itself to the medium. Emotion. That's powerful stuff that is. John Lewis has become the advertising Christmas event. I can't be arsed (forgive me, I'm on the train home after my producer Olly Chapman dragged me to A Bacardi session at Framestore for most of the evening) to check how many hits it has on YouTube but after only a couple of days it was in the millions. And I've seen lots of non Ad Folk sharing it on Facebook. They've updated their offering this year with animation but still kept the famous music track, updated. A combination I admire. Having always been a fan of the Hare Bear Bunch this was always going to be a hit with me. You can question the logic if you want but you can't escape the fact that this touches the hearts of the British public and frankly that's far more important.
Runner Up: Skype. Emotion again. Call me an old wuss but yes I filled up at the end. A good story, well told. I do however feel that it's difficult to judge this against a tv ad with a specific time slot with money put behind it.

BEST PRINT
Winner: Rolling Stone. There can only be one winner this week. I bought Lou Reed Live in 1979 and it's remained a favourite ever since. I saw him in Cannes in the summer too. I thought - "why in God's name are you here..."
Runner Up: RAC. I'll go for this as a decent ad for a big client is harder than a decent ad for a small one/charity.

BEST OUTDOOR
Winner: Adidas. I guess this is outdoor. Even though it's inside... and it's interactive. My brain's melting. Whatever it is, it's good. It's always great to see a refreshing new way of using a celeb.
Runner Up: Anti Cancer. It's a great observation that most graffiti is created by men (depicting women) and this could be something to push against. Go girl !

BEST INTERACTIVE
Winner: Fyffes. A really smart, relevant idea for a great cause. I've seen people write on bananas but this takes it too another level.
Runner Up: Amnesty. Shocking stuff but a really smart way to register your protest.



This week's guest judge is Neil Dawson, executive creative director at BETC, London.

Neil is one of the world's most respected and awarded creative directors. Before joining BETC Neil was Global Chief Creative Officer for Philips at DDB, the only creative in the world to have won back-to-back Cannes Lions Grand Prix - in 2009 with Philips 'Carousel' and 2010 with Philips 'Parallel Lines'. Carousel, which launched the first 21:9 TV, was tweeted about by Ashton Kutcher and copied by 50 Cent and CSI. Carousel was subsequently voted #2 in AdWeek's '25 Most Epic Ads'.

Neil is one of a handful of truly integrated global creatives who has collected a multitude of awards across digital, TV, outdoor, press and direct and PR in his career. His iconic work includes the Johnnie Walker 'Keep Walking' campaign, VW 'Surprisingly Ordinary Prices', American Airlines and Philips Electronics. The print ad 'Wedding' for Volkswagen's 'Surprisingly Ordinary Prices' campaign remains the most awarded print ad in advertising history.

He has previously worked at DDB, BBH,TBWA/London, Ogilvy, BMPDDB and Hunt Lascaris (SA). His breadth of experience and talent has earned him respect as a judge for Cannes Lions, LIAA, D&AD, Creative Circle, Clio Awards and Campaign BIG.

Neil co-founded BETC London in June 2011.