BEST TVWinner: Robinson Department Store '
The Air Drummer'. Fact: Nobody does ad comedy better than Thailand. I don't always feel like I'm in on the humor, but I love it just the same. This spot for Robinson's Department Store is weird, funny and the actual sale promotion - you pick the items you want to be on sale, and put the stickers on yourself, is a great idea in its own right.
Runner-up: BJ's Wholesale Club '
Leaking Gas'. Who is getting all these assignments for two minute spots? Not Opinionated, that's for sure. So I appreciated this spot BJ's, the only actual :30 in the bunch. It's hard working, it's the simplest concept of these best spots and it made me snort-laugh.
BEST PRINTWinner: Mountain Goat Beer '
Connor'. I have no idea if gingers are a protected group of people. So hopefully I'm not going out on an HR limb here, but I'm choosing this Mountain Goat Beer ginger ad as my favorite.
Runner-up: Tourism Australia '
Knockout'. Zing! Well, in hindsight, Australia didn't knock England out of the Women's World Cup. But they got them with this headline, at least.
BEST OUTDOOR Winner: Ford Bronco '
Bronco Grill'. I love the relaunched Ford Bronco. So maybe I'm biased here. But getting a BBQ grill that looks exactly like the grill on my favorite truck would be super cool. Great idea for a sales promotion.
Runner-up: Change the Ref '
The New Life Vest'. I'll admit, it's hard not to see gun violence in America as a cynical playground for agency award entries. And the situation is not improving, despite the seemingly endless number of creative ideas working to end it. Still, the idea of wearing bullet proof vests to do everyday tasks, when distributed by parents of actual victims is pretty sobering.
BEST INTERACTIVEWinner: Nacional Seguros '
Donors Bank of Bolivia'. Digital platforms are at their best when you can hijack them away from their intended user experience and create something new. This idea from Nacional Seguros - to turn Instagram into a national blood-type registry, is a great example.
Runner-up: Hyundai / Grand Theft Auto '
The Uncrashable Tucson'. In-game product launches have maybe lost their novelty. But when they are done well, or with a bit of humor they can still be compelling. This idea from Hyundai to launch a crash-resistant technology in the delightfully violent Grand Theft Auto franchise, nails the space and shows Hyundai get both the game and the gamers who love it.
This week's guest judge is Mark Fitzloff, founder and executive creative director of Portland creative agency, Opinionated.
Mark spent twenty years at Wieden+Kennedy starting as a copywriter doing award-winning work for Nike. While working on Coca-Cola he found his true talent: breathing fresh life into iconic American brands and reminding us what we love about them. He extended that skill to Levis, Chrysler and Old Spice, creating a campaign that has gone on to be one of the funniest and most enduring in advertising.
In 2008, Mark was named executive creative director of Wieden's global headquarters office, becoming a partner in the firm soon after.
Under Mark's leadership, the Portland office earned its reputation as the world's most creative ad agency, becoming the first independent to be named Cannes Agency of the Year. Along the way Mark served as Cannes titanium jury president and was consistently named one of the most creative people in advertising as the most awarded creative director in the world.
In 2013, Mark took charge as global CCO of Wieden+Kennedy, responsible for all creative work around the globe. In his final year at the helm, Mark led the agency to once again being named Creativity's agency of the year, while ensuring it had its best financial year on record.
In 2017 Mark left WK to start his own agency. He has since led Opinionated through five consecutive years of double-digit financial growth, winning AdAge's Small Agency of the Year five times in a row.
