Seen and noted

To all the self-proclaimed advertising Nostradamuses out there, declaring TV is dead, sorry to break it you. You're wrong. Again.

BEST TV
There's loads of great TV work this week. The SBS ad made me smile, though I'm not sure I'd plant myself on his brown pleather sofa to watch SBS with him. The Viagra film was a clever sidestep around pharma regulations. Apple did what Apple does - beautifully simple, effortless and nailed the consumer benefit in that magical Apple way.

Then there was my RUNNER UP, Nike / THE FACE 'The Heart Sutra'. A hypnotic dive into the underground dance scene, not something I've seen Nike explore before. Exquisitely crafted. I was mesmerized the whole way through. Not totally sure what it was about, but I liked it right to the end.

Finally, my WINNER, JCPenney 'Ropa Vieja'. No gimmicks. No dancing. Just a simple, timeless moment everyone can relate to. I'm sold. I want that $300 Samba Red Dutch Oven for $60.

BEST PRINT
Print surprised me this week, but not in the way I expected. While there weren't many standouts, there were glimpses of strong thinking and powerful intentions.

My RUNNER UP was Ahrtor Apotheke 'Bubble Wrapped Flowers'. A striking visual that pulled me in immediately. I only wish the headline and copy had risen to the level of the image, it missed an opportunity to really land the idea.

And my WINNER, SA Leaders for Gender Equity 'Remove Barriers'. A strong insight and important message. The execution did a solid job of raising awareness, but I couldn't help but feel there was room to go further, from identifying the barriers to actively inspiring action on how to break through them. Still, a powerful starting point that deserves recognition.

BEST OUTDOOR
Like Print, Outdoor was a mixed bag this week. Plenty of great starts, but many fell short. The Road Safety Flowers concept had a powerful visual, but it felt more like a print ad stuck on a billboard. No one's reading that small headline and copy, unfortunately. Cystic Fibrosis NZ had a lovely industry insider insight, and of course, a wonderful cause. Jeep didn't quite land for me and HiHi Burger was fun and visually silly in the best way.

My RUNNER UP goes to SBS 'We Go There'. The headlines are bold, proudly Aussie, and hard to ignore. My favourite? "Cooking shows where meat and two veg is not on the menu". Noice.

And my WINNER, IKEA. "The one bag to rule them all” is a perfectly observed truth of the high street experience. You're overloaded with flimsy shopping bags and then there's that one glorious giant blue IKEA bag that can carry them all. Plus a plush shark. Beautiful and undeniably IKEA.

BEST INTERACTIVE
And then there's the wonderfully weird bunch of ideas in the Interactive section. From fun, borderline useless inventions to genuinely helpful services... it was a ride!

I really enjoyed the sheer stupidity of the Plug-In Carpool to demonstrate the electric GWM Ute. I can already picture it parked proudly on Aussie building sites next summer.

It was neck and neck for my RUNNER UP, but in the end, Philips Fixables got my vote. My practical side won. We've all been there, lost a tiny part, broken a small piece, and had to replace the whole thing. This is a smart, simple solve that actually makes sense. Two thumbs up.

But my WINNER? The Vaseline / Umi Games Screen Blocker. Will it sell? Probably not. But as a brand move, it's spot on. It gets Vaseline into the gamer mindset in a way that's playful, relevant, and refreshingly unexpected.




This week's guest judge is Derek Green, Chief Creative Officer, TBWA RAAD, Middle East.

Derek Green has led creative departments across Australia, USA, and Europe, Middle East and Africa as a Chief Creative Officer and Executive Creative Director, winning Gold Effies in both Australia and the wider APAC region, as well as Gold and Silver Cannes Lions across three continents.

He loves solving complex business problems, hacking social media, and creating thought-provoking traditional media ideas for the biggest brands in the world - Verizon, Samsung, McDonald's, KFC, Novartis, P&G, Coca-Cola, AMEX, IBM, Nestle, and Corona, to name just a few.

Derek's previous role was at R/GA New York, running Verizon and Samsung Global.

He recently joined TBWA RAAD as its Chief Creative Officer for the Middle East.