Seen and noted

BEST TV
Winner: Kidsco. Holy crap. When did commercials get so long? And in what country do "TV" spots clock in at three minutes? But I digress already. This film out of London was one of the breeziest this week and also one of the most affecting. A subtle performance by the kid, sparse framing, an appropriate level of quietness and a positive show of production restraint in general all help to setup a simple payoff. I'd text to donate, as the final supers suggest, which tells me this is an effective piece of film.

Runner-Up: Maille Mustard. Look, the hook here is one, long sex joke. Have we seen it before? Yes. Is the idea rooted in a benefit of the product or human truth? Not really. was I entertained? Sure. Plus it was the other of these six films that held my interest for the entire time and had a clear takeaway at the end.

BEST PRINT
Winner: Unilever. I appreciate any print ad that is interesting enough to look at for longer than a few seconds. And I also appreciate any print ad that doesn’t take much longer than a few seconds to figure out. So, in other words, this execution falls right in the sweet spot for me. I like the dynamic camera angle, the placement of the duck, the attention to detail and sense of storytelling in the surrounding environment... But more importantly, I applaud the clarity of message: This product cleans dirty water. The only thing I don't walk away with is an understanding of what the product is, whether it be a purifying water tablet or otherwise. Guess I better type in the URL and find out.

Runner-Up: Gatorade. After seeing countless Gatorade ads featuring sweaty athletes in action over the years, I love the fresh take on performance here. Building a rehydration message around the winners circle and the jubilation/emotions associated with victory feels authentic, sweet and approachable.

BEST OUTDOOR
Winner: IKEA. For an ad that's not trying to do anything more than sell some patio equipment, I found myself happily transported to a place where I was nursing a cold Coors Light in one hand and brandishing a meat skewer with the other. By employing a simple twist of art direction that showcases the POV of the people at this rooftop party, IKEA made me want to be somewhere other than staring at this computer and writing this review (sorry, Best Ads). And that's a powerful thing.

Runner-Up: Jack Daniels. This is a fun solution to the problem that many of our clients are trying to solve these days - how to have a more prominent social/digital presence without sacrificing analog connections with customers. This feels particularly true for alcohol brands that may have tremendous followings online but still sell a product that hinges on physical experiences. So I appreciate how this idea bridges these too worlds by tapping into today's sharing economy and building a place their fans could feel invested in and want to drink at. Long way of saying - A crowd-sourced bar? I can drink to that.

BEST INTERACTIVE
Winner: Kinetic. An important message conveyed in a simple, relevant way. I think hitting people where it counts - their thumbs - is a smart move and makes for a powerful association between action and outcome that hopefully makes people think twice the next time they reach for their phone while driving. The only question for me is whether their target audience will download the app in the first place, especially after word spreads of what it is.

Runner-Up: Jet Blue. If I'm totally honest here, I'm not entirely sure I understand this idea completely. Even when clicking through to the campaign website (which has a more stylish and entertaining video, btw) I'm not sure I get it. But I want to like it. The idea of an airline giving people the opportunity to use their ticket/trip to spread good in the world feels noble and fun. And the people in the video seem genuinely grateful. It's just that the mechanics are lost on me a little bit. So why is it a "runner up" you ask? Well, I didn't really love the other ideas either.




This week's guest judge is Noah Clark, executive creative director at Victors and Spoils in Boulder, Colorado.

Noah was V&S' first hire in November 2009. With a passion for co-creation and belief that "people matter," he has helped V&S grow from four to 50 staffers and has led the creative team to develop buzzed-about campaigns for JCPenney, Bolthouse Farms, SmartWool, Harley-Davidson and others. Before joining the agency, Noah pushed pixels around at CP+B for accounts such as Domino's, Volkswagen and Activision. Prior to that, he spent six years in L.A. working primarily on ESPN at Ground Zero. Each week he supports growing talent by teaching Art Direction at the University of Colorado.