Seen and noted

BEST TV
Winner: Topic 'Topic is Criminal'. As someone who's admittedly guilty of every pandemic trope in this ad, they had me from the jump. Using the characters from the genre of shows they specialize in - foreign criminal thrillers - made it interesting. They are all pleading for us to put down that 112th loaf of sourdough and watch something other than Golden Girls reruns. Which, for the record, is an amazing show.

Runner-up: Google 'First of Many'. It just so happens that I'm watching this beautiful film today on International Women's Day. All the while my teen daughters are sitting across from me. So this one really hit home. The world today presents far more opportunities to women thanks to all the trailblazers who not only opened doors, but in some cases, kicked them down for the next generation. It's a truly moving tribute to them all. I only wish there were even more featured. Luckily, the stories homepage lists out many of the inspiring women in the ad with all their backstories and accomplishments. My daughters spent a fair amount of time learning about them. Who knows what they might be motivated to do now?

BEST PRINT
Winner: Congrats, Dictators! 'Congrats, Dictators!'. The ads powerfully demonstrate one of the biggest problems in society today. Corrupt leaders who control and rig elections so they can stay in power forever. Nothing is more horrible than imagining authoritative dictators still ruling many years into the future. The team did a nice job on aging Putin and Assad as well.

BEST OUTDOOR
Winner: Rexona 'Pitvertising'. Really smart use of media. The brand's logo is only revealed during high stress moments, which reinforces the efficacy of the product while also entertaining the audience. The case study for the campaign makes a good point as well: corporate sponsorships of sporting events have become littered with giant brand logos everywhere you look. Cutting against the grain with a more subtle approach makes the Rexona logo that much louder than the brands ten times their size.

Runner-up: SangSom 'Bucket for 1'. I've personally never had the shared bucket drink experience in Thailand. But even without a pandemic, I would imagine this would be the only way I would partake in this time-honored tradition. Bucket for 1, please.

BEST INTERACTIVE
Winner: Bodyform/Libresse 'Pain Dictionary Definition'. As a man, I've never had to experience the horrible, debilitating pain that women feel with endometriosis. The artful pieces and copy do a good job of literally making me imagine what it must feel like and the only word that comes to mind is hell. Sheer hell. Maybe instead of doctor's asking, "describe your pain on a scale of 1 to 10" they should have this dictionary handy and let women point to what level of hell they are in at that time. Powerful stuff.

Runner-up: Pedigree 'The League of Hero-iso Small Dogs'. I'm a dog lover and have a soft spot for the small dogs in particular. One of my favorite things about these little guys is that they normally have no idea of their size. They all think they are big dogs and capable of doing big things. This campaign does a good job of nailing that insight and provides some fun "super hero" style comic book content as well. Made me want to see more. Always a good thing.




This week's guest judge is William Gelner, founder and chief creative officer at Special Group U.S.

William is one of the most respected and well-liked creative leaders in the U.S. He has worked amongst some of the most distinguished agencies and brands across the globe, including BBH, 180LA, Engine, UNICEF, Sony, Adidas, HP, Expedia, Johnnie Walker and more.

Throughout his established career he has been behind multi-award winning campaigns, winning 27 Cannes Lions, one Grand Prix for Good, two Grand Prix (Promo & Activation and Integrated) and a Titanium Lion. Under his 11-year creative leadership at 180LA, the agency not only made the prestigious Cannes Global Creativity Report for Top Agencies in the World in both 2016 (#20) and 2017 (#10), it also made Ad Age's A-list and Standout List multiple times, was recognized by TED for Ideas Worth Spreading and Fast Company's World Changing Ideas.

In addition to his influential campaigns such as Expedia's "Find Your Understanding," Boost Mobile's "Boost Your Voice" and Johnnie Walker's infamous "Keep Walking" campaign, William's "Unfairy Tales" campaign for UNICEF was recognized by the White House. In 2017, 180LA was the only agency - alongside tech giants Facebook, Google and Microsoft - to be invited to the White House to make measurable and significant commitments to ameliorate the Syrian refugee crisis.

Recent work at Special Group U.S. includes Uber Eats' first-ever Super Bowl campaign "Eat Local" that brought back "Wayne's World" local-access legends Wayne & Garth along with rap superstar Cardi B, and kicked off a $20 million restaurant-relief program.

Previously, unexpected duos for Uber Eats' "Tonight I'll Be Eating" campaign have included Sir Patrick Stewart and Mark Hamill featured in a verbal food fight and a match-up on the gymnastics floor between Olympic medalist, Simone Biles, and 'Queer Eye' star Jonathan Van Ness.

The celebrated creative frequently speaks at industry events and has been a juror at several prestigious shows, including the One Show, Clios, Art Director's Club, ANDY's, Effies and AICP Next awards.