Seen and noted

BEST TV
Winner: LYNX 'Robbery'. It's stupid from the first scene and doesn't let up till the last. And that makes it clever enough to take out first place for me. Lynx has played with the trope of female attraction for decades. This new incarnation makes its point with some quite dark humour that no doubt young dudes will appreciate. Just like this old dude does.

Runner-up: Pure Blonde 'From A Place Purer Than Yours'. Speaking of stupid, check out this ignorant bloke who wanders into a fantastical beer nirvana. You must respect a brand that's confident enough to have a laugh at the type of customer they're not trying to attract.

BEST PRINT
Winner: Gatorade 'The Self Kiss Of Vinicius Jr.'. I recently got a nice tote bag while judging at One Show. A line on it reads, "I want to thank myself". This campaign captures a simple truth. To get to greatness, you need to push yourself, believe in yourself and make sacrifices along the way. The least you can do is remember to thank yourself when you get there. (Bonus point for best use of stock shots.)

Runner-up: NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi 'Les'. You might call it a classic old-school kind of print ad, but it's a good headline and loaded with wisdom delivered with a dry humorous tone. I like the endline too, Take a Ride Forever Course. I don't think I'm guilty of any kind of Kiwi bias here, I just reckon it's pretty good.

BEST OUTDOOR
Winner: Wall's Pakistan 'Solar Priceboard'. It's hard to argue with the use of an outdoor advertising space as the solution to a real-world problem, especially when it's solving for the very product that that ad space is promoting. In fact, using the sun to prevent ice creams from melting, because of the sun, is in itself some kind of obvious twisted genius.

Runner-up: Adidas 'The Billboard Run'. There have been several runner activation type campaigns over the years, so there's something a little familiar about this one. But I'm going to give it the benefit of the doubt. Not the least because if it hasn't been done before, it should have been. And I wish I'd been the one who'd have done it.

BEST INTERACTIVE
Winner: PSA 'The Odd Dot Selfie'. The significance and power of cultural symbolism in foreign campaigns can sometimes be difficult to appreciate. Not here. Turning this well recognised symbol of feminine beauty and strength into a symbol of protest against violence, in such a simple and meaningful way, should be understood and applauded the world over.

Runner-up: Maybelline New York 'Under The Avatar'. I seem to have landed on a particular theme with these two picks. But as a dad of two girls fast approaching their teens, online bullying and all the other shady stuff that comes with social and gaming platforms is top of mind. The more brands can do to help males be better humans, the better off we'll all be.





This week's guest judge is Steve Cochran, chief creative officer at Saatchi & Saatchi, New Zealand.

Steve has more than 30 years' experience in the creative industry, working across global brands like Mars, VW, Toyota, Visa, Samsung and Burger King, as well as iconic NZ brands including Tip Top Ice Cream, DB Breweries, New World, Air New Zealand, Fonterra, Anchor, Bank of New Zealand, both AMI and State Insurance, and Sky City.

After more than two brilliant decades at Colenso BBDO, Steve joined Saatchi and Saatchi New Zealand as chief creative officer in July 2020. Over his career, he has collected awards at prominent global and local shows including One Show, D&AD, Cannes Lions, London International, Axis, The Effies, and NZ Direct Marketing Awards, amongst many others. He has also served on numerous juries, including Cannes Lions, and is also serving on the global jury for the upcoming One Show 2024