BEST TVApple seems to be following a very simple formula at the moment. One product, one feature, one ad. It's leading to a golden run of very memorable work. This week's winner
Find Your Friend is a worthy entry into this body of work. The feature is their pin-point navigation. And the ad proves it by following a Mandalorian in a sea of masked Mandalorians. It's a good gag and the superiority and utility of the product is charmingly demonstrated.
After the apple ad, it's a bit trickier to find a clear runner up. I've spent my fair share of time at the back of the plane - the worst when a group of missionaries tried to get me to participate in a sing along - so I understand slow bad. And if they invest in the recurring construct, then
Gippsland's Slow Bad/Slow Good concept could cut through.
BEST PRINTSuzuki's
Dad, daughter and cat is a classic print ad concept. Nailing the idea of space with a relatable (although hyperbolic) insight. While being super efficient with the visuals and copy. Very elegant is a phrase that springs to mind.
You don't expect a cat brand to show up on Mother's day. But why not, considering the vast number of self-named cat parents. So
Supercat's surprising and funny ad is my runner up. If I was nit-picking I'd say while it is true that people see themselves as parents to pets, perhaps it feels less true that mums wait up for their cats like they'd wait up for teenagers.
BEST OUTDOOR I have very fond memories of the Big Pineapple in the Eastern Cape, a part of South Africa I studied in. So I'm a bit of a sucker for the eccentricity of giant objects as the feature of small towns. No surprise then that I found
Bargain Box's hijacking of a giant carrot silly but pleasing.
Start typing Kendrick into google and the first result adds v Drake. The beef is real. And everywhere.
Menulog's billboard capitalises on the beef to promote the enormity of their beef burgers. Lol.
BEST INTERACTIVE Simple is often best. And I really like the simplicity of
2degrees filming women's rugby matches vertically so they can be broadcast on TikTok. A core part of any brief for women's sport will almost always be to grow the audience. And this simple flip could do that.
My runner up is McDonald's
Ride the Arches. It's part interactive and part infrastructure, but most importantly seems like quite a comprehensive campaign. Tapping into the thriving cycling community also seems pretty smart.
This week's guest judge is Nick Hulley, joint-chief creative officer at AMV BBDO, London.
Together with his partner Nadja Lossgott he has won over 20 Grand Prix at Cannes, D&AD, One Show and Clios (including three Black Pencils, a Titanium Grand Prix, a Glass Grand Prix and a One Show Best in Show.). In 2021 they helped AMV win Agency of the Year at Cannes, D&AD and The One Show.
Throughout their career they have believed in the power of empathy, the power of challenging conventions and dogmas, and the power of creativity to solve the toughest business problems. They have continuously helped drive brands' effectiveness and created storyworlds that have shifted culture.
It's seen them redefine the period category, defy broadcasters, make water out of beer, turn uteruses into wombworlds, write documentaries, create countries out of ocean trash, and turn worthless Zimbabwean dollars into billboards.
