BEST TV
Winner: Uber Eats '
Take me back to the 80s'. Seeing Cher in anything wins automatic brownie points, but when we hear "If I Could Turn Back Time" and see her emerge from an opulent dressing room/bedroom, we already know the spot is going to take us to interesting places. And what could be more interesting than the 80s--the 1680s, as a villager clarifies. Cher is nonplussed to be accused of being a witch which makes the chaos even more delightful. A highlight for me was the one liner: "She's both young and old. At the same time."
Runner up: British Columbia Securities Commission '
We are all F**cked'. The rapidly changing landscape of AI has been a hot topic for several years now, and we're all getting a bit fed up with it. This spot hilariously plays off the narrative with a shrug. "We're all F**cked" but at least the British Columbia Securities Commission can help. Visual easter eggs abound; I laughed out loud at the first glimpse of the lady with the melted face, and I had a little chuckle towards the end where we see another woman with eight fingers. Proof that AI is advancing but still isn't perfect.
BEST PRINT
Winner: Kraft Heinz '
Fries'. No one eats ketchup on its own. (I don't know, maybe some people do, but that's kind of weird.) Ketchup is always accompanied by food pairing, and as a condiment, it has earned its iconic status alongside its edible companions. "Fries" celebrates the iconic taste of ketchup and French fries without telling much at all. It's so simple, the visual does the storytelling for you. And that's exactly the point.
Runner up: Swedish Holocaust Museum '
The Holocaust, The Holocaust, The Holocaust'. A powerful message delivered in a Swedish news magazine. We tell stories of the past to ensure that history doesn't repeat itself. Unfortunately, we're seeing hate speech continue to rear its ugly head around the world, and in this case the repetition is the creative device to remind us of Holocaust Remembrance Day.
BEST OUTDOOR 
Winner: Ikea '
Bottle Flip'. We hear a lot about "moving at the speed of culture" or being "social first," but what if the speed of culture is too fast? And what if we decided to be "social last" instead? I love the honesty in this campaign. The brand is transparent about their loyalty program. Rather than pretend it's the greatest thing to grace the planet, they simply shrug and explain it's better late than never, leveraging old social trends in a very self-aware way.
Runner up: Real estate.co.nz '
Flatmates'. It's refreshing when insights show up in visuals rather than copy. The premise is very simple: whatever your reason for moving, find your next rental here. Whether it's a neighbor who likes to party too hard or a sudden addition to the family, this campaign includes relatable examples for all stages of life.
BEST INTERACTIVE
Winner: KFC Call of Duty '
Bribe Bucket'. It's notoriously difficult to do a formal brand partnership with a gaming platform and subsequently integrate into the game in a natural way that won't annoy gamers. I thought this was a nice solve with a simple mechanic. Just share the post, DM for a voucher, and share it via proximity chat. It's a great way to do a promotion without added complications.
Runner up: POWA '
POV'. This is a smart use of search targeting. We often try to move quickly to leverage cultural moments but in this piece of work, the cultural moment was one that was highly relevant within the context of domestic violence. It shows us a highly emotive personal experience of a survivor, showing a perspective not covered in pop culture news.
This week's guest judge is
Hope Nardini, global executive creative director at Grey and creative lead for Coca-Cola at WPP OpenX.
She joined Grey from Droga5 NY, where she led award-winning creative on Instacart and Huggies.
Hope's work includes the True Name Card for Mastercard, "Lizzo's Cart" for Instacart, and the Verizon Super Bowl spot "Answering the Call".
She was recently honored as Campaign US's Creative Team of the Year, named to the Adweek 100, and has won 13 Cannes Lions, including a Grand Prix, in addition to a D&AD Black Pencil, Grand Clio, and Ad of the Year by AdAge and ADCOLOR.
She has served as a Creative liaison for the London International Awards, as a juror for Creativepool, The New York Festivals Advertising Awards, and LUUM, the global festival dedicated to creativity, exclusively rewarding messages that seek to awaken a social, civic or environmental consciousness.
In 2024, Hope founded and developed Grey Rising, a global development program for women and women-identifying creatives that aims to create gender equality within senior creative roles at Grey and the industry at large.
