Seen and noted

BEST TV
Winner: Axe 'Baby'. I like this spot for its simplicity, its unhinged humor, and its authenticity to the soul of the brand. It's funny, it's memorable, and puts an unexpected twist on a construct we've come to recognize. It's clear the team also considered how this would be received, mashed up, and shared by the internet. It's a spot that, at face value, is a silly piece of content but is probably working hard to keep the brand fresh for a younger audience.

Runner-up: Nike 'So Win'. Nike is a victim of its own success and I mean that as a high compliment. Audiences have become so used to the caliber of work they produce, that it's hard to surprise them anymore. The format is not new but the writing is solid and the film is beautifully shot. And in a time when women's rights are being challenged in many countries, running this ad to coincide with one of the world's most celebrated expressions of traditional masculinity makes the statement that much more powerful. It's a call to hope and a reminder that women have succeeded at beating the odds before--and will do it again.

BEST PRINT
This category gave me lots of food for thought. As an industry, we don't do print as often as we used to but I don't subscribe to the notion that it's a dying art. There's still opportunity for great, conceptual, print-based ideas. I'd love to see more work that pushes the boundaries of what we can do with a still image.

BEST OUTDOOR
Winner: Lactalis Canada Cheesestrings 'Made with 0% American Cheese'. Paraphrasing the Spanish painter Josep Renau, I've always been partial to the notion that a poster (or in this case, a billboard) should be a scream on the wall. This one is cheeky, unmissable, and cuts both ways: it taps into people's preference for buying national products, while appealing to Canadian diplomacy at a time when US trade relations are strained. Beauty, eh.

Runner-up: Dog Waste Bags 'Human Waste Bags'. A smart, simple idea that finds people where they are, at a moment when they are most likely to take action. At the very least, I'd like to think the message landed hard and drove some valuable discussions.

BEST INTERACTIVE
Winner: Cadbury 5star 'Destroy Valentine's Day'. I like how this subverts chocolate as the cliche Valentine's Day gift... to position chocolate as an anti-Valentine's Day treat. The tongue-in-cheek celebration of singledom really resonates with a vast audience. And I appreciated the nihilistic humor and the cultural insight about uncles ruining everything. The fact that people could earn a commission for nominating someone made this extra funny.

Runner-up: None of the other pieces struck me as particularly interactive, so I have to leave this one blank.

BEST RADIO
Winner: Luv-a-duck 'Family meals suck'. I like that this spot delivers a clear, concise message in such a funny, whimsical, and memorable way. The writing is excellent and really makes the most of the medium. The cadence and the musical quality of both the script and the read are lovely. Extra points for appealing to the whole family (ie the entire audience). You just know those kids are chanting along to this from the back seat of the car on the drive home.

Runner-up: No Ugly 'Sport - Backyard cricket'. Riffing on sports tropes is not new but the execution is really nicely done and works well for the product. I enjoyed the storytelling, the humor, and the drama in this one!


This week's guest judge is Carmen Love, an independent executive creative director and writer based in Paris.

Both as an individual contributor and as part of an agency, she has won business and created award-winning work for brands like Apple TV, The Grammys, Gatorade, adidas, the #MeToo Movement, Netflix, and Got Milk?, among others. She has been an award juror for D&AD, the Clios, ADC Awards, the Gerety Awards in L.A. and Paris, and the Webbys, where she's met some of her favorite people in the industry.

Before moving to Paris, she lived and worked in L.A. for 10 years, where she led multidisciplinary creative teams for CP+B, TBWA/CHIAT/DAY LA, and Deutsch LA.

Previously, in her native Mexico City, she was co-founder and creative lead of TBWA/CHIAT/DAY MX, the network's first Latin American, bespoke sportsmarketing shop designed specifically for Gatorade.

Throughout her career, her work has been awarded at Cannes, D&AD, OneShow, Clios, ANDYs, Muse, and AICP but her highest honor is making creative work that audiences love and that is not afraid to be in the eye of the cultural storm.