Seen and noted

This week's guest judge is Arno Lindemann, creative partner of Lukas Lindemann Rosinski, Hamburg. He started his career 20 years ago as a marketing guy, then quickly changed into the Creation department. At 27, he became the youngest German creative director at Springer & Jacoby, Hamburg, where he worked for clients like Mercedes-Benz, Manager Magazin and Coca-Cola. Later, as a CCO at Jung von Matt, Hamburg, he worked for his beloved client Mercedes-Benz again, winning lots of awards. This year he opened up his own shop in Hamburg, Lukas Lindemann Rosinski, and clients soon came on board. Clients like Ikea, Praktiker Do It Yourself Market, the airline German Wings, the bank Hypo Vereinsbank and - once again - Mercedes Benz - the agency scored the international account for Mercedes Benz Vans.
Arno's latest awards include a Gold Lion at Cannes, three One Show Pencils and a very rare Black Pencil at D&AD.

Click 'read more' to read Arno's review....

BEST TV
The Best: Kimberly-Clark: Inside the Diaper, JWT NY
Runner-Up: Burger King: Makeout Point, CPB, Miami
Overall I found the TV/Virals to be quite dissapointing conceptually. United Airlines does a beautifully art directed piece, but I didn't feel that the ad or concept was very connected to the brand. Nissan had a viral video, and although funny at times, was long, and to me, very culture-specific humor. (Maybe I didn't find it as funny as someone from the UK, zum beispiel). Halifax had a very obscure idea, but the viral seemed very "Ad-Like" to me, a bit too polished, and trying too hard. Nike, from WK in Amsterdam, had good subject matter, but what they did with it was disappointing (predictable, personal story). Which leads me to the remaining two: Burger King and Kimberly-Clark.
"Inside the Diaper" was the best of the 6, in my opinion. Although it's a bit long and drawn out, I felt that it had the strongest, conceptually fresh idea of the bunch. It's a viral that doesn't look amateur, but justifies its use of professional filming techniques through the idea.
This viral is very culture specific to the US as the narrator's voice is that of a dramatized news reporter on something like "A Current Affair", "20/20", or on a memoir of an olympian. The music and voice emphasizes hardship and the struggle of the story at hand. The voice over is excellently written to the tone of voice, and is acutely juxtaposed with the comedic action in the film.
This Viral would definitely get passed along due to it's humor and sarcastic use of an insider's report.
Burger King's "Makeout Point" is my runner-up, although it's not one that I particularly like. It's "haha, funny.", but conceptually, it's a literal interpretation of a line. Because it's Crispin, and they had excellent funds, the ad turns out somehow, entertaining. Suspense is built, the product is featured, and it creates an a-typical dark tonality to a food product. The Superbowl would have a hay-day with this.

BEST PRINT
The Best: Trident Chocolate Mint Gum: Sweet Kicks, JWT London
Runner-Up: Audi S3 fastback: Grip, BBH London
The print category I found to be full of "recycled" ideas. MSNBC.com was another "chart" of gray area. Although aesthetically it's "different", it's still another color chart as a metaphor for the clients approach to news. 'Books' is a visual I have seen a thousand times and doesn't excite or move me in any way. Tabasco is conceptually empty and is simply another stop-motion photography of an explosion. Sol Protonik is clever, but I have seen it before. Which leaves me to my "best" and "runner-up" selection:
Audi gets my Runner-up vote. It's a very client oriented piece which would be very produceable, yet has a nice little "twist" to the visual which directly relates to the benefit of the product. At first glance, it's not all that exciting, however, because of the concept, the ad becomes much more memorable and "creative".
Trident wins my vote for "Best Print", although again, none of the ads really were shocking or new to me. Trident moves away from the clean, overly photoshopped look of most ads that are seen today. Conceptually, there is a twist in the visual: The viewer expects the typical 50s pin-up girl, and gets a 50s pin-up girl with a mouth as an eye. This of course "messes with your head" as the ad says because you feel sexual toward the image, and then disturbed. This of course mirrors the effect of chocolate-mint gum and the strange melding of flavors.

BEST OUTDOOR
The Best: A Diamond is Forever: Roses, JWT NY
Runner-Up: Bex Keer, Communications Co-ordinator: Human Sale, Saatchi and Saatchi X London
Of all the stuff I viewed today, the "Roses" campaign by JWT was by far my favorite throughout all the categories. Although the video again, is a bit dramatized, it's a fantastic installation which engages viewers for weeks, and is a constantly-changing work which IS the concept, that roses don't last forever, and diamonds do. Excellent all around.
The runner up is also good, but it didn't leave me with as epic of a feeling. It's confrontational and loud, but I don't know if it's much solution oriented. I think people would see the ads and feel frustrated, and helpless in a way.
As far as the other outdoor campaigns, Osram seemed like a typical student ad where the medium determines the ad, and the WWF Indonesia was too hypothetical, not realistic (especially to be found in Asian restaurants), and again, not solution oriented. The Allan Gray Investments use of a puzzle is simply being "creative" with the medium, but the idea isn't that great. Tourism Queensland gets 2nd runner-up for me. I thought that it was smart and shocking, but I don't know how impact-ful or positive it is for the brand. It cheapens the brand and I think most the people looking aren't looking at the coat or the brand, but the body.