Seen and noted

This week's guest judge is Steve Henry, who was a founder and creative director of Howell Henry Chaldecott Lury, the legendary advertising agency voted Campaign's Agency of the Decade in 2000.
Their most famous work included campaigns for: Tango, Pot Noodle, The Automobile Association, Egg, First Direct, Go, Mazda, Fuji film, Marie Claire magazine, and many others.
After HHCL, Steve spent two years as executive creative director at TBWA/London, where he oversaw multi-platform campaigns for clients like Playstation, Adidas, Apple, Starburst, Skittles and Nissan.
In his career, Steve has won most of the major creative awards, including the D&AD Gold Pencil, the Grand Prix at Cannes, the Grand Prix at the British Television Awards, the President's Award at the Royal Television Society awards, and the President's Award at Creative Circle (twice).
He has spoken at over 35 advertising conferences all around the world.
In 2007, he was included in Campaign Magazine's Hall of Fame, a collection of the 40 most influential people in British advertising over the last 50 years. (He was probably most proud of the fact that he was the youngest person there ...)
Outside of advertising, Steve has been involved in various writing projects, including a best-selling book called Change the World for a Fiver, which sold over a million copies worldwide.
He is currently engaged in various projects, including working with the best digital agencies in London.
He also writes a blog on the Campaign web-site about innovations in marketing or anything else which catches his eye.

***

To be frank, there are no ideas here I haven't seen before. So I'm left looking at just executions. And, in the TAC execution, I can see one of the most powerful bits of film you're ever likely to see, in any medium, anywhere in the world. This film alone makes me proud to be part of the ad industry....

BEST TV
I like to see ideas that I haven't seen before.
But when you've been around as long as I have, that's rarer than a hen with an impacted rear molar.
To be frank, there are no ideas here I haven't seen before.
So I'm left looking at just executions.
And, in the TAC execution, I can see one of the most powerful bits of film
you're ever likely to see, in any medium, anywhere in the world.
This film alone makes me proud to be part of the ad industry.
I nearly dislocated my neck flinching from the images,
I shouted out loud at one point,
and if you can watch it without crying,
you're a psychopath.
It's "just" a compilation of previous ads, but it's devastating, and as powerful in a few minutes as virtually anything you'll ever see.
It gets under your skin and hangs around in your brain.
In two words, it's fucking outstanding.
If you want one word, outfuckingstanding.
If more people knew how to make ads like this, tv ads would be around for ever.
Second best is the Orangina ad from Fred and Farid which borrows the old Tango strategy but delivers it in an execution that's totally out there.
In its own way, this film makes me proud to be part of our industry too.
Go, boys.

BEST PRINT
I'm sorry. I can't find anything here.
Maybe it's me, maybe I'm missing some subtlety.
But these all look like old ideas - old ideas in an old medium.
It used to be that you dreaded getting put on the radio jury,
but now I think I'd find an excuse to get out of judging print, too.
Don't get me wrong - I'm not saying it's impossible to get
a great print ad out.
But it's bloody difficult.
And these days, when you can watch tv on your mobile or give multi-media presentations off your iPod, this all looks like an exercise in nostalgia.
If Michael was going to twist my arm I'd say the Mitsubishi ad.
And if he threatened me with a crowbar to find a runner-up I'd say Masterlock.
But honestly Michael, violence isn't the answer you know.

BEST OUTDOOR
Outdoor is always fresher than print.
Maybe it's like your Mum always used to say - go outside and play,
it'll do you good.
(In Australia maybe your Mum didn't say that. Because it's always sunny.
But in Britain, when it's just above freezing and it gets dark at 3 o'clock,
the backyard looks a little less enticing.)
The Kids' Company ad is interesting -
I've wanted to do the site-specific idea for ages, and they've done it very well.
Easy Home Center has a good line,
IOM is an old idea but I think it would really cut through,
and Doctors of the World is again a variation on an old idea but top marks for trying.
But over all these, I love the cheekiness of Fentiman's.
I'm gonna pick Fentiman's, as it happens,
because most brands are too scared to pick a fight.
And most agencies are too scared to fight for good work.
And in the absence of agencies fighting for good work,
I'd like to celebrate someone who is at least pushing another brand in the chest
and saying "Oi, did you spill my pint".
It's worth remembering that virtually every purchase happens in a competitive environment, so it's always useful to say what your brand ISN'T -
to find an enemy for your brand.
And I think Coke, in all its happy-clappiness,
is a good, fat target.
(If you're going to get into a fight at any time,
make sure you pick someone slower and fatter than you are.)
Second up? Kids' Company.
It feels like an exercise in scam,
but what the fuck.
It's Christmas, isn't it?
And that's a good time to think about kids.
As the bloke said, loading crates of booze into the back of his car,
if it wasn't for the kids, we wouldn't bother.