Bestads Best of the Week Reviewed by Jen Speirs, Chief Creative Officer, Droga5, Dublin
Each week Bestadsontv.com [the global arm of Campaign Brief] picks the very best advertising in the world, in every medium – which is reviewed by a top creative director or team to select their own personal favourites.
This week’s guest judge is Jen Speirs, Chief Creative Officer at Droga5, Part of Accenture Song, Dublin.
Winner: Maxibon ‘GO FULL COOKIE‘. It’s funny in that perfectly absurd, slightly ridiculous way that makes you laugh before you even realise what’s happening. The performances are good, Trev’s screams are absolutely on point. And the craft works as well because weirdly, it kind of looks delicious? Yep – it’s madness. But I guess it’s the kind of unapologetically daft energy we could do with more of right now.
Runner-up: Zijkant ‘Equal Pay Day‘. This ad basically entertained me for a minute and a half, showing women deliberately getting arrested. Trouble is – when I got to the end and it said that prison is basically the only place we can go to escape the gender pay gap, it reminded me of the world we’re in and that doesn’t make me smile. But great twist on a problem that should well and truly be behind us. Ugh.
(And a couple of claps as well for Dulux throwing in a more real, non-ideal version of life to paint over. Plus – as anyone I work with knows – throw in a dog and I’m going to like it.)
Winner: Tesco Mobile ‘Your second most important network‘. How very human for a mobile company to throw what they facilitate front and centre – genuine, human connection – and not their own latest and greatest shiny bits and bobs. We very rarely see brands recognise that in the pecking order of life, they don’t get top billing – so this, and the very simply-crafted execution, make it a yes from me.
Runner-up: interactive investor ‘Welcome & Thank You‘. At first glance, everything about this puts it in the pretty straight, somewhat corporate category. I mean, on the one page, it’s a really straight-forward “hi” to a new batch of customers. But then on the other page, as well as showing us why there is that fresh, new batch of customers; we get to see the ever-so-slight nod to smart-arsery that makes us realise it isn’t quite the straight, cold, corporate player we initially thought.
Winner: mycar Tyre & Auto ‘The Sunburnt Car‘. Ok, so this interesting: use the car as the canvas, but make the point about people-about how brutal the sun is on your skin. It’s nicely crafted, feels very real… actually so real with the moles, and the hair – that it’s kind of a little bit gross. But gross in an impactful, unignorable way. I hope this actually lives out in the real world, not just in adland circles, because it feels like the sort of idea that might actually change behaviour. A little jolt of “I should put SPF on / get checked / take this more seriously”, rather than just a nice ad you forget five minutes later.
No runner up.
Winner: KFC ‘How much do you believe in chicken‘. Now that’s the way to launch a competition. WTAF? And I mean that in the best way possible. Blindfolded punters heading off competing for god knows what, then the last person standing gets to the golden egg and then is flown off into the sky by a chicken. Oh, ok. Sure. Bloody brilliant, I’m in. Also, you’d think that a promotional ad for a fast food brand would look and feel like something that was made on the cheap and in a hurry. But the opposite is true with this. In my opinion, BELIEVE is a great, long-lasting platform for KFC, and I have no idea what the next execution will be (even less so seeing whatever this was), but I’m excited for it.
Runner-up: 1001 Optometry ‘MagnifEYE‘. I’m sure that the last thing that parents need is another thing to worry about or look out for with their kids. But, here we are. Myopia. But rather than just make mum or dad aware of it – here’s a very simple tool using what you already have loads of, to diagnose and fix it. It’s data, tech, insight all baked into an actual solve. Well played.
Jen Speirs is the Chief Creative Officer at Droga5, part of Accenture Song in Dublin.
Jen has created award-winning work for brands like Apple Music, the LEGO Group, Lidl, McDonald’s, Johnson&Johnson, Campbell Arnott’s, The Samaritans, Irish Rugby and UN Women. She has been on several award juries, including Cannes Lions (Glass and Film), The Immortals, One Show, The Clios, The Andys – and been invited to speak at events, such as the Cannes Lions Festival and the inaugural Australian 3% Conference. Her work has been awarded at shows including D&AD, Cannes Lions, The Clios, The Webbys, NY Festivals, One Show and The Effies.
Throughout her career, Jen has had the privilege of working with some amazing people and has pitched for, won and run some of the world’s most loved brands. Her passion is to create iconic, culturally-relevant brand experiences, in any media – and to do so in a diverse, inclusive creative agency.
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