I judged this week's work like how I go to sleep every night. Each night before I fall asleep, I will recall what happened in the day - the news I read, ads I saw, sites I visited, people I met, food I ate - everything. I would usually end up only remembering one or two things. These are the things that are truly unique, that stand out and leave an imprint in my mind. And this is how I chose the bestads this week. I viewed all the ads indiscriminately and took a moment to recall which ones stood out, then I judged them based on creativity, execution, and insight. Also thankfully at this time of year, every ad I reviewed wasn't a Christmas ad.
BEST TVMy favorite pick goes to
Alto Palermo: Hand Ma. The commercial starts with snippets of activities awkwardly done with only one hand. It's one of those things that most of us have experienced, but as the commercial unfolds and more activities are performed, it becomes quite a struggle. In the end, it is revealed that all these were all done by a Mum, while carrying a baby in her other hand. I love how it shows a Mum as being able to raise a child and do everything else single-handedly. Very insightful and very heart-warming.
The runner-up is
ISPCC Missing Children Hotline: Mollie. It shows us the view from the perspective of a runaway child, giving us a glimpse into the danger and horror the child goes through. I believe the best kind of story is one that pulls you in.
BEST PRINTI've always liked simple and visually-intriguing ads.
Maximiles: England does the job well for meâsimple and eye-catching visual that conveys the message.
My second favourite is
Wall Street English: Dentist. A nice play on words with equally nice typography to convey a message.
BEST OUTDOOR Snickers/Mars: Hungry Face Morph is a whole lot of fun. It's a really simple idea that gets people to interact with the brand. The result? Smiles all around.
I also liked
DNA: Christmas Wish - The surprise. Surprises are always great when trying to capture ones attention, making it the perfect time to send a message. In this case I am sure the husband as well the cinema audience paid full attention to the ad. It's great when Advertising isn't a one-way communicationâI love ads that are experiential and interactive with people, especially when it comes to outdoor advertising. The ad must have got so much earned media. Nice!
BEST INTERACTIVE My first pick would be
Heineken: Carol Karaoke. Andy Warhol once said that "Everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes". Heineken makes it happen for you this Christmas. The idea is great for the season, sharing good vibes from you to the world. Fun and interesting, it also relates well with the product's brand essence.
The runner up is
LG: The Xmas Story. Right product, right season and the right tools make this campaign work.
This week's guest judge is Joshua Tay, creative director of Y&R Malaysia.
With eighteen years in advertising, Joshua is no stranger to the industry. With his creative partner Gigi Lee, they both turned Y&R Malaysia into a local creative hotshop.
Although just a small agency of six creatives, they went on to win Agency of the Year and Client of the Year, as well as more than a hundred local and international awards for 2012 and 2013.
The agency was also recognised by The Big Won Report, placing them as the 19th most creative agency in the world.
Joshua doesn't talk much about his eighteen years of award-winning work and new business wins, because he believes you're only as good as the last thing you did.