BEST TVThe best TV ad this week is for
Nike. I know, I know, I know. They've won it before. But what can I do? This ad had the best idea, the best script, the best performances... and definitely the best gag involving the tossing of a caber. Watch it.
Runner-up is for
Bavaria Beer, in a scenario which imagines that Elvis, Marilyn Monroe, Tupac and Kurt Cobain are not dead, but drinking Bavaria together on a desert island. An enjoyably nutty premise, which is well-executed too.
BEST PRINTBest Print this week is for the
Mercedes SLS AMG Coupe Electric, which finds a clever way to inform us that the car is both electric, and super-fast. A Google search reveals that the car starts at â¬416,500 in Germany. The sort of person who can pay that much money for a car is probably fairly clever too, so there's a good chance this ad should work for them.
Runner-Up is for '
The Shoe Butler' in Dubai. "Your shoes are the first thing people notice," goes the insight. "So make sure they're shining."
BEST OUTDOOR Best Outdoor this week is for
Pink Caravan. How do you raise awareness of the need for early detection of breast cancer, in a society (the United Arab Emirates) where discussion of the subject is taboo? Very neat solution.
Runner-Up is '
chewable postcards' for Bem Ser health clinic in Sao Paolo. They placed nicotine-infused postcards in bars and clubs, providing an alternative to cigarettes in the very places where people normally become tempted to smoke. Extra points because it didnât need a case study video.
BEST INTERACTIVEBest Interactive this week is '
Cyber War' for Kaspersky Labs. I had previously heard of Kaspersky, but I didn't really know what they do. I still don't. But I do know this: THEY ARE AWESOME. They have produced (via MiniVegas, Amsterdam) a website that shows CYBER WARFARE IN REAL TIME.
There is no runner-up. How can anything else possibly come close to REAL-TIME CYBER WARFARE? Oh all right then, it's '
Don't Let Their Stories End On The Streets', by Publicis London for homelessness charity DePaul. Yes, the campaign uses street art. And a lot of people have used street art. But it's all justified by a neat thought; that an artwork depicting someone's backstory looks great on the street, but we don't want the person themselves to end up there. And the art's pretty good too.
Simon Veksner is a creative director at DDB Sydney. His CV also includes stints as a Creative Director at BBH in London, and most recently, as Head of Ideas for Naked Communications Australia.
His awards include a Cannes Grand Prix and 4 other Cannes Lions, plus 2 D&AD pencils and 6 pencil nominations.
His blog Scamp was the most popular ad blog in the UK and is now a weekly feature on Campaign Brief in Australia.
His first book How To Make It As An Advertising Creative was published in 2010. His second book, 100 Ideas That Changed Advertising, is coming out in September of this year.
