Seen and noted

BEST TV
1st Monty Python: Mick Jagger. Interesting that this comes from the agency known as IN HOUSE. The good stuff really can come from anywhere now. This spot is nicely written, deeply ironic, intelligently subtle and features a couple of really nice performances from Mick and Charlie.

2nd Steinlager Pure. A beautiful piece of film, and I imagine if it came on in the cinema most of the audience would shut up and pay it some attention. Definitely a craft before idea kind of spot, though.

BEST PRINT
1st Forest & Bird. I'm well beyond being sick of the Print Formula, so this one wins because it doesn't follow it. I don't think pulling out some cash is going to necessarily translate to a donation (in the amazing way that Social Swipe did) but I think if I saw this in the real world I'd probably reach for my wallet to try it out, so well played nonetheless.

2nd English Classes Biblioteca EPM. I know, I know, it's an ad for an English Language school. But I like the premise, it's relevant and well crafted.

BEST OUTDOOR
1st Proud Whopper. A very nice start from David on the Burger King business. This is on-brand for BK, newsworthy and a little brave (although I guess Oreo broke the ice with their gay cookie).

2nd Audi Scoreboard. Maybe not the most amazing idea I've ever seen, but a genuine outdoor activation that makes good use of the product and provides a little entertaining utility to the public.

BEST INTERACTIVE
1st ALS Foundation. I'd like this more if it wasn't the exact same idea as that 1980's anti-smoking campaign featuring Yul Brynner speaking from beyond the grave, but it's a pretty powerful mechanism for raising awareness and (hopefully) money. No runner up here. I wanted to like the British Airways magic blanket, but it looked like a desperately uncomfortable lab experiment rather than a genuine activation, so I had to pass.




John Mescall is the Executive Creative Director of McCann Melbourne, a position he has held since October 2011. Under John's leadership, McCann Melbourne has quickly become one of Australia's most interesting agencies, finishing 2013 as the world's most awarded advertising agency and the world's 3rd most awarded digital agency.

Honours in 2013 include The Gunn Report Agency of the Year (sharing top spot with Wieden+Kennedy Portland/New York, D&AD Agency of the Year, AWARD Agency of the Year and Campaign Brief Agency of the Year.

McCann recently announced John's promotion to the role of Global Executive Creative Director, a position which will see John make the move to NYC in the coming months.

Prior to joining McCann, John was Executive Creative Director of, and Partner in, SMART for eight years - which he helped grow into one of the most successful and progressive independent agencies in Australia.

As both a writer and a creative director, John has won hundreds of shiny trophies including 6 Cannes Grands Prix, Black and Yellow Pencils at D&AD, One Show Best of Show, and multiple Clio, Spikes and Webby awards. His work has also been featured in the TED Ads Worth Spreading initiative, and housed in London's Design Museum.

John is a regular industry commentator, award show judge and public speaker. Recently, he was named in the 2013 Creativity 50: AdWeek's annual listing of the world's 50 most influential creative thinkers and doers. Business Insider ranked him the 8th most creative person in advertising worldwide, and he was awarded Thinker of the Year at the 2013 Mumbrella Awards.