Seen and noted

BEST TV
Winner: Old Spice Robot. This is just so good. We're not going to critique it. It is what it is, enjoyable to watch, funny, that word that seems to creep onto briefs every now and again 'irreverent'. Oh, snap, we just critiqued it.

Runner Up: Queer Lisboa 18: Coming Out. If only this was the state of affairs. That parents could be just as disgusted by the sex lives of their hetero kids. Simple rope pull at the end too (pun intended).

BEST PRINT
There's so much focus on print craft in these executions, but when you peer through the retouching, there doesn't seem to be any real distillation of strategy or insight. As a result, it's going to be tough to single out anything in this week's print category. Sorry.

BEST OUTDOOR
Winner: The Partnership for a Healthier America: Drink Up Fountain.
Ouch. Not outdoor's finest week really. I think in this thin crowd, it has to be the fountain. Although, it would be more on the strength of the cool tech idea propping it up, rather than a strong creative idea, which seemed somewhat absent.

Runner Up: Not sure if anything's really strong enough to command a runner up this week either. But, on a side note, right when you think this industry's rep can't get any muddier, along comes an electronic distressed robo-baby in a discarded box by a bin (Beneva Foundation: Crying for Help). Surely creatives would be better served spending their time on something else. Anything else, actually. Punching a stranger in the nuts would probably be more endearing.

BEST INTERACTIVE
Winner: Shot it. Got it. This is such a simple little promotion on Instagram. It rewards people for trying to do it and at its core is a game of skill. Beautifully crafted and simple to follow it is one of the best retail promotions we've seen on Instagram yet.

Runner Up: Disappointment and despair. We've chosen not to single out a runner up in this category this week. Read into that what you will.




This week's guest judges are Matty Burton (left) and Dave Bowman (right), currently Executive Creative Directors at Whybin TBWA Sydney. And soon to be founding creative partners of Special Group, Sydney, Australia.

Matty and Dave have worked together for the past 18 years. Most recently as the ECD's of WhybinTBWA Sydney.

Their work has been awarded as both the most creative and effective in the industry, helping the brands they’ve worked with to achieve great success with career highlights that include winning a coveted Black Pencil at D&AD, 2 x Titanium Lions at Cannes, The Direct Grand Prix at Cannes and 2 x Grand Effectiveness Awards.

Under their leadership, WhybinTBWA has doubled in size and received numerous agency of the year awards, including the Australian AWARD agency of the year, which included the best in show and the EFFIES most effective agency of the year, which also included the Grand EFFIE. A few weeks ago, WhybinTBWA was named as the 5th most effective agency in the world, according to the WARC report.

Matty and Dave have recently announced that they will be leaving to open the Sydney office of the Special Group, an independent creative hot shop from New Zealand, where they will be creative partners.