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Seen and noted

Guest Judges: Tom & George McQueen, senior creatives, Droga5, NY

 GUEST JUDGE /BEST AD OF THE WEEK   WORLDWIDE    February 05, 2018 22:37 (Edited: February 17, 2023 05:19)
BEST TV
Winner: Tourism Australia - Dundee: The Son of a Legend Returns Home. That's not an ad. This is an ad. We're biased, but how can you not like the bigger ambition here. A long play at subverting the Superbowl with a fake ad, for a fake movie, to advertise a real country (and a bloody good one at that). It's an elaborate ruse that plays so perfectly into culture and Hollywood's desire to remake anything and everything at the moment. The star power, the craft, the nostalgia - it's a prank that will work its socks off. Plus a Hoges cameo in the original croc skin vest? What's not to love?

Runner Up: Doritos Blaze vs. Mtn Dew Ice. A good tactic here - one company marketing two brands at the same time. Has that been done before in a Superbowl? Feels like a Jimmy Fallon segment crashed the Superbowl, but it hits the right notes for a big game spot airing right before the halftime act. Can't work out if the GOT 'Song of Fire and Ice' reference was intentional, if so why not double down and have the White Walker King let out his inner Queen? #ICECOLD.

BEST PRINT
Winner: Plan My Trip: Mahatma Gandhi. A simple, clear idea. Enter as one thing, exit another. Eat, Pray, Love, Grow a Mustache, etc. The execution is simplistic, yet I can't help but think more could have been done to bring to life the location and life changing experience it's speaking to.

Runner Up: Say Yeah Nah: Bed Bush. Gets the point across. Beggars can't be choosers, but I've encountered enough bushes to support anything that raises awareness for a drunken twig to the eye.

BEST OUTDOOR
Winner: SPA: The Purest Picture. This is our favourite piece of work from the week. A brave creative challenge and the resulting photographs are works of art in themselves. Clever, tasteful and beautifully executed. Nature meeting art and science, what a sweet spot to play in. It's innovative and although you'd think it would require a high tech solution, it's surprisingly low tech - just water, a mirror and an electrical current. A beautiful way to frame and make me believe in the purity of their water.

Runner Up: Burger King: #GrillTheWorst Activation. Bratwurst Sausages. Ok. Brat'Worst'. Yeah. #GrillTheWorst. Sure. Smells a little funky from the pun and I'd like to believe these people were real, but all in all it's a silly bit of fun.

BEST INTERACTIVE
Winner: UNICEF: Game Chaingers. A fundraiser using blockchain that taps into the gaming community. That's a fresh approach to soliciting people with the same old methods. It asks a lot of you to get started, but nothing beyond that which is nice. You have to acknowledge the brilliant use of downtime and processing power to do good. It will be interesting to see how many they can rally around this, but with the right influencers this could work wonders. With everything going straight to the UNICEF wallet, I hope Bitcoin can stay afloat to see where this can go.

Runner Up: Argentina's Ministry of Tourism: Calling. I like the thought here. Feels like it could do with more scale to make it really stick. If I could FaceTime a series of people in different locations it would get really interesting. Dare I say it's a little too close to Remote Control Tourist and The Swedish Number, but 'locals know best' thinking is coming from the right place.



https://www.bestadsontv.com/news/upload/McQueenMcQueen_Photo (1).jpg
This week's guest judges are Tom and George McQueen, senior creatives at Droga5, New York.

As identical twins Tom & George's creative partnership started a lot earlier than most - in the womb. It's where they cracked their first brief together, the escape.

Fast forward 28 years and it's a partnership that's continued to work, with the past 8 years being spent creating innovative campaigns for some of the world's leading brands. Including Graham, an ugly face of road safety to remind people of their vulnerability on the road, a ring in support of Australia's LGBTQI community and the campaign for marriage equality, and most recently, a portrait of the world through the eyes of a lost Leonardo da Vinci painting - resulting in a new art auction record of a cool $450 million.

Their work has been recognized at all the major creative and effectiveness award shows, notably Cannes, D&AD, One Show, New York Festivals, Effies and The Webbys, in categories spanning digital innovation, social media, integrated, outdoor, mobile and more. Over the years they've had the pleasure of working at some great agencies with exceptional people and clients including Droga5 New York, Clemenger BBDO Melbourne, M&C Saatchi Melbourne & Reactive.

In 2017, they were ranked the #1 Art Director and #1 Copywriter in the Cannes Lions Global Rankings.

Although they now call the Big Apple home, they do miss the country with the Big Banana, Big Pineapple, Big Prawn and most of all the Big Cold Beer, VB.


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