Seen and noted

BEST TV
Winner: "IKEA". Admittingly, I'm a sucker for stylish, hyper-lifestyle ads with beautiful supermodels in stunning settings. So when this commercial started I was drawn in with great expectations. Assumingly another over-the-top production for Calvin Klein or Dolce Gabbana, right? When the "record scratch" moment arrives with an everyday Swedish woman walking onto the set to take the piss out of all the pretention---it was disruptive, funny and memorable. She's completely oblivious to all the fabulousness, only calling out the high style of the IKEA cabinets (obviously trying to strategically reposition IKEA beyond their cheap, non-fashionable brand image). The commercial is short, sharp and to the point. I think this spot gives the IKEA brand great, high production values along with a winning, self-deprecating sense of humor. Bravo.

Runner-Up: "March For Our Lives". Gun Control. I mean, who doesn't want this, in our country that's so ripped apart by bullets and politics? And with the US midterms only a few weeks away, the message is timely. Clearly the point of the piece is that this is a Vicious Cycle of the guns and the slaughter of innocent people in our society, and if we don't so something about it now, the cycle goes on. Everything in the narrative and the production itself is beautifully executed to drive the message home that Americans must act now to end the madness of guns and the NRA agenda.

BEST PRINT
Honestly, it is all bad. Nothing is meaningful to me. Is it a cultural thing? A lack of understanding internationalism marketing? Of the six submissions, I can't get excited enough to recognize anything submitted. Is the ad business so pre-occupied with digital utility and branded content that the art of smart, simple, telegraphic storytelling is lost? Seems so. Hmmm.

BEST OUTDOOR
Winner: "Specsavers". With the advent of branded content in our industry now, it is fascinating to witness what kind of experiential ideas will come out of agencies these days. The concept of a fake medical company trying to pay ordinary people millions of dollars for their eyeballs is weird, unexpected and gripping in a spy novel kind of way. All to reveal that ordinary humans would never give up their eyesight for any price because they value the beauty and love they see in their everyday lives. The twist of course is in order to "keep" your eyeballs, you must get your vision checked regularly, preferable at Specsavers. The idea is a bit scary, but that's the point: Don't take your eyesight for granted.

Runner-Up: "Clean Air Bear". Having a clean, white bear tied to a pole on a busy, highly polluted road doesn't really surprise me. I wish the bear was bigger, there were more of them all over London, and his alert message of unacceptable air quality was more widely broadcasted. Maybe, everyday on the morning and nightly news on the networks, or even google maps or WAZE. Nonetheless, interesting use of high technology and animal puppetry.

BEST INTERACTIVE
Winner: #ThanksForTheCoffee. Illy's effort to communicate how important women are in the workforce to produce coffee with serving only a half of physical coffee cup of poured coffee is simple, clear and to the point. Not sure if Illy can sell more coffee with this social advocacy angle to the power of women in the coffee business, but I appreciated the strong, tangible way to get the idea across.

Runner-Up: Lockheed-Martin: "We Do Space". Coming off their big award show wins of last year with the "Field Trip to Mars" campaign, this effort is well-executed with super high-end production values. Arguably not as good as "Field Trip to Mars" though. And I would guess it's because Lockheed-Martin is running out of ideas of how to tell their story. L-M is not really in the space exploration business, but in the land-to-air intercontinental missiles business (eg. Trident II Ballistic Missile Program). Nice job of advertising artfully dodging the truth. Almost.



This week's guest judge is Bill Oberlander, co-founder and executive creative director at OBERLAND in New York.

Bill Oberlander is co-founder and executive creative director of OBERLAND, a purpose-driven agency that combines his creative talents and passion for making the world a better place. OBERLAND, based in New York City, is the intersection of Madison Avenue pedigree and fearless social advocacy, which ignites the power of conscious capitalism.

As ECD, Bill oversees the creation of awareness campaigns, capital initiatives, brand-ambassadorships, and cause-marketing drives for organizations No Kid Hungry Project, Juice Press, St. Baldrick's Foundation, The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), Blue Man Group, The Nature Conservancy, Keep America Beautiful, New York Institute of Technology, and the Robin Hood Foundation.

Before launching OBERLAND in May of 2014, Bill served as director of communications, marketing and events at the Robin Hood Foundation. During his stint there, he created the marketing for the 12.12.12 Concert/Hurricane Sandy Relief, the "Fight Poverty Like a New Yorker" brand campaign, and the Robin Hood Investors Conference, together raising hundreds of millions of dollars for charities across New York City.

During his tenure, Bill has won multiple industry awards for culture-impacting campaigns created while he worked at Kirshenbaum Bond + Partners, Ogilvy & Mather, McCann Erickson, and J.Walter Thompson. Bill introduced the nation to pop-culture icon the "Snapple Lady"; turned Target into "Tar-Jay"; and transformed the cell phone into a fashion accessory with the simple words
"Hello Moto." Bill also served as a member the Ad Council Creative Review Committee and president of the Art Directors Club. He lives in New York City and is the father of sons William and Bertram.