BEST TVWinner: Quitline '
Follow You Till I Die'. Right from the opening shot I was drawn in by this film. In fact, it didn't feel like I was watching a film at all. While the shooting-style and performances contributed to this, it was the connection between dog and owner that drew me into the story in such a powerful way. And though I must admit, as an ad person I had an idea of where it was going, in the end it didn't matter. The story was so touching, so personal and heart-wrenching, I was legitimately brought to tears. Well done.
Runner up: Channel 4 '
Age of Complaint'. I loved this. A brand that knows what it stands for and is unapologetic about it. I laughed from start to finish. Speaking of the finish, I loved that too. I have no complaints.
BEST PRINT Winner: Volvo '
Clicked?' In a category where safety features have become table stakes, can one car brand still own safety? The answer is yes. This simple and well-crafted ad does a wonderful job of reminding us Volvo has always been, and still is, the automotive brand that stands for safety. Not only by making their cars safer but by graciously sharing their innovations to help make all cars safer.
Runner up: Burger King '
Illinois'. While it doesn't approach the genius use of Fire damaged Burger King restaurants to highlight Flame-grilled, a vacant Burger King restaurant highlighting how irreplaceable Burger King is, managed to capture my attention and win my admiration.
BEST OUTDOOR Winner: Cadbury '
Generosity Bar'. Using chocolate as a way to help nourish kids was just so unexpected. I love chocolate even more after seeing this.
Runner up: Europcar '
Move Your Passion'. I felt compelled to give a more traditional outdoor execution a nod here. The visual has nice stopping power and is well executed. While I'm not convinced the line is perfect, I can make the leap that whatever I need to move can be safely transported with Europcar.
BEST INTERACTIVE Winner: Twitter '
Elevator Tweets'. I thought this was a pretty fresh spin on an elevator takeover. Interactive elevator screens that pull in relevant real-time tweets for your media company based on the floor number you press. Smart, interactive and informative.
Runner up: Swinburne Online '
Six Word Scholarship'. They had me at Hemingway's Six Word Story. Yeah, that's a good hook but more than anything I just liked the creativity of the challenge to earn a scholarship as a unique way to drive awareness and participation.
This week's guest judge is Jeffrey Hilts, co-chief creative officer at FCB Toronto.
An award-winning chief creative officer, Jeffrey's passion for creative thinking along with an unwavering commitment to his craft has helped shape his multi-disciplinary career. Jeffrey's work has been recognized nationally and internationally by One Show, D&AD, CLIOs, Communication Arts, LIAs, Effie Awards, and Cannes Lions. During his time at FCB Toronto, the agency has been named Strategy's Digital Agency of the Year in 2016, 2017, and 2018. FCB was also the most awarded Canadian agency in Cannes for 2017 - bringing home 10 Cannes Lions for its "Canadian Down Syndrome Answers: campaign. Most recently, Jeffrey was recognized as one of Toronto's leading brand stars in 2018 by Adweek.
