Two weeks ago I was due to go to Budapest for the judging of our third annual Creative Awards. As things go in life: those you want most are most difficult to get to… So Murphy showed up with a last minute urgency and I had to send a replacement to join the fun group of creative directors having a blast – and hot debates – in Budapest. Quick stats: impressive 327 entries were received, 30% more than last year. However, only nine awards were given, from a possible 15, across five categories. It’s been a tough judging panel and I like that. They felt that the quality of some entries did not stand up to the level of innovation that we have seen in past years. So fewer awards and no best in show award being given. There was a sense at the judging that the lack of innovation across some categories was down to increasing pressures on digital creatives to get work done and online, with less time available for real innovation to be demonstrated and shine through. The following campaigns stood out and received the recognition they deserved from the judging panel:
- Consumer Goods/FMCG: Clean and Clear’s ‘Get Your Face Out There’ Windows Live Messenger campaign, entered by Tribal DDB London, scooped the silver award in the Consumer Goods / FMCG category for its focus on interactivity and its relevance and appeal to the target teenage girl audience. Bronze was awarded to Carat and iChameleon for the Guinness Hands campaign. There was no gold award given in this category.
- Telecoms, Media and Entertainment: Gold was awarded to Lean Mean Fighting Machine for the extremely well executed Virgin Games Casino campaign. The concepts behind the ads were praised for their humorous appeal and effectiveness. The judges did not feel that any of the other campaigns sufficiently pushed the boundaries of creativity to merit second or third prize in this category.
- Travel and Transport: BBDO Oslo and MediaFront in Norway scooped the Gold award in this hotly debated category. Awarded for its Christmas Campaign for Widerøe Flyveselskap, the campaign was praised for its tongue in cheek tone and broad appeal. Silver went to Glue London for its Da Vinci code for Eurostar campaign. The creative use of a series of different executions resulted in an engaging, visible and highly memorable campaign. The Bronze award went to Agency.com in Belgium for its humorous Fake Events campaign for Eurostar.
- Financial Services: Financial services brands are embracing online more than ever before but the awards given this year demonstrate there is still a way to go before this sector totally embraces the creativity of online. The judges awarded bronze to Glue London for its Say Yes campaign for Virgin which sets the precedent for other brands to embrace creativity in this sector.
- As with the Telecoms, Media and Entertainment category there were no gold or silver awards given.
- Charity/NGO: There was a vast improvement in the campaigns entered into this category and those awarded are raising the standards for others to push creativity and innovation in this sector. Silver was awarded to Lean Mean Fighting Machine for its COI Anti Smoking campaign and the innovative and engaging use of interactivity. Two bronze awards were given too – one to Glue London for the Royal Navy recruitment campaign, and the other to Euro RSCG 4D Digital for its Paranoid campaign for the Department of Communities and Local Government.
As always all winning campaigns were awarded with cash prizes and all Gold winning campaigns will be entered into the coveted 2007 Cannes Cyber Lions Awards and their creators invited to the festival, which Advertising is sponsoring for the sixth year running.
THANKS to all judging members, Joakim Borgstrom (Chairman) – Wieden + Kennedy, Ben Clapp – Tribal DDB London, Benjamin Przespolewski – Duke, Flo Heiss – Dare, Georg Lauble – McCann Erikson, Johan Kruse – Daddy, Martin Kristensen – Framfab, Sicco Beerda – Euro RSCG, Simon Waterfall – Poke, Daniele Busi – DDB Milan, Vincent Jansen – i-Merge, Vidar Singh – Bates. And thanks to David Pugh-Jones and Emma Newman from our teams for standing in for me 
Recent Comments