Photo: Maurice Mikkers
The biggest winner last night at the ADCN (Dutch Art Director’s Club) awards was Lemz. All the ‘bulbs’ – of which one was a Grand Prix (the very best integrated work) – went to their Fireworks campaign. Our very favourite campaign of the year Domino’s Pizza Pepperoni by Indie won one Golden and two Silver bulbs (TV, internet and activation) – in our opinion it was at least as good as Lemz’ work. Wieden also won one Gold and two Silver for Heineken’s ‘The making of The Date’ (internet, TV, and activation). Selmore won Gold for Bavaria and Hugh Heffner – so we can be sure that Charlie Sheen will also win Gold next year. We were a bit surprised that N=5 won Gold for Telfort – not really our taste. Y&R won one Gold and two Silver for LG’s ‘smart thief‘ (internet, TV, and viral). A bit strange that alle these films are winning different prizes for the different channels through which they are broadcasted – does the channel matter? Another one of our favourites was Hema’s with a push-up bra in print, promoted by a male model, going viral big time – by Doom & Dickson. It won Gold and Silver. Note: Hema is one of the most down to earth department stores in the Netherlands. TBWA won Gold with its print campaign for DIY chain Gamma; free Lego – “Just like dad.” In Interactive Tribal DDB won Gold and Silver for ‘Obsessed with Sound’ for Philips. One of the most impactful commercials of the year by Publicis for ALS won Silver – “I have died by now.” Special bulbs went to Mischa Rozema (for directing OFFF), Christian Borstlap (art direction and illustration, for LV and Mr Porter), and Simon Warner (photgraphy, for Octopus).
Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam has promoted Clay Mills to Managing Director. He follows up Lee Newman, who was appointed as MD in 2008. Newman will become president at O&M Chicago. Mills was hired by Wieden in 2010 as Group AD on Heineken. Since his hiring Heineken became one of Wieden’s more profitable and successful accounts, making the agency even lead this year’s Gunn report. Prior to W+K Amsterdam, Mills worked at JWT New York, and BBH in New York and London. ECD’s Mark Bernath and Eric Quennoy about Mills’ appointment: “Spending the last two years making the Heineken work with Clay has been one of the more enjoyable experiences of our careers. You have to work with people who make work feel more like having fun. That’s when the best stuff happens. Of course, you can’t have fun without being dead serious and smart about what you’re doing. A balance that Clay gets as good as anyone.”
We’ve been seeing a lot lately from Stamenkovits Stibbe Stalenhoef Schreuder & Orchestra. Not your regular advertising though, but in the form of a self promotional print campaign in trade magazine Adformatie. We’re featuring it, because it doesn’t look like your typcial agency advertising. Most agencies that advertise in Adformatie not very originally create a collage with screenshots of their work and a header that reads more or less: “we kick ass”. Instead, in print SSSS & Orchestra created 6 spreads or so with a bit of long copy on the site. The spreads are about clients that don’t want to broadcast the director’s cut, which is to say that clients are part of the creative process at SSSS. On the most striking photo everyone is wearing pink. Although the copy in the image reads “pink is the new black” – to say that opportunities are everywhere – it feels somewhat desperate.
There’s one with the header “About pitching”, in which Bela Stamenkovits disappointedly says “They judged us too small”. But through the body copy we find out that SSSS likes pitching and that it’s not about how big you are. There’s one about “old and new media” in which Mischa Schreuder shows Ed Stibbe what augmented reality is. In other words: at SSSS you get two generations of experience. In the most recent one, the agency is waiting in a hotel lobby, while the receptionist mispronounces their name – understandable when your name is a tongue twister. It is about investing in your brand. SSSS teaches us that an ad needs to be exposed 9 times before the target group picks it up. And, they add, “on top of it they need to like it”. So advertising is a bit of a risk. And like a salesman saying “I also bought them myself” SSSS shows they also dare to take a risk. Though we are in favour of brands that dare to stick their neck out, we’re not sure if this self-reflective, almost vulnerable tone of voice will do SSSS any good. Originalilty is one thing, but in advertising self confidence makes the money.
Earlier this week we wrote about EA’s Grand Slam Tennis 2, today we’re writing about yet another EA game, called FIFA Street. Just like GST2 this one also shows some in-game footage – probably a client mandatory – but what is different about it, is that it’s all about real life swagger. A dude with a bowler hat, a DJ, a monkey, a girl with white sneakers and golden legging, and some old school TV’s being smashed by the ball. And some dinstinguished copy: “Welcome to the home of hustle…to the school of swagger. Abracadabra. This is the birthplace of every move you’ve ever seen.” It feels a bit wannabe cool, though we instantly admit that we might just be getting a little too old for this stuff – we’re more the FIFA ‘normal’ generation. In any case, if you want to ‘Free Your Game’ FIFA Street is clearly the way forward. Created by Wieden+Kennedy, directed by Paulo Gandra and Steve Hudson (Hungry Man).
G-Star made a good choice by starting to work with an agency. Nonetheless, you would expect them to choose an agency with a less Dutch focus.
G-Star is super strong in its home market. Strange but interesting.
“Nothing understands the brand and the challenges that lay ahead”. Isn’t that what G-Star needs? And what if Nothing is changing its focus? Think out of the box!