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May 19, 2007
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FROM CREATIVITY: And the winner is...


TheCreativityAwards.com
Welcome to our May issue and the first annual Creativity Awards. Yes, more awards, but these are not your everyday industry high fives. Whether borne of a raving booze-fueled fantasy or a real desire to see creative citations break the shackles of categorical evaluation and instead reflect brand creativity according to what consumers love, spend time with, use and pass along is neither here nor there. Our aim was true and with the help of an international collection of jurors, who voted for all the nominated work according to ideas and not category, we had the pleasure of presenting our cubically correct awards to the inaugural winners. The party was fun, too, but the good times don't stop there. Be sure to swing by TheCreativityAwards.com to view the winning work, including behind-the-scenes footage and other extras, as well as meet the esteemed judges, all within the cozy confines of your home or office. It's really just like a regular awards show, without the dressing up, waiting in line at the bar or engaging in forced conversation. Ah, the magic of the interweb.
Also, be sure to check out the Spot Gallery of work highlighted in the magazine, the POV by Brian Collins of Ogilvy's Brand Innovation Group, and Creativity awards judge, on inspiring work and the future of brand creativity and Q&As some of advertising's finest representing at the Tribeca Film Festival.
PICK OF THE WEEK - Volkswagen - 'Night Driving'


Volkswagen - 'Night Driving'
As ad moments go, there were some real high points this weekbut it felt like a few spots just missed being inarguable triumphs as a whole. VW"s "Night Driving" gets the POW citation for sheer beauty and moodbut, not to be a hypocritical green meany, but is "go out and take a drive just for its own sake" a strange message for these times?
Likewise, it was hard to argue with the over the top Bruce Campbell-in-a-thigh sandwich shot in Old Spice's enjoyable louch-fest "Hungry" but the spot really waggled the bar set by the Old Spice launch work on its way over.
Finally, a special side nod goes to MTV Latin America for its moving portrayal of life in a retirement village in "False Teeth."
Teressa Iezzi
Cutters night out: AICE announces winners


Rick Russell of Final Cut earned the national campaign award, for his work on Sony's PS3 launch campaign.
Last night, the Association of Independent Creative Editors announced the winners of its 6th annual commercials editing awards at the Grand Ballroom of Navy Pier in Chicago, recognizing editors in 18 different categories. Rick Russell of Final Cut earned the national campaign award, for his work on Sony's PS3 launch campaign. The award for comedy editing went to Jake Jacobsen, for Dairy Queen's "Carry On," while Cutters' Carlos Lowenstein earned the dialog award for Hallmark's "Taxi." Montage winner Neil Gust of Outside Editorial earned an honor for montage editing of Jaguar's "XKR Launch," and Kirk Baxter of Rock, Paper, Scissors received the storytelling award for Levi's "News Story." Chris Franklin of Big Sky earned the effects editing award for on American Express' "Animals," while Cut+Run's Tim Hardy received recognition for music/sound, on the Honda "Choir" parody "Team Viral" for 118 118. The Local Spot award went to Homestead's Charly Bender for Full Frame Film Festival's "March of the Penguins," Cosmo Street's Lawrence Young earned the PSA nod for American Legacy Foundation's "Hospital Beds," and spec awards went to Panic and Bob's Michelle Czukar, for adidas' "Four Minute Mile" and Cake editor Rick Lobo, for Hershey's "Time Machine." All the winners, including the "Best of" major city honorees, can be viewed on the AICE website. The winners will also become part of the permanent collection of the Museum of Television and Radio in New York and Los Angeles.
Microsoft Embraces Machinima


While the news of its $6 billion purchase of aQuantive will surely be toplining today's trades, Microsoft has also recently unveiled a highly immersive digital effort that merits a fraction of the spotlight. To promote its new Visual Studio rollout, the Redmond, WA giant enlisted McCann Worldgroup (along with production company Exopolis) to design a developer-friendly gaming world that adopts the burgeoning machinima technique. The virtual filmmaking method involves custom dialogue and audio coated on top of captured videogame footage, and is the centerpiece of this Microsoft microsite.
Read more in AdCritic Interactive.
TANGLED WEB A round-up of what's online and on our minds


- While some agency sites have all the aesthetic allure of a brick wall, Dutch interactive firm 10mg has virtually set the bar in flaunting its creative prowess. Though the stuffed bunny that greets you on the front page seems harmless enough, click through and you've entered a slightly twisted mini-advergame that dares you to save the little one's life before it flatlines. After reviving it with electric shocks, visitors get less than a minute to put on their surgeon's hat and fix him. Fail and he flies to heaven, or try again and send to a friend. It's surely one of the more entertaining pieces of self-promotion we've seen in a while, though the mindsets of the 10mg team are somewhat in question.
- Having already furnished a large percentage of the abodes of today's youth, Ikea is now taking a kaleidoscopic approach with its products, urging customers to "Be Brave, Not Beige." Everything from cushions and curtains to fabrics and bedding are rendered in colorful, artistic and mostly kitschy designs. So in keeping with its hip, modern edict, the Swedish company has launched an interactive campaign site that lets users indulge their decorative whimsy and decorate a virtual apartment of their own in an array of styles. For added kicks, the apartment building on the front page features a few chuckle-worthy videos that supplants the heavy branding for some quirky characters going about their activities in their vibrant, Ikea-adorned pads. Sounds just like real-life, don't it?
- While A&E show Criss Angel's Mindfreak is often as astonishing as it is unintentionally amusing, the metalhead magician is the focal point of a cool little viral promo created by EVB. Enter a friend's name, email and phone number at this sort-of-spooky site, then send, sit back and wait until the recipient is graced with a video of Angel utilizing a deck of cards to figure out pieces of the info you just sent. Chances are he'll always be spot on, but the main caveat is that you can only send to somebody once, then the site itself virtually freezes up. Whether it's all due to magic or some sly backend work, it's one of the few "send to a friend" spots lately that hasn't disappeared from the inbox and reappeared in the trash.
- Swedish agency Åkestam Holst has crafted another great banner after its great lube job, with a virtual drum kit for something potentially telecom related called Bredbandsbolaget.
- Have you got a net film laying around appealing to men 19-24, running under three minutes, fit for an international audience with no sex, drugs or alcohol use? Why not send it to McCann Erickson Germany and Coke Zerothey're looking to pay a couple thousand Euro and some assignments for a few good virals.
MOVERS: People news from JWT, Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam and more


JWT/New York added Kash Sree, formerly of BBH/New York, and Andrew Clarke, formerly of Carmichael Lynch, as executive creative directors. ... Australian director Jon Gwyther, represented by Filmgraphics in Sydney, Australia, signed with Fools and Horses for U.S. representation. ... Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam added art director Gwen Yip, copywriter Hemant Jain and art director Jorge Calleja. ... Joe Blow Films signed director J.B. Rogers. ... OLSON added writer Noah Will, formerly of Wongdoody/Seattle, to its creative department. ... Anonymous Content announced the addition of executive producer Danielle Peretz and director of new business development Cody Allen to their Integrated division. ... Y&R Chicago announced the hiring of Ken Erke, formerly of Cramer-Krasselt, for the newly created position of executive creative director. ... Radium hired editors Inome Callahan, formerly of Mad River Post, and Lee Gardner, formerly of Western Images. ... Natira McDermott has been named director of communications for Lowe New York. ... Grupo Gallegos of Long Beach, CA named Curro Chozas its newest associate creative director. ... Animal Logic named Jackie O'Sullivan as head of development/executive producer. ... Director Howard Greenhalgh left Believe Media to join Home Corp for commercials representation in the U.S. ... EMAP announced Terry Savage, currently executive chairman of the International Advertising Festival, will be Chairman of the IAF, the holding company for Cannes Lions, Eurobest and the new Dubai Lynx Advertising Festival. ... Steve Johnson launched Socket Films, a new commercial production company based in New York, Santa Monica and Dallas with a directorial roster including Buddy Cone, Bobby Sheehan, Alexander von David, Michael Grasso and Shaun Conrad. ... Brickyard VFX added producer Cara Farnsworth and production coordinator Amy Appleton to its team. ... George Drakoulias joined Search Party as music supervisor.
MORE NEWS / ARCHIVE

Ad Folks Take Tribeca [5.18.07] Cutters night out: AICE announces winners [5.18.07] FROM CREATIVITY: And the winner is... [5.18.07] TANGLED WEB A round-up of what's online and on our minds [5.18.07] TANGLED WEB A round-up of what's online and on our minds [5.16.07]
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