The Bravest Creative from the 2018 ADDYs
The 2018 American Advertising Awards (affectionately known as The “ADDYs”) wrapped up last week and showcased some of the best creative from around the country. This annual celebration caps off the American Advertising Federation’s annual conference dubbed ADMERICA. It shares the best work to have made it through a grueling, three-tier judging process spanning local, district, and national phases.
After presenting “How to make creative more courageous” at the conference earlier that day, Bravely was especially eager to view the work through that new lens.
Which brands and agencies pushed themselves to be truly fearless and challenged themselves to create something out of their comfort zone?
Of course, all the winning work was stellar. And while this is just opinion, these campaigns resonated with us due to their “brave” approach with either technology, a twist on how their product or service is typically consumed, or by simply crafting a story that makes you feel. That being said, here are our favorites from last week:
Downtown Records x BBDO — “Live Looper”
By taking the annoying initial delay from all Facebook Live videos and using it to craft a unique and clever piece of content, Irish band The Academic performed their single “Bear Claws” in a one-of-kind live performance.
UPS x T3 — “Wishes Delivered”
These short films exemplify what we think is the perfect balance of story and brand that drives activation without being overt or gratuitous. By illustrating how UPS delivers more than just packages, this content showed authentic people who interact with the brand and how their brand could also deliver hope, aspiration, and ambition.
T3 — “Trump and Dump”
Politics aside, the use of technology platforms, social listening, and activism absolutely delivers on the ability to deliver against the intersection of the zeitgeist, the perfect context, and some they do well — innovate. Add to it that an animal charity is the beneficiary of the effort, it’s a win-win.
Minnesota Wild x IFC Olson — “This is Our Ice”
The Wild connected courageously with a hyper-local approach by giving their fans a chance to bring personal meaning to the ice — literally. By encouraging fans to bring water from all parts of the state to be combined into one movement of solidarity, the brand further ingrained themselves as part of the community.
Coca-Cola x Fitzgerald & Co — “1000 Name Celebration”
This fun execution again takes personalization and relevancy to the next level — or to the next song in the playlist. A unique musical clip accompanied almost any name you can think of, and they even created content for names not found in the database. A quirky, fun, introduction to summer, Coke sang the right tune here.
Xfinity Home x Goodby, Silverstein & Partners — “The Neighborhood”
Launched around halloween season, this clever piece of content executed a great balance of entertainment, activation and context. The short film told a creepy story while it’s product, Xfinity’s home security system, advanced the plot.
Wingstop x Barkley — “Twitter Rap Battle”
Brands are often (rightfully) careful about how their conversations on social channels go over. So this irreverent stunt was a nice spike in social conversations as Wingstop took on Wendy’s in a seemingly impromptu “Twitter Rap Battle” by exchanging lyrical barbs about whose chicken is better.
P&G x BBDO — “The Talk”
A poignant twist on the typical “talk” tha parents dread having with their children, this campaign illustrates how African American families face the challenges of having a different conversation with their children. It is a moving, powerful piece told over generations and deservingly won Best of Show.
STUDENT BONUS: Orkin x BYU AdLab “Pests Don’t Mess With The Orkin Man”
The future is in great hands. Major kudos to all the fantastic student work, but the BYU AdLab demonstrated themselves to be churning out talent, highlighted by this brilliant and funny take for Orkin.
Bravo to all the winners for living bravely, and being courageously creative.
