The Chicago Creative Club awards show has been “resurrected” according to those ad slaves in the Windy City. Apparently, the show has been a vicious and drunken affair. One of the stand outs in 2006, was the Master of Ceremonies Tony Little, who was accompanied by “two scantily-clad, large-breasted bimbos.”
According to EuroRSCG CCO Steffan Postaer the show:
“-had degraded into a one-sided and ugly contest right before many of our eyes. Participants left drunk and/or dismayed and certainly disenchanted. We woke up to beastly reviews from the local press. Most felt the show had been ruined beyond repair.”
And this has been going on for years! Last year, they didn’t have a show at all. It was that bad.
However, 2008 proved to be a comeback of sorts with a full roster of Chicago ad execs pitching in to revamp the judging process to the event itself. The big winner at this year’s show was not Leo Burnett (who took home nine awards), but Chicago itself. The show was organized and dignified. Even stodgy journo Lewis Lazare said the show was better, despite a few shops, such as Cramer-Krasselt and Ogilvy, declining to participate. Seems those shops didn’t have the faith and without that in the ad business, what have you got? Cynicism. Not good.
Best of show went to BBDO for its Canadian Club campaign that comes with the tagline: “Damn Right Your Dad Drank It!” Congrats!
For more gory details of how the Chicago Creative Club got its act together, go to Postaer’s blog.