creative awards: Stepping From The Shadows

The familiar and unsung grab the Andy spotlight It was a night of glitz and glamour. The stars were resplendent in envelope-pushing fashions: khakis, blue Oxford shirts, even, on the daring few, figure-hugging black jeans. The audience gasped as much-honored ads for Volkswagen and Monster.com won yet again; gossip columnists delighted as names were scandalously mispronounced. OK, so the 2000 International Andy Awards show wasn't the Oscars. The atmosphere on April 26 in the not-quite-full Town Hall Theater was one of casual humor and collegial admiration. Two judges provided the most dramatic elements: Jim Ferguson, creative director at Young & Rubicam, New York, received a "cheeky" pat from a young stagehand, and M&C Saatchi, London, creative director Tiger Savage wore a glittering, multicolored dress worthy of the Oscars. The work--36 Andys in all--shone as brightly as Savage's outfit, especially the winner of the $50,000 Grandy award: a radio campaign from DDB Chicago for Bud Light. The ads, themed "Real American heroes," also won eight Andys. With deadpan maudlin sincerity and soaring, Bryan Adams-style background vocals, the spots salute such unsung sports heroes as Mr. Giant Foam Finger-Maker and Mr. Bowling Shoe Giver-Outer. Familiar TV favorites were also lauded, including two Volkswagen ads from Arnold Communications in Boston. "Synchronicity" won Andys in the music and automotive categories; "Crazy Guy" was also honored in the automotive segment. The Gap's go-go, swing and line-dancing khakis ads took home an Andy in the retail category, and Mullen's "When I Grow Up" spot for Monster.com was named the best of the business products and services entries. But the less-known winners provoked the biggest audience laughs. Pitch-black humor ruled in the transportation category, where victors included Cliff Freeman and Partners' "Propulsion" spot for Budget. Lowe & Partners' Sprite ad, titled "Timmy's Dream," won an Andy for best beverage/non-alcohol. And three spots, tagged "We know what men are really thinking," for Fox/Liberty Networks' The X Show from Fallon McElligott, New York, triumphed in the media category. The Andys were not as international as Cannes or the D&ADs, but some of the evening's best surprises came from foreign agencies. For instance, Leo Burnett Sweden's "Toy Boy" spot for Hyundai won a distinction in the automotive category and appreciative chuckles from the audience. In it, an elegant couple--husband and wife--hide their young male lovers from each other when their cars meet at a red light. The honorary chairman of the 2000 Andys was DDB's vice chairman and U.S. chief creative, Bob Scarpelli. (Rest assured that the Grandy-winning Bud Light work triumphed on its merits: Judges are not permitted to vote on their agencies' work.) Next year's chairmen, announced at the ceremony, will be Jeff Goodby and Rich Silverstein. To become a major player among international competitions, the Andys need a reputation for honoring the best work and employing consistent panels of distinguished judges, Scarpelli maintains. "Cannes and the D&ADs are the big ones," he says. "We're trying to get the Andys to be considered on the same level as those shows."

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creative awards: Stepping From The Shadows

Emily Fromm

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Emily Fromm