These 18 Diverse and Novel Campaigns Cut Through the Clutter to Win This Year’s Project Isaac Awards

In our complex, hyper-connected and fast-changing world where media, marketing and technology converge and mingle more every day, you don’t have to create “genius” campaigns in order to cut through the clutter. But if you do, it sure helps. Which brings us to Adweek’s fifth annual Project Isaac Awards, a celebration of novel notions that obliterate boundaries and exceed expectations to bolster brands and, in some cases, advance social causes close to their creators’ hearts.

This year’s Gravity Award winner, DigitasLBi’s “Care Counts” initiative for Whirlpool, seems especially apropos and genre bending, “promoting” washers and dryers in the best way possible: donating them to school systems so that disadvantaged kids can have clean clothes and stop cutting class. (Read the Gravity Award winner story here.) Along with portraying Whirlpool in the best possible light, the program is having a quantifiable positive impact in people’s lives. Such themes unite our Isaac winners. They’re a diverse lot, but all of them work smart and hard, leveraging insight and data to transcend the one-size-fits-all definition of advertising and expand each brand’s footprint in relevant, exciting ways.

The Jury
Tham Khai Meng (chair), Ogilvy & Mather
John Biondi, SapientNitro Midwest
Christina Boldt, Starcom Worldwide
Kathleen Brookbanks, Hearts & Science
Joe Corr, Crispin Porter + Bogusky Boulder
Marcus Fischer, Carmichael Lynch
Rick Hamann, Cramer-Krasselt Chicago
Teresa Herd, Intel Corp.
Kate Jeffers, Venables Bell & Partners
Nick Jones, Leo Burnett and Arc
Gustavo Lauria, We Believers
Lynn Lewis, UM
Zak Mroueh, Zulu Alpha Kilo
Anush Prabhu, MediaCom USA
Brian Schultz, Magnetic Collaborative
Adam Singolda, Taboola
Con Williamson, Erwin Penland
Debbi Vandeven, VML

Event/Experience Invention
Colenso BBDO | DB Export, Beer Bottle Sand

With sand used in everything from construction to pharmaceuticals, beaches are being depleted at an alarming rate. To address the problem in New Zealand and build buzz for its brew, DB Export dispatched a machine to local bars that lets drinkers instantly crush used bottles into a sand substitute for industrial applications. The machines got plenty of play on social and mainstream media, helping DB enjoy volume growth in a category that declined 6 percent. “At the heart of DB Export’s DNA there’s a motivation to get stuff done,” says agency business director Brodie Reid, “and at the heart of our drinkers’ DNA there’s a desire to do good in the world. So, merging the two together helped create a higher purpose that people can rally behind.”

Product Development Invention | Brand Performance Invention
JWT N.Y. | Northwell Health, The Fin

Here’s a stroke of IP genius from J. Walter Thompson and Northwell Health. It’s called the Fin, a prosthetic that lets amputees quickly and easily transition from walking to swimming. Created to showcase Northwell’s passion for innovation and commitment to serving veterans, agency and client spent five months developing a 3-D printed prototype made of carbon-fiber-enhanced nylon.

This was done in consultation with ex-Marine Dan Lasko, who lost his left leg 13 years ago in Afghanistan. Lasko put the Fin through its paces, and his feedback led to various technical tweaks. He also served as pitchman, appearing in JWT’s promotional push, which encompassed digital content, social posts and PR. Next up: “Clinical trials where we will refine the Fin with the help of six service members,” says Northwell chief marketing and communications officer Ramon Soto.

“We are also talking with veterans organizations, the VA and development partners to build the right manufacturing and distribution model.” One key takeaway, per Boston University marketing professor Judy Austin, is: “Don’t look before you leap. For audacious undertakings like this one, the prospect of failure is a constant,” but shared focus and determination can ultimately pay off.

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This story first appeared in the Sept. 11, 2017, issue of Adweek magazine. Click here to subscribe.