See Spot Win

More than any other industry, save Hollywood, advertising is a self-congratulatory mecca. A conservative estimate tallies 40 awards shows annually. This year's season is upon us, arguably beginning with the International Andy Awards last month and culminating with the International Advertising Festival in Cannes in June. True, awards are gratifying for those who win and can build creative reputations. But are the industry's best being rewarded? Judges of this year's competitions concede the process is less than perfect.The work that wins usually deserves an award, says John Hegarty, global creative director of Bartle Bogle Hegarty, and a judge at the Andys this year. He adds, however, that he is often disappointed when convention—rather than innovation—takes the top prize. He points to his year as jury president at Cannes in 1994, when an ad showing a Jeep burrowing under the snow won the Grand Prix. It was a great ad, says Hegarty, but it was basically a product demonstration. Instead, the top honor should have gone to a gold-winning Nike ad that took place in a barber shop. "It was more original," explains Hegarty. In the past several years, humorous work has grabbed the highest laurels. The "Whassup?" campaign, DDB, Chicago, earned the Grand Prix at Cannes last year and best of show at the Andys this year. It has been widely praised for its universal appeal. Fox Sports FX campaign from Fallon, New York, scooped several awards last year, playing on some of the most well-worn jokes about men's love for nachos and Swedish bikini teams. This year's awards-show hopefuls don't stray far from the familiar. Top contenders include DDB's "Whassup?" follow-up, in which an alien masquerading as a dog learns the word, and Cliff Freeman and Partners' Fox Sports ads, featuring dorky white guys who fancy themselves as NBA stars. But a few promising candidates this year eschew popular comedy fare. Fallon Minneapolis' "Stay curious" campaign for PBS explores inquisitiveness. In one spot, a boy puts a camcorder in a plastic bag in his dishwasher to see what happens inside. Another favored contender is Nike's "Freestyle" spot-cum-music video basketball execution from Wieden + Kennedy in Portland, Ore. Yet whether the singularity of these ads is noticed depends on the tastes—and often the prejudices—of the jury members. Mike Hughes, president and creative director at The Martin Agency, Richmond, Va., says too often, awards shows reward the proven, Cliff Freeman-style of comedy in vogue today. "The judges are almost embarrassed if they get too sentimental about things," he says. Alex Bogusky, vice chairman, partner and creative director of Crispin Porter + Bogusky in Miami and a print judge at Cannes this year, believes awards-show trends are cyclical. There was a time, he says, when "coolness" was the standard. "Everyone wanted to be like Nike," he says. "Now it's harder to be cool." Media and production move faster, and "everybody is jumping all over every editing and graphic trend."Innovation should be rewarded, insists Paul Venables, creative director at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, San Francisco, and a One Show judge this year, but not if it's presented in a shaky execution. "Our craft is really in the production, getting the look and feel, the nuances of acting on film. That's absolutely critical. People who say the idea is strong but make excuses for the production are neglecting 75 percent of their job," Venables contends.He raises an important issue, particularly since winning ads will be imitated. For this reason, Keith Reinhard, in a speech at a recent 4A's management conference, called on judges not to award work that exceeds the boundaries of taste and decency. "Understand what message you send to students and to our young creative people when you give the highest honors to the lowest appeals," he implored."You can't understate how much creative people are influenced by work that is rewarded," adds Jamie Barrett, executive creative director of Fallon in New York, and a Kelly judge this year. "DDB's style in the '60s perpetuated itself for years." Like many, Barrett longs for more variety in the shows. "I would love to see an awards show reward 10 dramatically different campaigns," he says.While many creative directors and judges agree that most of the winning work is deserving, the shows are "far from definitive," according to Hughes. "Every show, every year is a little quirky," he says."Awards shows are simultaneously fair and a huge ripoff," adds Venables. "Year after year, some of the best work gets ignored, snubbed and otherwise goes unnoticed."Admittedly, part of the problem is the sheer volume of entries. There were approximately 14,800 entries (broadcast, print, outdoor) for the Cannes festival last year and 17,250 for the One Show this year. Although judges don't see every entry (the volume is pared down before the finals), the time required to evaluate short lists can be mind-numbing. "Even more than in real life, awards shows are short-attention-span theater," says Barrett. "Our senses are dulled by the amount of work."Immediacy becomes key. Hughes says much like consumers, judges evaluating a large body of work rely on first impressions, such as "the opening gestalt of an ad." "Beautifully written body copy is pretty far down the list," he says. "That's the way it is in the real world, too, so it's fair. You can look at some ads and feel comfortable. You look at others and seem disturbed." That reality can jeopardize the chances of a quiet or subtle campaign. A favorite of One Show judge Kevin Roddy, a creative director at Fallon, New York, was a Sony Walkman ad from TBWA Hunt Lascaris\Sandton in Johannesberg, South Africa. Viewers watch a grammar-school recital through the lense of a video camera. But the only sound is heavy-metal music. "I was sucked in from the first, wondering what's going on," Roddy says. It's "brilliant," he adds, because you never see the person holding the camera. Barrett, however, sometimes confronts a different question: Do shops with an award-winning history get preferential treatment? He says he holds agencies with proven reputations to a higher standard. "You have to do transcendent work for Nike," he says. I ask, 'Is it advancing the ball from last year?' "To Bob Scarpelli, vice chairman and chief creative officer of DDB Worldwide in Chicago and an Andy judge, the real concern is, after looking at the show as a whole: "Do we want to put our names on this?"

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