Inside 13 of the Year’s Best Ads, With the People Who Made Them

Watch the videos above and below for our interviews with the people behind some of the most celebrated campaigns of the year.

State Street Global Advisors – Fearless Girl

Agency: McCann New York
McCann and State Street pulled in four Grand Prix, and a slew of other Lions, for their world-conquering Fearless Girl campaign. In this video, the young creative team of Tali Gumbiner and Lizzie Wilson reflect on the making of the statue, whether it will be permanent on Wall Street, and where they go from here as young creatives.

(See the video above.)

The New York Times – The Truth Is Hard

Agency: Droga5
Amid the political upheaval of the past year, The New York Times and Droga5 have been running a pointed brand campaign about the value of original journalism in cutting through the lies and finding the truth. Here, Droga5’s Colleen Leddy talks about the strategy behind the work, as well as the media insights that amplified it.

Burger King – Google Home of the Whopper/Burning Stores

Agency: David Miami
Burger King had a remarkable week at the festival, picking up two Grand Prix (for “Google Home of the Whopper” and “Burning Stores”) while also being honored as Creative Marketer of the Year. In this video, BK’s Fernando Machado and David’s Anselmo Ramos talk about those two efforts and other notable BK ads from the past year.

Addict Aide – Louise Delage

Agency: BETC Paris
This deliciously devious Instagram campaign involved the creation of a completely fake influencer, whose lavishly cool photos hid a dark secret. In this video, BETC’s Stephane Xiberras takes us through the campaign and why it was so special.

Cheetos – The Cheetos Museum

Agency: Goodby Silverstein & Partners
This work snagged a bunch of gold Lions for its awesomely silly creation of a Cheetos Museum to house Cheetos that look like people and things. In the video, GS&P’s Margaret Johnson and Kurt Mills discuss the hard work that went into bringing such a breezy idea to life.

Nike – Unlimited Stadium

Agency: BBH Singapore
High-tech installations don’t get much cooler than Nike’s “Unlimited Stadium,” which was a shoe-shaped running track that let visitors race against avatars of themselves. In this video, BBH’s David Webster gives us the backstory about the pop-up marvel, and the ridiculous number of man-hours it took to build.

Heinz – Pass the Heinz

Agency: David Miami
The best defictionalization campaign of the year was easily “Pass the Heinz,” which took ads that had appeared only in Mad Men and brought them into the real world as a campaign that ran in New York City. Here, David’s Anselmo Ramos discusses the delightful crossover and the challenge of getting ads approved that Don Draper couldn’t.

Sandy Hook Promise – Evan

Agency: BBDO New York
BBDO’s great gotcha video picked up two golds and a number of other Lions for its masterpiece of misdirection. In this video, agency creative director Peter Alsante talks about the challenges of making “Evan,” including the unorthodox editing process that helped make it such a viral hit.

UNDP Kosovo – Home

Agency: BBH London (Black Sheep Studios)
The one campaign on this list that isn’t an ad, this gold Lion winner in Entertainment offered a brutal look at the migrant crisis via a 20-minute short film. In our video, BBH’s Anthony Austin tells us all about the making of the BAFTA award winner, and how the prizes it’s been winning help raise its profile.

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