My Most Immortal Ad: Owen Lee

| | No Comments
My Most Immortal Ad: Owen Lee

There are less than a week left to enter this year’s Immortal Awards and, in the run up to the September 10th entry deadline, The Immortal Awards’ jurors have been taking it in turns to select the ads and campaigns that are most immortal to them, revealing the reasons why they’ve stayed with them until this day.

 

Next up is Owen Lee, chief creative officer of FCB Inferno, who dips into the ad library and pulls out a genius print ad from the ’60s…

The New York Public Library ’26 Tools’ (DDB, 1966)

Says Lee: “Everyone picks TV ads to be made Immortal. And just well-known ads. But for me, one of the most stunning creative leaps to an idea that inspires the soul, is the 1965 New York Public Library ad written by Monte Gherlter and quite brilliantly art directed by Charlie Piccirillo at DDB.

“To leap to the notion that all the emotions, stories, education and learning offered by the entire world of literature comes down to a combination of 26 little marks on a page is extraordinary.

“It’s not famous like 1984 or Smash Martians, but to any creative, the leap in this thought is pure beauty. The copy crafts the thought beguilingly and, as with all type only copy-driven ads, spare a thought for the art director – brave, simple, demonstrating one of the hardest lessons to learn – restraint.”

The Immortal Awards entry system is now open. Every member of Little Black Book is entitled to up to five entries, depending on their membership tier. This year, Bronze members receive two entries, whilst Silver and Gold members get five entries. The full list of rules, including eligibility dates, can be found here.

If you’d like to enter the Immortal Awards but you’re not yet a member of LBB, contact Lynchy here: michael@campaignbrief.com.

LBB member agencies In Australasia
Akcelo, Akkomplice Melbourne, AnalogFolk, AZK Media, Bashful, Bear Meets Eagle on Fire, BMF, Bounce Creative, BWM Dentsu Melbourne, BWM Dentsu Sydney, Catfish, Channel T, CHE Proximity, Clemenger BBDO Sydney, Clemenger BBDO Melbourne, Clemenger BBDO Wellington, Colenso BBDO, The Communications Council, The Core Agency, Cox Inall Change, DDB Melbourne, DDB Sydney, Deloitte Digital Melbourne, Edge, Emotive, Enigma, FCB New Zealand, Federation Auckland, Fenton Stephens, Frank Digital, The Hallway, Hardhat, h-Commerce, Host/Havas, Ikon, Innocean, Isobar, Leo Burnett Melbourne, Leo Burnett Sydney, Magnum Opus Partners, M&C Saatchi, McCann Melbourne, McCann Sydney, The Monkeys Sydney, MusicBrief, Ogilvy Sydney, Orchard, Paper Moose, Reborn, Re Sydney, Redengine SCC, R/GA APAC, The Royals, Rumbletown, Saatchi & Saatchi Sydney, Saatchi & Saatchi Melbourne, Saatchi & Saatchi New Zealand, SDWM, 72andSunny, Showpony Adelaide, The Source, Special Group Auckland, Special Group Sydney, Spinach, Taboo, 303 MullenLowe Sydney, Thinkerbell, Town Square, TBWA Sydney, TBWA New Zealand, UnDigital, VCCP Sydney, The Works, Wunderman Thompson Sydney.

LBB member production companies In Australasia
AIRBAG, Alt.VFX, ARC EDIT, Clockwork Films, Collider, Curious, Cutting Edge, Eardrum, The Editors, Exit Films, Filmgraphics, Fin Design + Effects, Final Sound, FINCH, Flying Fish, Good Oil, Heckler, Jumbla, Motion Sickness, Passion Pictures, Photoplay, Plaza Films, The Producers, Revolver/Will O’Rourke, Rumble Studios, Scoundrel, Sedona Productions, Sweetshop, Taxi, //Thirteen & Co, Uncanny Valley, Velvet, Winifred.