Bestads Best of the Week Reviewed by Juliana Cobb, Head of Creative, 72andSunny, New York
Each week Bestadsontv.com [the global arm of Campaign Brief] picks the very best advertising in the world, in every medium – which is reviewed by a top creative director or team to select their own personal favourites.
This week’s guest judge is Juliana Cobb, Head of Creative at 72andSunny, New York.
Winner: Coopers ‘Coober Pedy Classic‘. It’s so refreshing to see a commercial that doesn’t look or sound like a typical commercial. And to celebrate a beer that has a lot of local fans, what better way to celebrate a brand new golf tourney sweepstakes than to let those locals do the talking. Leaning into the honest charm of imperfect line deliveries and awkward timing makes the spot both funny and hard working – repeating the awkwardly long name of the newly created golf tournament.
Runner Up: TK MAXX ‘Every Day Can Be Iconic‘. A little visual conceit blown out to epic proportions make this spot fun to watch, leaning into cultural tropes while driving home the message that every day things can be iconic too. Plus, cats. Wearing shoes for hats. Five stars.
Winner: Australian Steelers ‘Officially Unsponsored‘. Love an ad that isn’t just an ad. In this case, flipping the script on team sponsorships, the team is using their print – and their jerseys – to drum up sponsors among local businesses. With a QR code on their kits and the ads, the ad becomes a two way conversation instead of a one way message. (I do hope their jerseys soon get covered with brand logos.)
Runner Up: Meals On Wheels SA ‘The World’s Best Tasting Scone‘. Using a lovely misdirect, this ad is subtle but effective. With a succulent looking image of the scone, it’s really only once you read the copy that you realize the totally unexpected thing that makes that scone so tasty.
Winner: Heineken ‘Best Served Warm‘. There’s nothing like a warm pub in the middle of a cold spell. Heineken makes a brilliant play into that truth with contextual out of home ads, which not only reflect the cold weather everyone’s trapped in but drive to nearby pubs, drumming up business for beer. Doesn’t hurt that the ads feature clever art direction using the frosted glass of a pub door to create the semblance of a frosted glass of beer. Aces all around.
Runner Up: St John WA ‘Little Acts of Help‘. With cheeky copy, these OOH stencils show up in places to point out the unexpected dangers nearby. The dialed in contextual placements offer hyper-local relevance and a reinforcement that St Johns is always there to help you out when you need it.
Winner: Spotify and Liquid Death ‘Eternal Playlist Urn‘. Another “from left field and yet so damnably great” type of idea that Liquid Death is becoming famous for. This concept has a supremely tight connection to both brands and what they’re about, solving the problem of what you’ll be listening to in the afterlife. Love that they actually produced the urns, a collector’s item, in limited run – not only about a product innovation, but a nod back to the brand’s ethos and name: they are unshy about the concept of death, and will make sure we can bop when we get there.
Runner Up: XXXX ‘Watch Grass Grow. Drink Beer‘. Humans are simple creatures. Make it easy for us to be virtuous and we will. Love this idea of rewarding someone’s contribution to an important cause like Great Barrier Reef revitalization by giving them some of their favorite thing: beer.
Juliana is a creative leader based in New York with roots in California, Canada and – if you join her in the way-way back machine – even India and Nepal. She’s currently heading up Creative at 72andSunny New York, after making a mark at storied New York agencies BBDO and Droga5.
Blending innovative thinking with meaningful storytelling, Juliana aims for work that moves people and business at the same time. A simple recipe that’s led to award winning work among a long list of brands that includes Starbucks, GE, AT&T, Prudential, Pinterest, Blue Apron, Chase, and the global platform “We Got You Baby,” for Huggies. Her work has earned recognition from creativity and effectiveness awards shows including Cannes Lions, One Show, D&AD, AICP, ADC, Effie, NY Festival, CICLOPE, and the Webby’s, among others.
Growing up as a consummate outsider was a boon. No better way to develop an almost bottomless empathy and a lens on the world that’s inherently open minded. Both of which are essentials in creativity that hits the mark.
Now, Manhattan is home with a furry roommate named Bean.
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