The New York Festivals 2000 International Television & Cinema Advertising, Public Service Announcements and New Media awards, and the AME (Advertising/ Marketing Effectiveness) International Awards, honored industry professionals last week (2/2) at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in Manhattan.
Four gold winners from the ad arena earned best of show distinction. Budweiser’s "Whassup/ Wasabi," via DDB Chicago, directed by Charles Stone III of C&C/Storm Films (now Storm), Brooklyn, N.Y., won best commercial. "Whassup/Wasabi" extends the popular Budweiser campaign to a Japanese restaurant.
Best campaign honors went to Amazon.com’s "I Spent Two Minutes," "Just a Few Days To Go" and "Tons of Toys," through FCB, San Francisco, which ironically has since lost the account. Amazon.com’s singing sweatermen were directed by Joe Public, of bicoastal Headquarters.
Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, San Francisco, and director Chris Smith of Los Angeles-based Independent Media won best creative/production achievement for Pacific Bell’s "COPS," "Neighborhood" and "Mailman"
And rounding out the best-of-show quartet was McCann-Erickson Spa, Milan’s PSA for the Italian Parkinsonian Assn., "Mr. Parkinson," which portrays the disease as a silent man directing his victims’ movements. Directed by Ago Panini via Film Master, Milan, the spot won the best public service grand award.
Garnering gold were several other notable ads. Best editing went to Russell Icke of The Whitehouse, London, for Nike’s "Mission," out of Wieden+ Kennedy, Portland Ore.—a spot directed by Tarsem of bicoastal/ international @radical.media. Best effects went to Digital Domain, Venice, Calif., for its work on Levi’s "Invisible Man," via TBWA/Chiat/Day, Los Angeles and San Francisco, a spot helmed by Michael Bay, then of bicoastal/international Propaganda Films. (Bay has since departed Propaganda and has his own yet to be named shop in partnership with executive producer Scott Gardenhour.) Digital Domain’s executive producers Gabby Gourrier and Patrick Davenport; visual effects supervisor Fred Raimondi; compositing supervisor Scott Rader and lead compositor Perri Wainwright worked on the spot.
CLM/BBDO, Issy Les Moulineaux, France, won golds in two categories: Soft drink for Pepsi’s "Vending Machine," directed by Kinka Usher of House of Usher, Santa Monica; and household appliances, with Brandt Group’s "The Dishwasher," "The Oven" and "The Fridge," directed by Remy Belvaux of Quad, Paris.
McCann-Erickson London won gold medals for cinematography (Bacardi Carta Blanca’s "Boxer," from director/cinematographer Tony Kaye of Tony Kaye Films, London and Santa Monica), and for cinema commercial (Camel’s "Intense Pleasure," directed by Who?fl Liam Kan and Grant Hodgsonflof Great Guns, London). Ogilvy & Mather’s Frankfurt office won two golds: for Kondomshop-fun.de’s "Teddy Bear," directed by Andreas Botschka of Gambit Film und Fernsehproduktion, Ludwigsburg, Germany; and SWR Television’s "Counting Sheep." The agency’s Hong Kong office won gold for Clarion Capital Group/ miclub.com’s "Questions," directed by Maisy Choi of Such Films, Hong Kong.
Young & Rubicam (Y&R) also won three Gold WorldMedals, the best known work being from the agency’s Chicago office: H&R Block Tax Services’ "Worried About Bill" campaign directed by Craig Gillespie who at the time was with bicoastal Coppos Films. (Gillespie has since joined bicoastal Morton Jankel Zander). Y&R Mexico, Mexico City, also won for the PSA "Old Man" directed by Miguel Icaza. And Y&R Peru, Lima, garnered gold for Life Style condoms’ "Father’s Day," directed by Claudio Duran of Incafilms Productora & Publicidad, Lima.
The AME grand award went to McCann-Erickson, New York, for Mastercard’s "Priceless" campaign, winning best of show, best product/service for the second year in a row. AME’s best of show/special recognition award went to Storakers, Stockholm, an independent agency within McCann-Erickson. The shop won for Internet portal Spray’s "Could you please explain that Spray and Internet thing" campaign.
The 2000 United Nations Awards, given by the United Nations Department of Public Information and the New York Festivals, awarded a gold plaque to a public service TV campaign: The Dutch Refugee Foundation’s "Spanish Food," "One Day Later" and "Hiking" out of TBWA/ Campaign Company, Amsterdam, directed by Edward van Tilburg and Lukas van de Ven.
