MJZ topped the list of production companies honored at the 18th annual AICP Show, The Art & Technique of the American Commercial, presented by the Association of Independent Commercial Producers. MJZ received 10 honors. The Show, chaired by Steve Golin, Chairman/CEO of Anonymous Content, debuted last night at The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York. Nearly 2,000 members of the advertising and production industry gathered to view the Show, an hour-long compendium of the best commercials of the year. Following its premiere at MoMA, the Show will tour museums and cultural institutions around the country and abroad.
This year’s honorees – along with the entire Show archive – are available for viewing at www.aicpshow.com.
Each category of the Show may have up to three honorees, with the exception of Advertising Excellence/Single Commercial and Advertising Excellence/Campaign, which may have only one honoree each, making those pieces Best in Show. “Piñata” for Skittles, directed by Tom Kuntz of MJZ, was honored for Advertising Excellence/Single Commercial. The Crest campaign comprising “Bulldozer,” “Lice,” and “Pre Nup,” directed by Harold Einstein of Station Film, was honored in Advertising Excellence/Campaign.
With 10 honors, MJZ topped the field of honored production companies. Skittles “Piñata” ” honored in Advertising Excellence/Single Commercial, was also singled out for Humor and Performance/Dialogue. Also scoring in Performance/Dialogue was “Tailor” for Skittles; Lexus’ “Lift Off” was honored for Production; while CareerBuilder’s “Tips” was singled out for Visual Style. Altoids’ “Promotion” was honored for Production Design, while “Field Generals” for Jordan Brand scored in Sound Design; Pepsi “Refresh” was honored for Musical Arrangement.
Biscuit Filmworks was honored in eight categories: Comcast Powerboost’s “Rabbit” was singled out for Visual Effects, Agency Art Direction, and copywriting. “Polar Bear” for the Environmental Defense Fund and Ad Council was honored for Public Service Announcement, Agency Art Direction and Next Viral/Web Film. Vote 2008’s “Palin as President: A Heartbeat Away” scored for Low Budget, while AMP Energy Drink’s “Walk of No Shame” was honored for Copywriting.
Anonymous Content scored five honors, all for Nike work. “Fate” was singled out in Editorial and Cinematography; while “Next Level” scored for Cinematography and in Production; “Chalk” was honored for Visual Style.
Bob Industries, Psyop and Superfad all received four honors each; Prettybird and Station Film both received three honors.
Director Tom Kuntz of MJZ was the most honored director in the Show. He directed Skittles “Piñata,” which was singled out for Advertising Excellence/Single Commercial, Humor, and Performance/Dialogue. His four additional honors were for: Advertising Excellence/International (Cadbury’s “Eyebrows); Visual Style (CareerBuilder’s “Tips); Production Design (Altoids’ “Promotion”); and Performance/Dialogue (Skittles “Tailor”).
Directors Tim Godsall of Biscuit Filmsworks and Robert Rugan of Superfad each received four honors. Rugan was singled out for “Get It On” for Durex, which topped Humor, Next Viral/Web Film, Sound Design and Low Budget. Godsall directed “Polar Bears” for the Environmental Defense Fund and Ad Council, which scored for Public Service Announcement, Next Viral/Web Film, and Agency Art Direction. AMP Energy Drink’s “Walk of No Shame” was singled out for Copywriting.
Harold Einstein of Station Film, Mike Geiger of Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, Paul Hunter of Prettybird, and Noam Murro of Biscuit Filmworks each received three honors.
Among agency honorees, Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, San Francisco, led the field with 12 honors. “There Can Only Be One,” for NBA, TNT, ESPN/ABC, and “HD Loves HB” were honored for Next Integrated Campaign. General Electric’s “GE Ecomagination,” Doritos “Hotel 626,” and Sprint “NOW” were honored for Next Website/Microsite. Comcast Powerboost’s “Rabbit” scored for Agency Art Direction, Copywriting, and Visual Effects. HP’s “Maestro” and Hewlett Packard’s “Fergie” both scored for Graphic Design. Vote2008’s “Palin As President: A Heartbeat Away” was honored in Low Budget.
Wieden + Kennedy scored five honors, all for Nike. “Fate” was honored for Cinematography and Editorial; “Wake Up Call” also scored in Editorial. “Chalk” was singled out for Visual Style; while “Sanders-Conversations from the Inside” scored in Animation.
Fitzgerald + CO, Ogilvy New York, and TBWAChiatDay were each honored in four categories. “Get in On” for Durex, out of Fitzgerald + CO scored for Humor, Sound Design, Low Budget, and Next Viral/Web Film.
The Environmental Defense Fund and Ad Council’s “Polar Bear,” from Ogilvy New York, was honored for Next Viral/Web Film, Public Service Announcement, and Agency Art Direction. “Members Project” for American Express was singled out for Original Music.
TBWAChiatDay was honored for Skittles “Piñata,” which scored for Advertising Excellence/Single Commercial, Humor, and Performance/Dialogue—”Tailor” for Skittles was also honored for Performace/Dialogue.
72andSunny, Barrie D’Rozario Murphy, BBH, and Saatchi & Saatchi, each received three honors. 72andSunny was singled out for Nike’s “Next Level” (Production and Cinematography); while “I Love the World” for the Discovery Channel was honored for Musical Arrangement.
United Airlines’ “Heart” and “Sea Orchestra” from Barrie D’Rozario Murphy were honored, respectively, for Agency Art Direction and Animation. Chambers Hotel “Chambers Video Art Piece” scored in Next Experiential.
BBH scored Integrated Campaign honors for NYC & Co. and Warner Bros.’ “Oasis Dig Out Your Soul.” Audi’s “Gymnast” was honored for Visual Style and Sound Design.
Saatchi & Saatchi was honored for Advertising Excellence/Campaign for Crest’s “Bulldozer,” “Lice,” and “Pre Nup.” “Bulldozer” was additionally honored for Humor, while “Lice” was singled out for Copywriting.
The AICP Show reel features custom-designed graphics by Imaginary Forces, with an original score by Sacred Noise. The Show Sponsor piece was created by Trollbäck + Company, with music by Sacred Noise.
Over 300 judges from across the country, and a blue ribbon Curatorial Committee comprised of distinguished members of the industry from advertising agencies, production companies, editorial companies, and many others, selected the honored work. A separate panel of leading-edge creative practitioners, chaired by Jamie Barrett, Partner/Creative Director at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, San Francisco, judged the Next categories.
After its debut at MoMA, the Show goes on tour across the United States and abroad. The Show will screen in Los Angeles on July 22nd at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. The Show will be in Dallas on October 21st; in Miami on October 30th; and in Chicago on November 19th. Tour dates for San Francisco, Minneapolis, and Richmond, Va., are to be determined.
ABOUT AICP
Founded in 1972, the AICP represents, exclusively, the interests of United States companies that specialize in producing commercials in various media—film, video, digital—for advertisers and agencies. The association, with national offices in New York and Los Angeles as well as regional chapters across the country, serves as a strong collective voice for this $5-plus billion industry, disseminating information; representing the production industry within the advertising community, in business circles, in labor negotiations and before governmental officials; developing industry standards and tools; providing professional development; and marketing American production.
