The Honda Diesel spot “Grrr” out of Wieden + Kennedy, London, continues to dominate the 2005 advertising awards show circuit, scoring the grand prize at the 20th annual London International Advertising Awards. “Grrr” is a fanciful, animated ad that tells the story of how Kenichi Nagahiro, an engineer at Honda, hated what were then the standard diesel engines. So he wound up creating a new, more efficient diesel engine, the VTEC. The spot features diesel engines flying through a colorful landscape filled with bunnies and rainbows while a catchy tune, performed by Garrison Keillor, asks: “Can hate be good?” The answer, in the form of the new engine, is yes. The team of Smith and Foulkes–Alan and Adam–of Nexus Productions, London, directed the commercial.
In addition to its grand prize, “Grrr” also scored in the automotive category and in the original music with lyrics category. (The London office of bicoastal/international Amber Music created the soundtrack for the ad.) The grand prize at the LIAA joins a list of honors for “Grrr” that include the Grand Prix at the Cannes International Advertising Festival, Best of Show at the One Show, the GRANDY at the ANDY Awards, a Gold at the Design and Art Direction (D&AD) Awards, as well as recognition at the Association of Independent Commercial Producers (AICP) Show.
A trio of spots for Fakta–“Barcode 1,” “Barcode 2” and “Moving Goods”–won the campaign honor. The spots, which promote furniture stores, were done via agency Uncle Grey, Arhus, Denmark. Jan Gleie of Lassie Film, Copenhagen, directed the ads. “Barcode 1” was additionally honored in the retail stores category.
Three spots for the Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired of Hamburg were honored in the low budget campaign category. The ads, “Country Doctor,” “Operation” and “Clarification Point,” were done via Grabarz & Partners, Hamburg, and produced by VCC Perfect Pictures, Hamburg.
In the banking/financial services category, “Tribeca,” out of Ogilvy & Mather, New York, was honored. The spot, which features actor Robert De Niro, was directed by Martin Scorcese and produced via bicoastal Tool of North America. The spot was also singled out for its cinematography; Robert Richardson served as DP on the ad. (He is repped as a commercials director by Tool of North America.) Ogilvy & Mather also saw its Kodak package “The Gallery” honored in the corporate video category; Joe Pytka of Venice, Calif.-based PYTKA directed.
Scoring in the alcoholic beverages category was Miller Lite’s “Victims,” directed by Rocky Morton of bicoastal/international MJZ, for Young & Rubicam, Chicago. The DirecTV ad “TV Wants More” won for utilities. The commercial, out of BBDO New York, was directed by Noam Murro of Biscuit Filmworks, Los Angeles.
In the low budget category, “Static Cling,” for Loyola Marymount University was honored. Michael Downing directed the ad via harvest, Santa Monica, for agency Ignited Minds, Marina del Rey, Calif.
“Boardroom,” for Science World, out of Rethink, Vancouver, B.C., won in the retail services category. Downing directed the spot via Radke Films, Toronto. Another Downing-directed spot, “Dueling Sitars” for CMT out of Zig, Toronto, was honored in the media promotions category; it was also produced via Radke. (Downing is now repped in Canada by untitled, Toronto.) Halls Coughdrops’ “Doctors Office,” out of JWT, Toronto, and directed by Mark Mainguy of Steam Films, Toronto, won in the pharmaceuticals category.
“I Got Life,” for Muller, was honored in the food category. Jeff Thomas of The Paul Weiland Film Company, London, directed the spot for TBWA/London. In the corporate category, “World Wide Whatever” for Skynet Blegacom was singled out. Lionel Goldstein of Czar.BE, Brussels, directed the spot for agency mortierbrigade, Brussels. “Prisoner,” for Glad Refuse Bags was honored for home maintenance; Oscar Strauss of Picture Tree, Johannesburg, directed the ad for DDB South Africa, Johannesburg.
“Distorted Dogs” for Olympus was honored in the recreation equipment category. Noam Murro directed the ad via Tony Peterson Films, Hamburg, and Biscuit Filmworks. Springer & Jacoby, Amsterdam was the agency.
In public service/social welfare, “Magic,” for the Peruvian Children Cancer Foundation was honored. Created by Leo Burnett Del Peru, Lima, the ad was directed by Tito Köster and Alvaro Velarde Beto Gutiérrez of El Clan, Lima.
CRAFT HONORS
Winning for direction/dialogue was Levi’s “Bike,” out of Bartle Bogle Hegarty, London. Nick Gordon of Academy, London, directed. For direction/visual, Stella Artois’ “Ice Skating Priests” was honored; Jonathan Glazer of Academy directed the ad for Lowe, London. An honor for new director/broadcast went to directors/animators Ole Peters and Timo Schadel of Sehsucht, Hamburg, Germany, for the Mercedes-Benz spot “Sounds of Summer” out of Springer & Jacoby, Hamburg.
The Volkswagen Golf GTI spot “Singin’ In The Rain,” directed by Ne-O of Stink, London, for BMP DDB, London, was honored for computer animation. MPC, London, worked on the spot’s effects. Starbuck’s “Glen,” out of Fallon, New York, and directed by Murro of Biscuit was honored for special adaptation of music; bicoastal Elias Arts worked on the spot’s soundtrack. The honor for sound design went to Nabu’s “Diver,” directed by Thomas Wildner of Markenfilm, Wedel, Germany, for Young & Rubicam, Frankfurt. Michael Besler of Eardrum Studios, Hamburg, created the spot’s sound design. Hewlett-Packard’s “Picture Book,” out of Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, San Francisco, and directed by Francois Vogel of Paranoid Projects: Tool was honored for special effects. A team of artists at Zoic Studios, Los Angeles, created effects for the ad. “True Men” for Volkswagen out of DDB Germany, Berlin, and directed by Steve Miller of bicoastal/international @radical.media, was honored for editing. Sven Budelman cut the spot.
