Matt Miller, president and CEO of the Association of Independent Commercial Producers (AICP), has announced the AICP Show & AICP Next Awards Shortlists. The winners of the AICP Show and AICP Next Awards will be revealed during AICP Week, a celebration of advertising in the motion image. Reflecting a changing media landscape and methods for advertisers to reach consumers, the AICP Show adds three new categories this year. Concept recognizes excellence in the overall idea of a piece—thus combining the previous copywriting and art direction categories. Cause was added to recognize commercials produced by a brand promoting corporate responsibility and social good. And the Music Video category returns to the Show, reflecting the resurgence of excellence in the format. The AICP Next Awards this year added Experiential – Live Event/Broadcasts category, recognizes the unique complexities of creating brand promotion in live audience environments. All shortlisted pieces along with their corresponding credits may be viewed here.
The 2017 AICP Show chairperson is Lisa Mehling, owner/executive producer of Chelsea Pictures; the 2017 AICP Next Awards Judging chair is Nick Law, vice chairman and global chief creative officer of R/GA. Both serve as chairs of their hand-picked Curatorial Committees (click here for lists) that are made up of a virtual powerhouse of the best and the brightest in various disciplines in the industry. As part of the curatorial duties, these committees review all judging results, and have been tasked with assmbleing the final shows.
On the AICP Show Shortlist, the top five production companies mentioned are: MJZ, with 33 mentions; Smuggler, with 26 mentions; PRETTYBIRD, with 14 mentions; and Anonymous Content and Epoch Films, with nine each. For agencies, the top five mentions included work from various offices of: Wieden+Kennedy, with 26; TBWAMedia Arts Lab, with 20; BBDO and Droga5, with 13 each; and Venables Bell & Partners, with eleven. On the client side, Apple led with 20 mentions, followed by Nike with 17; both adidas and Kenzo had 10 each; and Squarespace had nine.
For the AICP Next Awards shortlist, on the production company side, Tool appeared seven times; Anonymous Content appeared six times; and Framestore, MediaMonks and Milk(vr) each appeared four times. The most mentioned ad agencies were R/GA with 11 shortlist mentions; the various offices of BBDO with 10; Goodby Silverstein & Partners and Wieden+Kennedy with nine each; and McCann (including work from Commonwealth//McCann) with six. For clients, Google led the pack with seven mentions. Nike appeared five times while both Samsung and The New York Times Magazine had four. The following brands appeared three times on the AICP Next Awards Shortlist, they are: Burger King, Lockheed Martin, SK-II, Tostitos, and Transport Accident Commission.
“The Shortlists are the results of the work of 500-plus judges including many of the top names in all facets of marketing communications,” said Miller. “The pieces they have recognized reflect this dynamic year and the constant evolution and ingenuity of media content. We look forward to unveiling the final results on June 6th and 7th and celebrating our industry during AICP Week.”
The AICP Show & AICP Next Awards will debut during AICP Week, which will take place in New York City June 5-7. The AICP Next Awards will be on June 6 at the Tishman Auditorium at The New School, and the AICP Show premieres at The Museum of Modern Art on June 7, before heading out on a national tour.
