Budweiser’s popular "Whassup" campaign out of DDB Chicago copped the Grand Prize at the London International Advertising Awards (LIAA) held earlier this week (11/13) at London’s Royal Lancaster Hotel. The spots—"Whassup/True," "Whassup/Wasabi," "Whassup/Call Waiting" and "Whassup/Pizza Guy," all directed by Charles Stone of C&C Films/Storm Films, Brooklyn, N.Y.—additionally topped the LIAA campaign category. Stone also served as copywriter, along with Vinny Warren of DDB, on the "Whassup" ads.
The commercials, which feature a group of friends using the now-ubiquitous phrase "Whassup" to greet one another over the phone, an apartment intercom, and in person, have dominated recent award shows, scoring the Grand Prix at the Cannes International Advertising Festival and the Grand Clio at the Clio Awards. "Whassup/True" also garnered recognition from the Association of Independent Commercial Producers (AICP) Show, collecting an honor in the humor category.
Yet while "Whassup" continues to score impressively, the LIAA competition was also marked in a sense by those ads that didn’t fare so well. Judges declined to select winners in assorted television/ cinema categories, including animation, apparel, automotive products, media promotion, movie trailer, office equipment, recreation equipment, entertainment, and home entertainment.
"[What] was reflected with the judges’ marking was that the quality [of the entrants in those categories] was just not enough to award statues," said Danielle Sterrie, VP of the LIAA. Sterrie also noted that the LIAA does not have a policy of giving awards for categories just because those categories exist. "We feel that the only way to maintain the highest standards, and in doing so, our own credibility, as well as that of our clients, is to tell the judges that they mark exactly as they feel fit," she continued. "And if they feel that there is nothing that warrants a statue winner, [then there is no winner] … The results [in some of the categories] are a reflection of the work entered this year."
There were 6,920 entries for the television/cinema categories, up from last year’s total of 6,817. Of those entries, 479 were finalists. Awards were bestowed in a total of 35 categories.
Jury chairman Trevor Beattie of TBWA GGT Simons Palmer, London, headed the television/ cinema awards judging; Beattie also oversaw the print and radio juries. David Streek of Deepend Design, London, chaired the interactive media jury.
U.S. agencies and companies were dominant at the LIAA, winning 17 of the 35 television/ cinema categories. BBDO New York led U.S. agencies with six awards. BBDO’s Olympics sponsorship ad for Visa, "Synchronized Commercialism," won in the banking/financial and cinematography categories. It was directed and shot by David Cornell of bicoastal Headquarters. Another BBDO spot, FedEx’s "Oz," also topped a pair of categories—retail services and special effects. "Oz" was directed by Joe Pytka of Venice, Calif.-based PYTKA, with special visual effects done by Quiet Man, New York. BBDO’s other two television/cinema category winners were: Mountain Dew’s "Cheetah," helmed by Kinka Usher of House of Usher, Santa Monica, which was selected the best non-alcoholic beverage ad; and FedEx’s "Action Figures," directed by Bryan Buckley of bicoastal/international hungry man, which topped the humor category.
DDB had the second-most honors for a U.S. agency, with three wins, the aforementioned Grand Prize and best campaign for Budweiser, and Dairy Management’s "Cheese," which was honored as best dairy products commercial. "Cheese" was directed by David Kellogg through bicoastal/international Propaganda Films. (Kellogg has since shifted his representation to bicoastal Anonymous.)
Other stateside agencies that won in the LIAA television/cinema competition included Bozell, New York, which topped the corporate category, with the spot "Tornado," for The New York Times, and directed by Gerard de Thame of bicoastal HSI Productions and Gerard de Thame Films, London. Cybercash’s "Stared At," helmed by Jeff Gorman of JGF, Hollywood, out of Katsin/Loeb, San Francisco, took the dot-com category. Publicis & Hal Riney, Chicago, won the home furnishings/appliances category with Whirlpool Appliance’s "Change," directed by Patricia Murphy of Patricia Murphy Films, London. (Murphy is handled stateside by Bravo Zulu, Santa Monica.) The Richards Group, Dallas, won the travel category with "Cirque de Soleil" for Wyndham Hotels. The spot was helmed by Kevin Donovan of bicoastal Bedford Falls.
The best public service campaign honor went to the American Legacy Foundation’s Anti-tobacco "Truth Campaign," out of Arnold Communications, Boston, and Crispin Porter+Bogusky Advertising, Miami. The American Legacy spots—"Body Bag," "Lie Detector," "Operation Hypnosis," and "Shredder"—were directed by Christian Hoagland of Redtree Productions, Boston and New York.
Indeed, U.S.-based production and postproduction companies were well represented in the LIAA winners’ circle. Earning best direction/visual distinction was helmer Bruce Dowad of Bruce Dowad Associates, Hollywood, for the Mercedes-Benz ad, "They Invented," through Merkley Newman Harty, New York. The award for best direction/dialogue went to David Denneen of bicoastal/international Cylo, for Discover Card’s "Friendly Reminder," out of Goodby, Silverstein & Partners (GSP), San Francisco. (Denneen has since departed Cylo and joined Anonymous.) Best editing honors went to editor/partner Sherri Margulies of bicoastal Crew Cuts for E*Trade’s "TriMount Studios," via GS&P, and helmed by hungry man’s Buckley.
Yessian Music, Farmington Hills, Mich., and New York, topped the original music with lyrics category for the Ford Motor Company’s "Just Wave Hello." The eponymous song was composed by Danny Beckerman of Yessian, and performed by Charlotte Church. Edouard Nammour of Cylo helmed the ad via J. Walter Thompson, Detroit. Sound designer Kim B. Christensen of Noises Digital, Berkley, Calif., won the sound design category for Toyota Tundra’s "Spectacular Reveal," out of Saatchi & Saatchi LA, Torrance, Calif. Lance Kelleher of Ritts/Hayden, Los Angeles, directed the Toyota spot.
Canadian agencies also fared well at the LIAA, picking up four awards. Molson Canadian Beer’s "The Rant," out of Bensimon Byrne D’Arcy, Toronto, and directed by the aforementioned Donovan through his Canadian roost, Mad Films, Toronto, won the beverages/ alcoholic category. Salon Selectives’ "Customized Family," also helmed by Donovan, out of Taxi Advertising and Design, Toronto, topped the cosmetics/ toiletries category. Cantel AT&T Digital One Rate’s "Immigration," out of Gee, Jeffery & Partners Advertising, Toronto, and directed by Richard D’Alessio of Imported Artists, Toronto, picked up honors in the utilities category. (D’Alessio is represented stateside by Shooting Gallery Productions, New York.) Rounding out the Canadian work represented at the festival was a win in the low budget category for "Elevator," for Mental Health Awareness out of Toothin Theatre, Toronto. The ad was helmed by the spot’s creative director/copywriter, Park Bench.
Australia also picked up four awards at the LIAA. "Dog’s Bollocks," for Supercoat Dogfood out of The Campaign Palace, Sydney, and helmed by Bruce Hunt out of bicoastal/ international @radical.media, topped pet products. Meanwhile, Officeworks Superstores "Bill’s Business," directed by Clayton Jacobson of The Film Business, Melbourne, via Young & Rubicam Mattingly, Melbourne, won the retail stores category. Two Australian ads also topped music categories. "Midnight Trolley" for SBS Television, out of BAM SSB, Sydney, and helmed by Derin Seale of Prodigy Films, Sydney, took honors for original music scoring. Rafael May of Rafael May Music Design, Sydney, created the score. Additionally, Zurich Insurance’s "Because Life Changes," directed by Steve Rogers of Revolver, Sydney, out of Foster Nunn Loveder, Sydney, topped the special adaptation of music category. The music company was Fresh Music, Sydney, with arrangement by Ken Francis.
Agencies based in the U.K. were represented in three categories. The U.K. garnered its prizes in the foods category for Tabasco’s "Missile," out of Ogilvy & Mather, London, and helmed by Graham Fink of The Paul Weiland Film Company, London. Additionally, London agency CDP picked up the award for best personal/gift item ad for "Happiness Will Always Be A Cigar Called Hamlet," for Gallaher’s Hamlet Cigars, which was helmed by Mike Stevenson of The Paul Weiland Film Company. Rounding out the U.K. honorees was Leo Burnett Co., London, in the retail foods category for McDonald’s "McRuby," directed by Steve Reeves of Stark Films, London.
Germany scored two awards in the public service and automotive categories. Countries with a single win were: Poland, Brazil, France and Argentina. The LIAA honor for best low budget campaign went to the Type & Magic Print Production Company’s "Hidden Camera Fun" package of spots directed by Fabio Zelarrayan of Cinergy, Buenos Aires, out of Ogilvy & Mather Argentina, Buenos Aires.
There were 23 awards given for interactive, 27 for radio, 37 for print, and 13 for package design. The Grand Prize in interactive was awarded to Volkswagen of America’s www.turbonium.com site for the New Beetle; the site was created by Arnold Communications, Boston.
Below is a complete list of the 2000 LIAA television/cinema category winners:
