Three commercials-"Big," "Beach" and "Missed"-in the ESPN2 2Night "Knowledge" campaign conceived by Marina del Rey, Calif.-based agency Ground Zero took the coveted best of show Sweepstakes honor in the Advertising Club of Los Angeles’ 33rd annual Belding Awards competition. The offbeat ads-directed by Dante Ariola of bicoastal/international Propaganda Films-also topped the Belding category of best three-spot package.
The Sweepstakes winning spots literally elicit a warm, fuzzy feeling as they feature "Knowledge," a fur ball character who represents the knowledge of a couch potato sports fan. The more knowledgeable the fan becomes, the larger his furry sidekick.
Ground Zero’s team on "Knowledge" included creative directors Court Crandall and Kirk Souder, art director Guy Shelmerdine, writer Grant Holland and producer Corey Bartha.
Ground Zero also took the complete campaign Belding Bowl for an ESPNews package comprised of two TV spots, "Colors" and "Big Heads-Little Bodies," and a print ad entitled "The Rick, Rosin." The commercials were directed by Christopher Guest of bicoastal Moxie Pictures. The creative team consisted of creative directors Crandall and Souder, art director Shelmerdine, writer Steve O’Brien and agency producer Patricia Phelan.
And rounding out Ground Zero’s TV Belding winning entries was Genesee Brewing Co.’s "Try Two Weeks" which topped the under $50,000 production budget category. The humorous ad was directed by Neil Tardio Jr. of bicoastal Fahrenheit Films. The agency artisans were creative directors Crandall and Souder, art directors Souder and Gavin Milner, writers Crandall and Alec Beckett, and agency producers Bartha and Heidi Hawkins.
Also scoring in the TV portion of the Belding competition was Rubin Postaer and Associates, Santa Monica, for its VH-1 ad, "Satisfaction," directed by Jon Kane of Celsius Films, New York. The spot won in the media promotion category. Larry Postaer was creative director; David Smith served as the writer; Joe Baratelli was the art director; Gary Paticoff is head of production at the agency. Additionally Rubin Postaer Interactive took the Belding in the interactive category for its work on a Honda automobiles Website (www. honda1999.com).
Topping the restaurant category was Jack In The Box’s humorous political campaign parody, "Election Ad" out of Santa Monica agency Kowloon Wholesale Seafood Company. Agency credits go to creative director/writer Dick Sittig, art director Michael Gaw and producer Nancy Koch. Sittig directed the spot via bicoastal/international @radical.media.
Named best TV retail spot was Levi’s "Ass" from TBWA/ Chiat/Day, Los Angeles. The ad was directed by Mark Coppos of bicoastal Coppos Films. The agency ensemble consisted of creative director/art director Lee Clow, copywriter Mark Fenske and agency producer Jennifer Golub.
Taking the cars/trucks/SUV category was a Mitsubishi Dealers commercial, "Nightclub," out of Deutsch LA, Santa Monica. The agency contingent was comprised of creative director Eric Hirshberg, art director Karen Costello, writer David Locascio and producer Elizabeth Giersbrook. The people/dialogue portion of the spot was directed by Paul Goldman, then of the now defunct Lovinger/ Cohn & Associates. Goldman is now with Cohn & Company, New York. The car shots in "Nightclub" were helmed by Christian Hoagland of Redtree Productions, Boston.
Copping the Belding for best pro bono public service spot was the Partnership For A Drug-Free America’s "Surfing Monkey" from Team One Advertising, El Segundo, Calif. Agency credits go to creative directors Tom Cordner, Steve Levit and Josh Miller, art directors Greg Wells and Marne Brobeck, writer Greg Collins and producer Julie Shannon. "Surfing Monkey" was directed by Kyle Bergersen of November Films, Santa Monica.
And the foreign language campaign winner was Anita Santiago Advertising, Santa Monica, for its Carl’s Jr. spots "Hip-hop," "Bolero" and "Gaucho Malambo" directed by Luis Aira of Moving Image, West Hollywood. Creative directors were Anita Santiago and Diego Pombo. The writer was Carlos Gonzalez, and Mayra Soto produced for the agency.
The Belding Awards ceremony was held last month at the Wiltern Theatre, Los Angeles.
