With seven Gold, 11 Silver and 11 Bronze medals at The New York Festivals International Advertising Awards held last night at the Metropolitan Pavilion in Manhattan, the German agency Jung von Matt took home the prestigious Agency of the Year Award, with Volkswagen winning Advertiser of the Year honors on the strength of nine Gold, six Silver and seven Bronze medals.
In an innovative approach to television advertising Jung von Matt designed an entire “Commercial Break” to feature DHL. Opening and closing shots portray a DHL delivery man receiving and dropping off packages and then feature the truck en route during normal commercial spots for brands such as Ricola and Rama.
One of the many impressive Volkswagen endeavors came out of Grabarz & Partner Werbeagentur GmbH, of Hamburg, Germany, which took an auteur approach to its Gold-winning TV spot for the Volkswagen Phaeton. Filmed in black and white, the commercial uses silhouette shadows of hands to create an otherworldly universe of swans, blooming plants and other ethereal creatures. The montage clears back to a simple shadow of hands to reveal the question “Isn’t It Beautiful What Hands Can Do?” The hands then close in on the phrase and open up to reveal the car and the text “Phaeton. Hand Made Perfection.”
The Grand TV/Cinema honor went to Vegaolmosponce, Buenos Aires, for its Axe deodorant spot “Shower/Fish.”
Three of Jung von Matt’s Golds were in TV/cinema: the aforementioned DHL work; bigFM’s “Speakers” and Solon AG’s “Hail. The return of the sun.”
Also scoring three TV/cinema Golds was DDB Group Germany GmbH, Berlin, and Publicis Mojo New Zealand, Auckland. DDB Group Germany won two of its TV/cinema Golds for “Horror Movie” (in the Cinema and Automobile categories) and “Cuckoo Clock” (in the Humor category). Publicis Mojo New Zealand garnered three TV/cinema Golds on the basis of a single spot, “Breathe” (Cinema, Environmental Issues, Direct Response categories).
Among the notable U.S. Gold winners in TV/cinema were: Arnold Worldwide, Boston, and Crispin Porter + Bogusky, Miami, for American Legacy Foundation’s “Truth” campaign “Singing Cowboy,” “Sodium Hydroxide” and “Garbage Cans”; Grupo Gallegos, Long Beach, Calif., for Energizer’s “Immortal”; Santa Monica production house harvest for the AIDS Awareness PSA “Roulette”; Leo Burnett , Chicago, for Ariston’s “Underwater World”; Lowe New York for GMC Acadia’s “Inspiration”; Outside Editorial, New York, for Jaguar’s “XK Launch” and Hyundai’s “Life Shapes”; and Santa Monica production company Tight for Dow’s “The Human Element.”
Winners from 68 countries were recognized at this year’s International Advertising Awards competition.
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt Reach Divorce Settlement After 8 Years
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have reached a divorce settlement, ending one of the longest and most contentious divorces in Hollywood history but not every legal issue between the two.
Jolie and Pitt signed off on a default declaration filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Monday, saying they have entered into a written agreement on their marital and property rights. The settlement was first reported by People magazine.
"More than eight years ago, Angelina filed for divorce from Mr. Pitt," Jolie's attorney, James Simon, said in a statement. "She and the children left all of the properties they had shared with Mr. Pitt, and since that time she has focused on finding peace and healing for their family. This is just one part of a long ongoing process that started eight years ago. Frankly, Angelina is exhausted, but she is relieved this one part is over."
The filing says they give up the right to any future spousal financial support, but gives no other details. A judge will need to sign off on the agreement. An email late Monday night to Pitt's attorney seeking comment was not immediately answered.
Jolie, 49, and Pitt, 61, were among Hollywood's most prominent pairings for 12 years, two of them as a married couple. The Oscar winners have six children together.
Jolie filed for divorce in 2016, after a private jet flight from Europe during which she said Pitt physically abused her and their children. The FBI and child services officials investigated Pitt's actions on the flight. Two months later, the FBI released a statement saying it would not investigate further, and the U.S. attorney did not bring charges.
A heavily redacted FBI report obtained by The Associated Press in 2022 said that an agent provided a probable cause... Read More