Grand Prix 2019

“This year, we saw work that demonstrates agencies and clients working together to achieve something great. It’s important that this cooperation happens as we continue to build ideas, activations and experiences that have even more impact on our clients’ businesses than in the past. It’s no longer just about creating ads.

“There were also a number of entries that demonstrate the incredible depth of thought, development and execution that goes into work in the gaming space. Notably, in the depth of characters seen in My Life as a NPC, the geographic and travel inspiration in Visit Xbox and the use of in-game media channels in Green Dawn. The arrival of these ‘created virtual worlds’ marks a new opportunity for our industry, and it falls to all of us to develop an understanding of the new space.

“We continue to see global brands doing work that’s both for good and for growth; making ideas that are genuinely creative at the same time as solving a very real problem. In Brand Experience & Activation, we saw work that did something right for the brand and better for people creating an opportunity for business growth.”

“It is obvious that the application of AI is maturing and that data is becoming the toolbox of creativity. But data is bigger than just selling more. Awarded work in Creative Data solves problems, drives behaviour change and facilitates insights to trigger action.

“If traditional advertising has been about creating ‘wants’, then data today is answering deeper ‘needs’. With data as its map, creativity is telling the story of new destinations, solutions and possibilities. We have only just scratched the surface of this, and this area is bound to become even more interesting in years to come. Data is moving our business in to a space where we can truly excel with confidence.”

“This year’s work really challenged the idea of traditional eCommerce. It showed that us that eCommerce can be something that we continue to reinvent, and our 2019 winners really showcased the new breed of work redefining the category.

“What we saw in 2019 are game-changing ideas.There’s an opportunity to do really interesting things in this area, and eCommerce will continue to be at the heart of what we do for our clients. A good example of this is Pay it forward, an exceptional piece of work that relates directly to the circular economy and benefits those most in need of support.

“When it comes to eCommerce, an idea also needs to be what we call ‘cartable’. Did it work? Was it real-world? eCommerce is the ultimate way to measure success for clients. It’s also an opportunity to make a bigger difference and we’ll continue to see progressive work that encourages consumers to think about what they’re buying and how they’re buying it.”

“What was impressive about this year's crop of winners was the commitment to doing the right thing, instead of the easy thing. All of our winning pieces of work started out as incredibly challenging client briefs. By asking the right questions and maintaining a relentless curiosity, strategy was able to guide these briefs to bigger, better, braver answers.

“Much of the work also reminded us that it's not just data that matters, but what you do with it. Our winners did a commendable amount of research in order to arrive at the 'idea behind the idea'. But it was what they did with the insights uncovered along the way that unlocked the creative ideas that would go on to deliver results.”

“In 2019, there was an increase in reductive design. We saw work in Design stripping back the complication to allow the idea to breathe, with a strong use of bold colour to offset the minimalism. But the overwhelming trend was the need for design to positively impact the world: work that helps the planet and addresses important issues, and work that looks at inclusivity and equality. A reoccuring theme was work designed to empower people through accessibility, information and open source technology.”

“It’s clear that the lines are becoming increasingly blurred between both the physical and the digital worlds, as well as traditional and digital marketing. 2019 saw a lot of debate surrounding what it is that makes something ‘digital’. Ultimately, we saw truly great ideas from across the digital space coming to the forefront this year.”

“It was interesting to see brands becoming much more purpose-driven, starting to take a stand as opposed to simply talking about it. Brands are increasingly making use of new technology to take action, and that was one of the trends that came up frequently across Digital.”

“This year, we were confronted with work that redefined Digital Craft. On the one hand, we always look for pieces that are beautifully designed and executed in this area. The entries pushed beyond that and brought us work that challenged the status quo. Work in 2019 generated a lot of healthy and interesting debate around what exceptional digital craft really looks like today.

“The application of data in crafting ideas that go into the world and change behaviour was something we saw a lot of this year, too. This both surprised and delighted the Jury, adding an extra layer to some already fantastic pieces of work.”

“This year, we saw a move away from ‘one-off ideas’ (ideas that often have great immediate impact but disappear after a short time) towards more sustainable thinking. A great example of this is Grand Prix winner, The Tampon Book, a sustainable idea that not only had a huge immediate impact, but lived on and had a real lasting effect long after its launch.

“Gaming is also becoming a particularly powerful platform in its own right. Games are becoming tools for communication and brands are now using the medium to directly target audiences and deliver key messages. We saw a great example of this is in Direct in the form of Bronze winner, My Life as a NPC.”

“Overall the biggest theme was the age-old ‘is it advertising or is it entertainment?’ But I feel that we navigated this well thanks to a pretty robust set of criteria we’d applied at the start of judging. Second to that, what really guided the jury’s thinking on day2 was the nature of the message that we wanted to send to the industry and which brands can and should follow Entertainment strategies - that message being ‘it’s for everyone, not just those in entertainment already or those with the biggest budgets’.

“Purpose was a dominant theme this year. When taken on with authenticity, purpose is a powerful way of showing the world that brands can really change things. There’s a big movement towards brands wanting to use purpose to define their place in the world and that works best when those brands have a legitimate reason behind their message.

“There was also a move towards more interesting ways of approaching purpose. Brands that used humour as a means of landing a purposeful message, instead of pulling on heartstrings, were successful in 2019. That’s a trend that we hope will continue to emerge moving forward.

“It’s great to see brands using genuine entertainment to engage people with meaningful messages. Humour and wit are, and will always be, valuable tools that we can use to change minds or even (revolutionary as it sounds) sell something.”

“Nostalgia and heroes came up often in the work in Film Craft: the hero within, the unseen hero, the historic hero. We saw stories based on true stories, docu-dramas about amazing men and women, history re-told and stories of bravery in ordinary men and women.

“We saw observational and whimsical comedy, sarcasm, cheap trains, Christmas gifts, and fast food accompanied by flatmates adapting a global classic track with kitchen equipment. We celebrated the vagina and giggled at condoms, cried at prickly hedgehogs and marvelled at the quality of the shortlist.”

“We’re seeing a move away from the type of ‘one-off’ work that seems to be more short-term stunt than representative of a long-term philosophy. Going forward, we’ll continue to see more ‘sustainable thinking’: work that can continue to grow and develop in a meaningful way for a brand.

“We’ve also seen more brands entering this category, and many of this year’s awarded ideas were from brands of substantial size. Our world is changing quickly and brands must adapt. The goal will continue to be taking on a cause in a piece of work that can reap commercial benefits, as well as doing good. Doing ideas ‘for good’ and ‘for growth’ is good for everyone.

“This year, we also saw brands making money talk in a meaningful way and there were some exceptional ideas that tapped into commerce to help make the world better. The Non-Issue from L’Oreal and Vogue, DNB’s #GirlsInvest and Volvo Cars’ The E.V.A Initiative are all great examples of big brands investing in something bigger.”

“The very strongest work in Grand Prix for Good didn't just broadcast a message to people. It invited people in and demanded that they participate. That seemed to be the primary trend that came out in the pieces of work that we considered in this category.”

“This year, we saw more brands becoming advocates of social change. Essity tackled issues surrounding the representation of women and addressed unnecessary taboos around female genitalia with Viva La Vulva. And Ikea helped people living with disabilities to access and enjoy furniture with ThisAbles. Beyond this, we also sawLoFi Beats speaking to teenagers contemplating suicide and Guiness making valuable steps towards reducing excessive drinking. If brands can continue to tackle social issues and find creative solutions to help people, it can only be a healthy change for the better.”

“We saw a lot of work that addressed real problems through beautifully crafted and executed ideas. And what was particularly interesting about this was the generosity that came through across the Awards, whether it was work in media, communications or design.

“There was also a lot of reimagination woven throughout this year’s entries: re-telling old stories, challenging us to look at things in a different way and crafting ideas that reconsider art and design in a beautiful and creative way.”

“Our industry has a super power. We can educate and engage audiences, explore new solutions and illustrate potential, all at the same time. This year’s Innovation work used tech and data as powerful facilitators for work with strong creative compassion.

“In the future, it will be particularly interesting to see whether business model innovation makes a stronger imprint on this category. Innovation will move beyond tech and into behaviour change, as well as sustainable solutions.”

“In Integrated, it all starts with the central idea and the mission. And if both are strong, relevant and disruptive then nothing else really matters.

“One of the richest discussions we had was around how Integrated is about lots of different mediums coming together. Moving beyond this definition, we saw a new trend towards ideas being integrated fully into a brand's purpose and culture. There was a redefinition of Integration going on: as an idea that goes into the heart, core and culture of a brand and then emerges, naturally, in multiple places and platforms. Work that does this effectively seems to be a signal for other brands to adopt this way of working.”

“There has never been a more profound need for media craft in the media landscape. It’s become critical to be able to develop multi-faceted campaigns that come together to create impactful experiences. Increasingly, this kind of work is facilitated by technology. But great work in Media isn't simply about making use of multiple channels. It's about understanding how to create something connected, and always keeping sight of the end-user experience.

“It was very clear in the diversity of entries we saw this year that we now have many more potential mediums that we can make use of to deliver our messages. In a piece of work where the nature of the medium is fully understood and the message is tailor-made for the environment, the results can be truly spectacular.

“We also saw new forms of integration this year. Integration is no longer simply about playing out a similar message across multiple media channels. Great integration plays out across the entire organisation - whether that be product, culture, experience or retail. Elsewhere, some of the most immersive and creative entries we saw were in the gaming space. The opportunity to build real experiences in the space is clear and it feels like brands are beginning to better understand how they should behave in this area.”

“This year, we saw work leveraging the power of devices to bring an idea to life. While mobile screens can seem to separate people and pull them into their digital worlds, this year’s Grand Prix winner does the opposite. It uses the device and the technology to create new connections and allow people to engage in ways that they were not able to before.

“Something else that came up this year was brands beginning to use augmented reality more. We’re starting to really understand the role that AR can play in people's lives. Going forward, both will continue to be trends in Mobile.”

“Brands and agencies using the outdoor medium to highlight important issues was a reoccuring theme in this year’s Awards. We saw interactive and engaging messages, and an increase in work that allows audiences to experience, be entertained and build relationships with brands in the real world. Outdoor is the ideal medium to facilitate these kinds of interactions between brands and people.

“We also saw a rise in work using nostalgia to capture or re-capture an audience’s attention. It seems that this passion for the past is providing an engaging new way to connect with consumers by providing instant familiarity in the form of happy memories. Uber Toys was a great example of nostalgia at play in the Outdoor environment, offering uber riders in Paris the chance to travel in one of six different oversized toy cars, transporting them back in time and recreating happy memories.”

“The empowerment of women remains a key theme. This year, we noticed a shift from raising awareness to activism, with brands creating lasting change in gender equality. The best work combined original creativity, taboo-breaking and challenging the norm with the full power of PR. That power was leveraged through stakeholder engagement, government relations, public affairs lobbying, consumer activation and influencer engagement to drive societal (and in some cases legal) change.

“PR outcomes should be measured by outcomes, not impressions. This year, those outcomes were more women investing following #GirlsInvest, improved female car safety results after the The E.V.A Initiative, more women feeling confident about their bodies with Viva La Vulva and The Missing Page, more people registering for stem cell donation following Life Lolli and changes to the law as a result of The Tampon Book. Impressions and likes prove you’ve reached your audience, but lasting change is the real measurable outcome.”

“This year, the print ad continued to become part of a much richer, deeper brand experience; the start of a journey rather than simply being a destination in its own right. This is good, in that it expands the reach and relevance of print, enabling the category to move forward.

“A lot of the ideas that we saw used print as the starting point, with the idea transferred and brought to life across other mediums. It was really great to see that all parts of that journey were equally considered in this year’s Print & Publishing work. Of course, there’s still a place for beautifully written prints ads and we hope to continue to see work of this kind in future years.”

“In Radio & Audio, we saw innovative uses of medium, work with a stronger purpose and a sense of its role in the world, as well as more media-driven work. There was a lot of creative energy concentrated in the Audio section in this category and it was the application of audio in unusual and unexpected places that cut through.

“Our Grand Prix winner, Green Dawn, managed to reach an audience who are particularly unwilling to listen or pay attention to other mediums. This was a ‘listening experience’ that targeted the audience creatively and the use of virtual radio space in such an innovative way shows truly superior craft.”