'Sensational' was the word judges used to describe the Yeo Valley marketing activity, which made the organic dairy brand the runaway winner in this category.
The buzz generated by the campaign shows this is no exaggeration. Every so often ads, such as Cadbury's 'Gorilla' or Hovis' 'Go on lad', stake a claim in the world of entertainment. Yeo Valley's rapping farmers - the brand's debut TV ad to boot - can be added to this prestigious list.
Since the onset of tougher economic times, organic food has had a rocky ride, with many consumers regarding it as a luxury, rather than a necessity. Recognising that it needed to combat this view and become more mainstream, Yeo Valley set about giving the brand a complete revamp, before going for broke with a two-minute spot during The X Factor that certainly had the wow factor.
Shot on location in Somerset, the Yeo Valley farmers rap eschewed the usual topics of bling, women and dubious predilections, instead focusing on cows, tractors and waxed jackets in a bid to entertain, while educating viewers about the Yeo Valley way of life.
The ad immediately created a splash on the social-media scene, achieving more than 1.6m views on YouTube.
'The very unlikely juxtaposition of rapping farmers made for an inspired creative leap,' praised the judging panel.
An impressive sales increase of £3.5m in the three months after the ad was launched will have pleased the family-owned business. A bonus is that the public now knows that 'Yeo' is pronounced 'Yo'.
HIGHLY COMMENDED
Metropolitan Police Anti-Knife Crime (Agency: Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO)
Getting cynical teenagers to understand the principle of joint enterprise, which means that if you are connected to a crime you can be charged for it, posed a significant communications challenge.
But London's Metropolitan Police broke through these issues using an interactive murder-mystery video on Facebook about the fictional murder of a boy called Deon. The activity launched with an unbranded trailer on MTV and radio spots on key stations, plus a teaser poster and online ads.
The campaign achieved six times the level of engagement of the average Facebook campaign. Crucially, the audience got the message on joint enterprise, with 59% recognising they could be charged with murder even if they didn't deliver the fatal blow.
The campaign was praised for a 'fantastic use of insight and phenomenal results'.
Also shortlisted for Marketing communications: Arla Foods, Anchor Squirty Cream; John Lewis, Never knowingly undersold; Waitrose, A recipe for success
Sponsored by (Red) TV