±±¾©Èü³µpk10

I have just returned from a marathon session of judging at

D&AD.

On reflection, it’ll be a good year. When the pencils are handed out

there’ll be the usual recriminations, accusations, some booing and a lot

of cheering at the very well chosen venue of Olympia. My premature

congratulations to the first-time pencil recipients - whoever they might

be - because nobody will know until the night.

So, when invited to look at this week’s clutch of ads for ±±¾©Èü³µpk10, I

felt uneasy going from some of the top work in the world to just another

batch from the local workshops. I need not have worried. This week’s

collection is possibly the nearest I’ve seen to a set of pencils for

some time.

The Mitsubishi commercial has got what the creatives, the director and

the client wanted. In fact, it’s got it all. Top designer sound. Nike

images. Pirelli camera angles. Black-and-white slo-mo. Pop promo

cinematography.

TK influence. And the very latest X-ray imagery. But don’t panic. This

car commercial knows its place and our athletic Nike performer morphs

into the lantern-jawed executive rewarding us with the car pack-shot

we’ve come to know and love. Eight years ago this would have had pencils

roaring all over the place.

Dockers is another spot that gives us everything. Here we have beautiful

boy. Lusting dame. Quirky soundtrack. Dennis Hopper spooky sets. The now

almost standard diluted colour from an over-ripe location and, to

complete the picture, exquisite art direction, topped with stunning film

direction.

But why should I have come away unfulfilled? Maybe the gag was just a

bit too small for such a big film. Anyway, six years ago it would have

picked up at least three pencils.

Every year there seems to be a new category introduced to D&AD. May I

humbly suggest football having its own. Yet again, a superb ad with all

the ingredients we’ve come to take for granted from a Nike film. This is

football at its best. The best team. The best players. Demonstration of

skills brilliantly filmed in seamless sets. Unobtrusive technology and

the bonus of a cameo appearance by the legendary Frenchman. This is

striking direction. But due to the glut of stunning football

commercials, this one might just miss the accolade it deserves. Pity.

Any other year it would have scored. Never mind, the Brazilians

definitely will.

Lilt is a delightful film. It is sensitively cast. Very well played.

But it is still haunted by that catchy little tune from which there will

never be any escape. The creative team have come up with their own soft

piece of music that, thankfully, will never invade our minds, but prefer

instead to concentrate on polite reference to Tango, First Direct and

good ol’ vox pop to push Lilt into our dreary lives. Anyway, I’m pleased

to see that Waterloo Station has found its true vocation in becoming the

largest indoor studio in London.

Football again, but this time serious information, not just boots and

drinks. This is the simple and stylishly told story of a supporter who

buys a World Cup ticket in France to find out at the gate that his

ticket is illegal. ’Je suis desolee. Votre ticket n’est pas ... ’our

demure French miss whispers. I waited for the explosion. Nothing. I made

the assumption that the director had been restrained, or cut out the

invective that our Glaswegian would have delivered in this otherwise

realistic mini-drama.

Once again, difficult to pick up a pencil in this award laden-area.

However, two years ago ...

The COI climate change campaign is the sort of work we’ve come to expect

from AMV. Stylish as in type design. Well crafted as in photography.

Sincere as in message. And art directed of today. But, I ask myself,

when should I start doing my bit? This highly readable campaign invites

a response so let us hope that this altruistic proposition gets one.

Being a better citizen, that’s easy. Winning one of those damned pencils

is a little harder.

MITSUBISHI MOTORS UK

Project: Mitsubishi Galant

Client: Colin Pearce, director of marketing

Brief: Communicate the Galant’s innovations

Agency: RPM3

Writer: Rupert Sutton

Art director: Russell Wailes

Director: Chris Hartwill

Production company: RSA Films

Exposure: National TV

COCA-COLA

Project: Lilt

Client: Vanessa Dennison, brand manager

Brief: Make Lilt more relevant to more drinkers, more often, for more of

the year

Agency: Mother

Writers: Robert Saville, Mark Waites

Art director: Libby Brockhoff

Director: Trevor Melvin

Production company: Blink

Exposure: National TV

NIKE

Project: Football

Client: Clare Dobbie, advertising manager

Brief: Remind people of the reasons why they love Brazilian football

Agency: Wieden & Kennedy

Writer: Glenn Cole

Art director: John Boiler

Director: John Woo

Production company: A Band Apart, Los Angeles

Exposure: National and satellite TV

CENTRAL OFFICE OF INFORMATION/DETR

Project: Climate change

Client: Jan Carver, senior campaign manager

Brief: Raise awareness of how small actions on the part of the

individual can make a difference to global warming/pollution

Agency: Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO

Writer: Malcolm Duffy

Art director: Paul Briginshaw

Photographer: Sarah Turton

Exposure: National press

DOCKERS EUROPE

Project: Dockers

Client: Jaume Miquel, European advertising and promotions manager

Brief: Dockers are the definitive (non-iron) khakis

Agency: Bartle Bogle Hegarty

Writer: Matthew Saunby

Art director: Adam Chiappe

Director: Michael Haussman

Production company: Serious Pictures

Exposure: Pan-European TV and cinema

FOREIGN OFFICE

Project: World Cup campaign

Clients: Ken Neil, Foreign Office, Stephen Condor, COI

Brief: Minimise the number of fans going to the World Cup unprepared

Agency: DMB&B

Writer: Richard Lamb-Hughes

Art director: Richard Holmes

Director: Theo Delaney

Production company: Tomboy Films

Exposure: National TV