Winning Ogilvy CT ad created without electricity

The competition at The Times stand at the expo consisted of a glass ‘fishbowl' where art directors and copy writers from top ad agencies across the country were put in the public spotlight while creating a tabloid press ad that would convince South Africans to power down and encourage them to use less electricity.

The public had the opportunity to view the creatives cracking a brief within two hours, with plasma screens displaying the work as it was created.

Stylishly handcrafted

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Macfarlane and Cronwright created their hand-drawn ad without using a computer or any other electrical equipment. The ad was stylishly handcrafted with a simple pencil and the copy highlighted that 350 watts of electricity was saved by switching the computer off for two hours.

Although there was one main winner, the judges felt that two more ads deserved a special mention. In second place they selected an ad created by copy writer Iain Thomas and art director Ross Makepeace of King James and in third place was an ad created by copy writer Dan Parmenter and art director Wihan Meerholz of TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris Johannesburg.

Other agencies that participated included Singh & Sons, Young & Rubicam, The Jupiter Drawing Room, The Vuni Barker Collective, Hotstuff Marketing, Draftfcb Cape Town, Lowe Bull and Salient.

“Conventional to risqué”

“The young creatives came up with a great array of print ads that veered from the conventional to the risqué,” says Enver Groenewald, The Times GM: advertising strategy, trade marketing and strategic communications.

The two judges were Christine Moosmann, editor of design magazine Novum, and Frank Tjepkema, an award-winning Dutch designer based in Amsterdam.

“What was great to see was that although these were young creatives often brought up on television and the Internet, they managed to execute some wonderful print ads and really demonstrate the power of print,” adds Groenewald.

On the winning ad he says that it was a charming and rewarding ad that wasn't too descriptive about power saving but still got the message across clearly – a simple ad well-executed that stood out in contrast to many print ads that are generated using a PC and Photoshop.

Prizes

As part of the prize, Ogilvy Cape Town will receive a full page ad in The Times to be used for a pro bono client of its choice. This placement adds up to the value of R49 608, excluding VAT and including agency commission. Both members of the winning team will also win a trip to Zanzibar for themselves and their partners.

“The competition was a resounding success and it was fantastic to see the public's participation, as there wasn't a moment that passed without them contributing ideas and critiquing the work,” concludes Groenewald.