"As the panel milled about eating cream cheese and salmon on rye (as one does at these things) I felt the work was in good hands this month. It makes me wish we had had more to enthuse about," says Chair of the panel, Chris Gotz, CCO Ogilvy & Mather South Africa.
"There were bits and pieces of brightness in the gloom, we liked the outdoor/ambient winner very much. It's a small idea that thinks big. Nevertheless, the high expectations brought on by the proximity of the Loeries Awards were dashed on the rocks of work that mostly felt like it was trying ever so hard.
"Print: The general feeling here was that it was difficult to find a winner, and not in a good "wish-I'd done-that" kind of way. The NSRI campaign from Ogilvy & Mather CT was in first. Second went to Havasww for Vanish. The print seemed to make everyone grumpy.
"Out of home: There was a bit more to cheer about here, and the diversity was pleasing, as it always is in a category which includes ambient. The Caltex "License to live" piece was really well-liked. It was experiential as much as it was outdoor. We will see it again, I think.
"Film: "Dave", The Network BBDO spot for Chicken Licken, lolloped ahead despite that draggy left leg. Second was the campaign for SABC TV Licenses from DDB SA. Extra points for featuring sinister looking clowns.
"Radio: We all agreed that the radio sounded like it was written by someone trying incredibly hard to write a good radio spot, which of course it was. A platoon of 140-second monologues still marched valiantly over the top into a hail of Creative Circle July Panel machine gun fire. The winner was the nicely produced, fresh and slightly unhinged campaign from Ogilvy & Mather Johannesburg for DSTV Compact. Second place also went to DSTV for the Parental Control campaign."
