Spikes Asia 2016 in 5 Minutes ~ Traditional Media Edition ~

 

Meanwhile, in this Japanese commercial, the father becomes a firefly. This OCEDEL entry, FIREFLY MAN, is pure entertainment structured as THE commercial. Its overall charmingly cheap feel makes it irresistible. When it aired at the awards ceremony, it drew the biggest laugh of the day. Another Japanese entry that won an award, Shiseido's HIGH SCHOOL GIRL?, also featured high craftsmanship, garnered significant coverage in international media, and was a worthy Gold winner in the viral film category.

— Gold —

FIREFLY MAN
INDEPENDENT INCUBATOR, OCEDEL
Drill Inc. Tokyo

 

◆Golden Ball Boys Win Gold!

 

Shining gold from Australia is the campaign for men's underwear brand The Boys. Many may already know it, having also won at Cannes. This series is my absolute favorite at this year's Spikes. In English, the word for a man's balls is generally "balls," but affectionately, they can also be called "my boys." The Boys was born by focusing on that special connection between men and their balls.

The commercials aim to make male viewers conscious of "comfort around the lower body" by depicting the challenges the boys face after bathing, during exercise, and while shaving. The script and acting are flawless, and despite its simple execution, it's so funny you could easily watch it three times over. In the Outdoor category, the digital OOH campaign that conveyed temperature through the boys' vertical movement also won Gold.

— Gold (Campaign) —

TALCUM POWDER
PACIFIC BRANDS UNDERWEAR GROUP AUSTRALIA, BONDS
CLEMENGER BBDO, MELBOURNE

 

 

◆The Grand Prix goes to the classic from Australia

 

The Grand Prix in the Film category went to the commercial "DENG ADUT" from Western Sydney University. It also won the Grand Prix in the newly established Music category. This work, based on the true story of graduate DENG ADUT, emotionally depicts his harrowing journey from being separated from his mother in Sudan and becoming a child soldier, to graduating university and becoming a lawyer. The rich, hard-hitting visuals paired with the slightly melancholic yet powerful music evoke the atmosphere of a NIKE commercial. While the creative approach feels orthodox, the music producer and director assembled the strongest possible team to achieve the best possible result. Incidentally, it had won Silver at Cannes. "Even if Cannes doesn't work out, winning in Asia is just as good," is exactly what this means.

— Grand Prix —

DENG ADUT
WESTERN SYDNEY UNIVERSITY
VCD+WE.COLLECTIVE, SYDNEY

 

【Print & Publishing Category】

◆BURGER KING, the king's presence shines through in print ads too.

 

— Grand Prix —

MCWHOPPER
Burger King
Y&R, Auckland

The Print & Publishing Grand Prix goes to Burger King's MCWHOPPER! The extent of this campaign's success has been covered in Cannes and other Spikes categories, so I'll skip the details here.

 

◆Even on a Bangkok night, I'm a Lavi-ni!

 

— Gold (Campaign) —

LOVING THE NIGHT
McDONALD’S THAILAND
TBWA, Bangkok

While BURGER KING was on the offensive, the Gold winner in the same category was McDonald's Thailand's LOVING THE NIGHT campaign. It also won Gold in the Outdoor Craft category for its photography. While it certainly doesn't have the impact of a Grand Prix winner, this series of monochrome photos capturing McDonald's signs blending into the night cityscape creates a distinct image, different from the pop atmosphere seen during the day. At first, I thought, "Wow, the client actually approved this?" But since McDonald's often runs ads playing with its logo, maybe this falls within their acceptable range. Incidentally, this campaign also includes a film. Its concept resembles Puma – The After Hours Athlete, handled by Droga5 several years ago.

◆Summary: The Southern Hemisphere is strong.

As seen with the MCWHOPPER dominance, my personal favorite The Boys, and the Film Grand Prix winner DENG ADUT, Australia & New Zealand were clearly strong in traditional advertising in 2016. It was also new to see a "university" as the client win the Film Grand Prix, rather than the usual advertising award regulars. Overall, much like Cannes, the emphasis on "For Good" campaigns is fading. This means solid creative work that effectively communicates a brand message has a very high chance of winning. Incidentally, this year's Print & Outdoor Craft category had no Grand Prix winner. For Japan, with its strength in Design Craft, this could be a prime target for next year?