Because hindsight isn’t always 2020, this year we’re showing you great work that has earned accolades from your colleagues before they win.  New York Festivals Mad For This Ad is an initiative celebrating great work by awarding free entries to ads chosen by a hand-picked group of top creatives.   

 

WEEK 1 - DEBBI VANDEVEN

"I'M DRINKING IT FOR YOU" 
COLENSO BBDO
DB EXPORT BEERS

"Beyond the humor of this music video which launched on Valentine’s Day, I want to celebrate the in-house creatives who used their personal musical talents to enhance the work. It is important in our industry to use all parts of our creativity in our day jobs. The song has been embraced in the culture conversation. It will do more than make you smile you will sing along and it will hold residence in your brain longer than any product feature or ingredient’s list should."

 

 

WEEK 2 - FEDE GARCIA 

"CROCODILE INSIDE, THE FILM" 
BETC PARIS
LACOSTE

In the past three years, Lacoste has been doing amazing work the banner of "Life is a beautiful sport".  This latest spot from an already incredible campaign is a compelling, brilliant piece of storytelling.  The kind of work you'd never consider as an interruption in your life, but something worth watching. Though this piece might be considered a television commercial, to me, it's entertainment at its best.
 

 

WEEK 3 - JUSTINE ARMOUR 

"AN OPEN MIND IS THE BEST LOOK" 
DROGA5
NORDSTROM 

"The ad I'm mad for is Droga5's two-minute epic spot called "An Open Mind Is The Best Look". This spot came out earlier this year but, unlike most commercials, this one has really stayed with me. This could have been a pretty so-so ad for a retail client, and a lot of agencies wouldn't have been as ambitious with a brief like this. But the craft in the photography and the edit, the beautiful real human casting, the choice of VO and the language that just feels so human and spontaneous, is something you rarely see in commercials. I saw it in a packed cinema in Brooklyn and people were captivated."
 

 

 

WEEK 4 - Stephen De Wolf 

"Enjoy Before Returning" 
Publicis Italy
Diesel

"Since I started my career, I’ve been a fan of Diesel campaigns. They clearly get their audience and with that, keep surprising us with their subversive fashion campaigning. For me their fall campaign did it again with a cool twist on ‘wardrobing’ - the practice of purchasing an item, using it, and then returning it to the store for a refund. Diesel’s take on this is that if you going to do it, do it while living life to the full. Shots of people doing cool things wear the new range with the labels still attached. A narrator simply voices the Diesel returns policy. The timing was also brilliant, launching before New York Fashion week."
 

 

WEEK 5 - David Sable 

"Sonic Brand Identity" 
Mastercard's StoryLab
Mastercard

"Sound plays an increasingly dichotomous role in marketing. One hand sound and motion...call it video...is core to most marketing campaigns. Yet so many of the feeds that we use are engaged with the sound off or muted and the dialogue, narration and music can pass by. And yet music has never been more important or perhaps has again risen to critical status as we do listen as we are mobile and as “New Radio” continues to grow....with music, podcasts, events and of course news grabbing our attention. That’s why I applaud MasterCard for taking the leap and creating an entire Brand sound system for ads, retail, events and for allowing the core tones to be localized and made culturally musically relevant....although so much music is global...another post... It’s not new...Intel knew this years ago, NBC even more years ago and others....but it was forgotten. Good on them "