BERLIN – BBDO and AdamandeveDDB took home the coveted Network of the Year and Agency of the Year honors at the 2015 Epica Awards, the only worldwide creative award judged by journalists from the marketing and communications press.
BBDO won a commanding haul of 43 awards including 11 golds, 16 silvers and 16 bronzes, while AdamandeveDDB topped the ranking for the second year running, with 14 awards including a Grand Prix and 4 golds.
A total of 585 agencies from 75 countries participated in this year’s Epica Awards, welcoming entries Azerbaijan, Ecuador, Iran, Ivory Coast and Senegal for the first time.
Germany, Canada, Turkey and the USA were well represented but UK topped the country rankings, obtaining 51 awards, including a Grand Prix and 16 golds.
2015 has proven to be a tough year for award hopefuls, with the Epica only handing out 4 grand prix honors this year.
Digital: “Taste the Translation” by J. Walter Thompson Amsterdam for ElaN
The Digital grand prix cunningly pitched a lesser-known online translation engine, ElaN, against the might of Google Translate. A chef translated a Japanese recipe using both tools and served the results to diners, proving that ElaN delivers a more accurate translation. The test was the basis for an entertaining online film.
Bas Korsten, ECD at J. Walter Thompson Amsterdam, said: “It’s hard for a small online translation company to fight the Goliath of the category: Google Translate. The only way we thought we could beat them was by making the quality difference tangible. Or in this case, edible. The online movie of the experiment convinced a lot of people to have a taste of ElaN Languages. And that was what we set out to achieve.”
Jury president Olivier de Montchenu, Managing Director Sales of Euronews, added: “Google is not challenged in this way very often, so the film is refreshing as well as entertaining. It also makes you want to try the alternative translation tool, so it perfectly attains its goal, as well as reaching out from the digital world to touch our everyday lives.”
FILM: “High School Girl?” by Watts of Tokyo for Shiseido
Watts of Tokyo for Japanese cosmetics brand Shiseido proves that anyone can be pretty with the right make-up. It opens with a classroom full of pretty girls and then spools back in time to reveal that they are actually boys, magically transformed by the power of Shiseido products. The film’s twist delivers a surprise the first time around, and repays repeated viewing with its layers of detail and superb direction.
Masato Kosukegawa, Creative Director, Shiseido Company, Limited said: “It is a great honor for all of our team to have been selected as the Film Grrand Prix for Epica 2015 and we are sincerely grateful for the recognition from the jury. We especially appreciate the director, Show Yanagisawa and the director of photography, Jin Ohashi and also the school “girls” who showed their great patience to strike a pose and stand-still while we were shooting for 7 hours. Thanks also to our make-up artists who showed their special abilities, we hope that many who watched will feel the happiness through the basic concept of the film : the power of make-up.”
Jury president Olivier de Montchenu commented: “This is an incredibly powerful idea, extremely well executed – it’s almost a short feature film. The way it plays with notions of gender is both topical and striking.”
PRESS: The “John Lewis Southampton” campaign by AdamandeveDDB, UK
The Press grand prix went to an elegant campaign for John Lewis in Southampton, a major UK port, in which lipstick, cheese and lamps are depicted as seagoing vessels.
AdamandeveDDB ECD Ben Tollett said: “This started as a small brief for a store launch in Southampton. It’s ended up giving us all big heads.”
Oliver de Montchenu commented: “It’s an extremely aesthetic campaign, with a strong and relevant creative idea.”
OUTDOOR: “Mini Traffic Lights” by Demner, Merlicek & Bergman, Austria, for Mini
The Outdoor grand prix went to a simple yet effective idea for Mini: a scrolling billboard perfectly synchronised with the traffic lights. As the lights changed, so did the colour of the Mini, from red, to orange, to green – and back again. Waiting at the lights became less boring for motorists. The ad was created by Demner, Merlicek & Bergmann.
Olivier de Montchenu commented: “This idea no doubt lived on for some time in the minds of those who saw it, which is usual for something you pass on the street. Not only is it amusing, but it also fits perfectly with the playful image of Mini.”
