Big Ideas from Lil' Offices - Europe Throws Down...

We saw an inspiring collection of stunning, inspiring, and powerful ads from Europe today. The work from Milan and Lisbon, in particular, blew the room away, and left multiple delegates running their mouths effusively about how the awards shows are bound to honor this work in the year to come. Milan’s collection of TV and integrated campaigns garnered some of the highest scores, largely because it is constructed around some of the most superb TV production to come out of our network in recent memory. The highlight was a TV ad for Ariston washing machines that features a microcosmic universe of multicolored clothes floating around like fish and sea creatures, all contained within the seemingly boundless water within the machine. The tagline: “Big Inside.” To describe this ad in words does an injustice to its exquisite art direction, because the camera work, the lighting, the music, and the visuals in general stunningly manage to capture the look and feel of a coral reef, although every element in the film is an article of clothing… It is an evocative, memorable ad, and the committee spontaneously burst into applause after viewing it for the first time. You’ll see it for yourself soon, as it promises to be on multiple award-show reels in the near future, a testament to the excellent work being produced by LB/Milan and its sudden ascent to the ranks of the most creative hot spots within the entire LB network. It’s a tribute to the strength and depth of our network that unforeseen greatness can emerge from the least predictable places, and that unlikely candidates can occasionally trump giant behemoths simply by staying true to the seamless combination of a simple idea and a painstakingly crafted execution. Congratulations to LB Milan for the Ariston work… The Pirelli tire film they offered up also scored very well, but I must confess that I can hardly write as glowing a testament to that piece, as I personally feel it’s one of the most incomprehensible pieces of narcissistic overkill I’ve ever seen. That doesn’t mean that it isn’t a fantastic example of crafting, that doesn’t mean that it’s not an incredibly powerful media device, that doesn’t mean it isn’t a groundbreaking use of new media and technology, it just means I can’t quite get my head around John Malkovich playing a Catholic priest who casts out demons from possessed cars using a tire iron as a Crucifix… But hey, that’s just me, and my opinion is a small, unimportant inconsequence in the larger scheme of things. Hell, the Pirelli campaign scored two well-deserved 8-balls, and managed to grow Pirelli’s brand immeasurably, so I suppose it doesn’t really matter what I feel about it… It is, after all, a gorgeous looking film, and the press coverage it received was priceless… Have a look at it @ http://www.pirellifilm.com/.

Lisbon and Paris also made a strong showing. The first spot we watched from Lisbon was for a Child Abuse prevention program, and considering some of the incredible, award-winning ads done in this category by agencies all over the world, it’s no small feat that the good folks from Lisbon managed to create a powerful, emotionally compelling ad that can hold its ground with anything done on this subject. The spot is entitled “Alzheimers,” and the casting, direction, and script are flawless. The commercial ends with an elderly woman gazing off into space, with a vacant look in her eyes that speaks volumes. A powerful ad, that demonstrates all the subtleties involved in telling an emotional story, and a great addition to LB/Worldwide’s growing portfolio of pro bono work for social awareness.

LB/Paris turned in a hilarious spot for Charal meats, with an accompanying in store print campaign that perfectly captures the playful tone of this client. All in all, it was a good day, with a certain excitement in the air born from the potency of the work we were canvassing. In very few GPCs in recent memory has such a diverse collection of work emerged from such a variety of offices. Generally good work tends to cluster around a few notable creative teams, which is to be expected, but when the entire network makes a strong showing, it’s a herald of good things on the horizon for the whole company…