JEFF GOODBY’S ANDY’S DIARY: DAY 1

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The legendary Jeff Goodby, Co-Chairman, Goodby Silverstein & Partners, San Francisco, is providing the CB Blog with exclusive diary installments from Final Judging of The ANDY Awards in Mexico over the next few days.
Campaign Brief, Campaign Brief Asia and Bestads are international media partners of the ANDY Awards, which undoubtedly has the world’s hottest jury, chaired by Mark Waites, creative partner of Mother.

East of San Francisco, there is a garbagedump so big you can see it from the moon. It is rivaled tonight, however, by the first round of ANDYS work.

“It’s like they just passed everythingthrough,” one of the judges says. “Wasn’t there a cut down?”

It is a platitude to say that the entryfilms all sound the same.  First,make a tired, banal idea seem brilliant and new.  Then claim unheard-of results (“over 12,000 qualityvisits!”).  Worked up, Gerry Grafsuggests that we do an entry video parody that makes “the TV commercial” soundlike new ground. 

“After much research,” he imagined the VOsaying, “we located an amazing box that actually records moving pictures.  Then we had people MAKE BELIEVE THEYWERE A FAMILY AND INTERACT WITH THE PRODUCT!  Millions tuned in to watch the result…” 

As if on cue, the next entry we watched wasa film that made recycling sound like it had just been brilliantly inventedlast week. 

Some other thoughts:

 *Make sure your entry video is engaging tothe judges in the first 15 seconds or else. 

 *Droga 5’s “Million” video is the bestentry film ever produced.  If youhaven’t seen it, it’s a seminar on entries in the modern award show age. It includes animation, interviewswith city officials, even Esquire editor David Granger calling the idea“genius.” 

*There are too many interactive entriesthat involve wild goose chases to find obscure things on the basis of dubioushints.  One cannot imaginecityloads of people having this much time. 

*Arnold’s Pete Favat is wearing a T-shirtfrom the Massachusetts State Police’s Underwater Rescue Unit.  It seems somehow fitting.

*There is a “Non-Internet Interactive”category.  This is no shit.

*Things that were a hit, I think:  a Discovery Channel spot about thediversity and allure of the world, Adidas’s ubiquitous Beijing Olympic printwhich so beautifully captures China’s unique collective attitude toward theirathletes, Coke’s parade balloons, maybe some ESPN.  I’ll know more when I see what makes it through this firstround.

At the cocktail party last night, MarkTutssel and I agree that we both love Australia, Sydney and Warren Brown’sboat, not necessarily in that order.  

See you tomorrow.