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The Thinkboxes
- 3 great ads I had nothing to do with
- The Thinkboxes March/ April 2013 Shortlist
- The Thinkboxes January/ February 2013
- The Thinkboxes November / December 2012
- The Thinkboxes September/October 2012
- The Thinkboxes July / August 2012
- The Thinkboxes May / June 2012
- The Thinkboxes March / April 2012
- The Thinkboxes January/ February 2012
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The Thinkboxes Shortlist: March/ April 2013
The March/ April Thinkboxes awards sees marauding gnomes, a good dose of kitchen magic, rampaging hordes, some very modern apples and a dancing pony. IKEA ‘Time for change’ tells the story of a couple transforming their garden, despite the best efforts of an army of evil gnomes. The beautiful ‘Weave your magic’ creative for Lurpak is shot in a cinematic style with the unfolding drama enhanced by an epic voiceover. ‘Charge’ from Samsung features a cast of thousands storming across a beach towards a man sitting in his chair. All he has to do to stop the mayhem is raise his hand, neatly illustrating the smart TV’s capabilities. Somersby’s launch campaign sends up the tech-speak that surrounds electronic companies to illustrate the cider’s real apple credentials in a very funny way. Finally, 3 uses a Shetland pony dancing on a beach to ‘Everywhere’ by Fleetwood Mac to prove that ‘Silly stuff matters’. You can watch all the ads on this brilliantly varied shortlist right here.
Previous Winners
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Macmillan Cancer Support was the winner of the first Thinkboxes of 2013 with its touching 'Not Alone' TV ad. The VCCP creative shows people being stunned by the news of cancer and falling. However, they are caught before hitting the ground, bringing to life the idea that, with support from Macmillan no one needs to face cancer alone. The Academy voted Virgin Atlantic 'Flying in the face of ordinary' and Kronenbourg 1664 'A taste supreme' joint second. You can watch the winning ads, along with the shortlist, right here. -
John Lewis’ epic Christmas ad, created by Adam & Eve/ DDB, charts a snowman’s fantastical journey across river and mountain, road and city, in search of the perfect gift for his snowwoman. The annual festive commercial from the retailer has become something of a highlight for the industry and public alike and 2012’s creative lives up to expectations with aplomb, winning the Thinkboxes award for November/ December 2012. Craig Inglis, Marketing Director of John Lewis said: ‘This ad was all about bringing to life the lengths our customers go to to find the perfect gift. It built on the emotional thread of our 2011 campaign but with a fresh creative approach.’ The Thinkbox creative academy, made up of over 250 industry experts, voted The Department of Health’s anti-smoking ad ‘Mutation’ second followed by Morrisons’ ‘The Truth’. You can watch all these great ads, and find out who made them, right here -
IKEA was the runaway winner in the September/October Thinkboxes awards with the enchanting ‘Playin’ with my friends’ commercial. The aim was to highlight the fact that children behave better when they sit around a table together, rather than separately. The ad, featuring music by the band Masters in France, unfolds from the perspective of a young girl, and shows IKEA products that allow children to cook, dine and interact with adults. Using a ‘one shot’ technique, ad agency Mother has created an optimistic, bright and inspiring TV commercial for the furniture brand. St John Ambulance’s ‘Helpless’ from BBH came in second and Cravendale’s ‘Catnapped’ from Wieden & Kennedy was third. You can watch all the ads and find out more about them, right here. -
The Thinkbox creative academy chose Adidas’ ‘Take the Stage’ as its winner in the July/ August awards. The Olympic sponsor’s TV commercial featured Team GB athletes, including Victoria Pendleton, Louis Smith and Tom Daley and sought to drive home the message that we can all ‘Take the stage’. The brand wanted to communicate its authenticity as a sponsor and to achieve this the copy writer spoke to each athlete to get genuine insights into their mind-set. The campaign was the brand’s biggest UK marketing spend to date with the TV ad supported by out of home, search and online formats. McDonald’s ‘We all make the Games’ was a close second and Nike and EDF tied in third place. Here you can see the winning ad, plus the shortlisted commercials. -
VW Polo has clinched the May/ June Thinkboxes with the emotionally charged ‘Dad’ commercial. This ad tracks the evolving relationship between a father and daughter, from the moment he brings her home from the hospital, to the day she leaves home, in a Polo of course, to ensure that she ‘stays in safe hands’. Touchingly written by DDB and bought to life by directing team Will Lovelace and Dylan Southern, it is emotional TV advertising at its best. As Russ Lidstone, CEO of Euro RSCG and Thinkbox academy member said: ‘ It’s what every dad wants for their daughter. Universal truth wrapped up undeniably and beautifully in the VW proposition, wonderfully executed. I can't confirm or deny if I shed a tear.’ Hovis ‘Farmer’s Lad’ scooped the second spot and BA with ‘Home advantage’ came in third.
The Thinkboxes
The thinkboxes are the first awards to celebrate the UK's world-beating TV ad creativity, in all its forms, at regular way-points throughout the year. Created in association with Haymarket Brand Media (Campaign, Marketing and Brand Republic), these bi-monthly awards are judged by the Thinkbox Creative Academy; made up of over 200 advertising luminaries with Craig Inglis, Marketing Director of John Lewis and Nick Gill, Executive Creative Director of BBH as joint Academy Presidents.
Associated content
VW and its ad agency DDB have worked together for over 40 years. It's a unique relationship, not just for its longevity but also for its consistency. Whether it's Paula Hamilton throwing her jewels down the drain; a Jack Russell singing "I'm a man", or Gene Kelly doing a bit of break dancing in the rain, we've all got our favourites. So here's a "Just VW" gallery for you, to pique the memory and cast a spotlight on just a few compelling and effective TV ads from an extraordinary canon of work. Congratulations to both VW and DDB and thanks for all the great telly.
