Top Creatives Pick Their Favourite Campaigns of 2017

It was the best of times it was the worst of times... We asked adland illuminati to reflect on a year in which Trump continued to put the twit in Twitter, while KFC smashed it; and ‘manning up’ joined the gender agenda.

And what next, we asked? Though reality bending AR/VR and AI will flourish, the silver screen looks set to endure

RICK BRIM, CCO, adam&eveDDB

KFC’s Twitter stunt

I know it’s not an ad, but I love the stupidity of the KFC Twitter stunt. They followed just 11 people from their account, all five Spice Girls and six guys named Herb. That’s a total of 11 herbs and spices. I know it’s a pun, but it’s ace. The gent that spotted it was sent a two-metre-high oil painting of himself on Colonel Sanders’ back.

2018 creative resolution

To try and lighten the fuck up and not take things too seriously. You are at your best when you are being a little bit stupid.

SUSAN HOFFMAN, co-CCO, Wieden+Kennedy

Gucci Pre-Fall 2017

Damn, I love Gucci! Talk about a brand that made a big zag and is not afraid to fail. How does such an established brand do such an about-face? I’ve always loved this quote from Sagmeister – “Made you look” – and yes, Gucci certainly makes me look. I was thumbing through a magazine in China and saw this campaign. Who puts an iguana in an ad? It’s seriously crazy and fun, but at the same time sexy and beautiful. They don’t look or act like any other brand.

But Gucci doesn’t stop at clothing design; their guts are evident in everything they do, from shoes to jewellery, styling, furniture, retail, advertising and social media. I was just reading an article by marketing professor Scott Galloway (follow him – @profgalloway) about trust vs new, and how what’s becoming more important to consumers than trust is delight. Most large brands can be trusted, but who can delight? His point was that right now consumers are most keen on what’s “new”.

Consistency is at play here. Gucci has a focussed look-and-feel top to bottom. Every touch point feels consistent, whether it’s the clothes or their Instagram feed. It’s not a brand for kids, it’s premium and definitely not affordable, but it’s a brand for anyone who wants to feel youthful. That crazy sense of fun takes you away from the seriousness of life. We need some of that right now.

2018 creative resolution

I never do new year’s resolutions because resolutions shouldn’t wait for the new year.

SUSAN CREDLE, CCO, FCB Global

KFC’s Twitter stunt

When someone on Twitter first discovered that KFC was following only 11 people, I was a little curious. When I discovered those 11 were six Herbs and the five Spice Girls, I mentally leapt to my feet and applauded the genius. Whoever had the idea (please, don’t let the credit list be a mile long) breathed new life into a 40-year-old message.

Why is KFC following the Spice Girls and six guys named Herb? It’s a riddle that leverages the intersection of KFC’s brand heritage and the engagement power of a modern media platform. Some of us from the 70s solve the riddle immediately. Others, born decades later, have to search for the answer. Suddenly “11 herbs and spices” is relevant again – not just to those around the first time KFC carved the phrase into cultural relevance, but to entire new generations. A dormant piece of a brand’s equity becomes provocative and valuable again.

This is a simple idea born from the understanding of how a platform works – and the value of a brand equity – proof that mature brands can still be interesting. You just need a really authentic and creative idea.

2018 creative resolution

To discourage using euphemisms for the word 'advertising'.

TED ROYER, CCO, Droga5 New York

Fearless Girl

“Who’s the client?” Does it matter? Fearless Girl could have been an ad for McCann (it kind of is) or an anonymous stunt and still had the same impact. “She’s not campaign-able.” Sometimes, great stunts by their nature can’t be repeated. “The client is hypocritical.” Isn’t it our job to push clients to be better?

I’ve heard the arguments about why Fearless Girl isn’t great. And the more I hear them, the more that proves to me she’s even greater. I even agree with some of the criticisms (Grand Titanium, what?) but all the jabs and swipes don’t matter. As you read this, a small group is jostling to take a photo with her right now. Simply nothing in our industry was spoken about as much as she was or had the impact she did. Hey NYC, try to take her down and watch the outrage. And don’t give me the argument about the original artist’s intention. That’s what great art and protests do. They explode and reframe what’s already there.

So ad people can keep debating. Guess what? She’s not ours anymore. Everyone embraced her, took her away from us, and took her out to the whole world.

2018 creative resolution

Statues. It’s going to be all about statues. So: to build a statue.

ALEX GRIEVE & ADRIAN ROSSI, co-ECDs, AMV BBDO London

Geico Condensed

Remember that time when ads used to make people smile? When people used to quote “Wassuuuup” in their everyday lives? When ads filled people with a little bit of joy? The trend now is to be deep and meaningful, sometimes regardless of brand, audience or what the advertising is meant to achieve.

The UK used to do funny like no one else on Earth. Now that crown sits firmly on the head of America (with honourable mentions going to New Zealand and Australia).

The UK used to make some of the funniest ads around: from Castlemaine XXXX and John West Salmon Bear, to Blackcurrant Tango St George and John Smith’s Wardrobe Monsters. Now the crown of funny has moved across the pond.

We can’t help but smile – admittedly through gritted teeth – at the brilliance of Old Spice in all its guises from social to TV, or Burger King flexing its comedic muscles in every channel. The House of Cards campaign, which followed a day in the life of Frank Underwood in candid shots, continued to blur the lines between reality and fiction (increasingly difficult to distinguish in the White House these days) by getting Obama’s official photographer, Peter Souza, to take the photos. Darkly funny.

But what really stood out for us was Geico’s Condensed campaign. We sat on an awards jury earlier this year and after several days in a darkened room this still managed to get a group of tired, jaded, cynical (and in some cases, seismically hungover) global adland creatives to guffaw wildly. A total winner.

2018 creative resolutions

Trump, Brexit, plastic in the oceans, North Korean missiles, IS, wildfires, hurricanes, air pollution, shrinkflation on bags of Minstrels and packets of Jaffa cakes, Walnut Whips without the walnuts, impending financial crisis, leadership – or lack of it – from those in power, guns, knives… the spiralling cost, of well, just about everything. The world is going through some serious stuff.

Ads used to be a brief antidote to this. A little bit of lighthearted escapism. There will always be a place for thought-provoking, serious work, but the dial seems to have swung too far that way. What better antidote is there to all the shit in the world than to make people smile?

Being funny is an art – and one we intend to rediscover in 2018.