"Take pride in what you do."
Judging for The One Show 2020 and the ADC 99th Annual Awards was just about to begin, with hundreds of creatives from all across the globe coming to New York and Puerto Rico for several weeks of deciding the most Pencil and Cube-worthy work of the past year.
COVID-19 had other plans.
Never ones to be deterred, we at The One Club for Creativity quickly put together a course of action that allowed for the majority of the submissions to be debated and discussed online, while a small group of New York-based creatives viewed work in person. Our goal has been to maintain the integrity of our two main awards while erring on the side of safety, and our phenomenal judges have been more than accommodating.
Each year, we like to share some of the judges' views coming out of the various jury rooms. This year, however, those rooms are virtual.
Steve Jackson, Chief Creative Officer at Innocean Sydney judged the Social Media discipline for The One Show 2020– he has higlighted a lot of great submissions and he has enlightened us with his creative expertise.
What’s going on in Sydney right now?
The toilet paper fights ended long ago thankfully and now you can feel the collective tension easing around the nation as the case numbers fall and restrictions lift. Tragically some people have died, but things haven’t escalated to the same degree as other countries. We’re thankful for that, but speaking as someone with family in the UK, it’s hard to witness what’s happening abroad. A lot of that is down to a good team effort by the Aussies, but we’re now in that cautious wait-and-see moment, praying a second wave doesn’t arrive.
Naturally, our economy has been winded too, so it’s going to be a long road ahead. From an advertising point of view, ours is a global story of retrenchments, hiring freezes, and budget cuts. A lot of agencies have tried to protect as many jobs as possible with the likes of 4-day weeks and salary cuts. There are signs of hope– the production companies are filming and people are making work again.
“I do think globally we’re seeing some new production techniques and businesses being born from all of this, which is exciting.”
In Australia and New Zealand, we have a history of working with challenging budgets so I think the industry will demonstrate its resilience. Creatively, piano soundtracks and Zoom style ads are starting to recede from our screens, but I do think globally we’re seeing some new production techniques and businesses being born from all of this, which is exciting.
It’s been an interesting time for brands to take stock of their role in the world. Covid here was preceded by months of cataclysmic fires. The stories from the frontline of both our RFS and medical communities have had a humbling yet inspiring impact. I pray this becomes more than a short-lived 2020 moment, and we see brands stepping into more meaningful roles rather than chucking media money at tokenism. I think the time has well and truly come for more businesses to stand up for what they know is right and use their spending power to influence society for the better. Add to that the “me too” movement, the growth of environmental activism, and more recently, people taking to the streets for Black lives matter and there’s no doubt we are at a turning point. How creative agencies show up will probably define their own futures too. What a time to be alive and to do what we do.
The social media jury seems exciting– what is some of your favorite work that you judged this year, and why did you like it?
Firstly, thanks for inviting me. It’s always an honor to be one of the judges. And, kudos to everyone at The One Show for making it such a phenomenal experience and show this year. In the face of adversity, you’ve handled things with true empathy and class. To my fellow judges, I’m gutted I didn’t get to meet you all and discuss the work in person, but I believe we arrived at a great place. Hopefully, our paths will cross some other time.
Every category is so different, but I had a blast judging social media. Probably more than any other– it’s like idea roulette, you just don’t know what’s coming next. First of all, I want to say if you got a finalist or a merit do not be too downhearted, when the overall quality is this high you should be very proud. So, what makes the standout work really stand out from the rest of the great work then?
I really love and looked for the entries where an idea and platform were just made for each other and made better by each other. “Go Back to Africa” by FCB/SIX/Toronto is an obvious one, and it gets all the accolades it deserves, but so too was “Eva Stories” by K’s Galleries. A wonderful collision of past and present that seemingly belong together, each making the other more powerful. In fact, I would go so far as to say it probably felt even more real, more engaging, and more shocking than if I’d watched a movie version of her story. And it proves production values can still be high. “JFK Moonshot” Digitas/Boston + Unit 9/London is another great example of history being reimagined and re-experienced.
Although purpose-driven work is often the most powerful, not every idea has to change the world, right? “#VoiceofHunger” by Dentsu Webchutney for example, so silly, so good and again created for and by the platform. One wouldn’t exist without the other. It’s also a good example of how social media can be so playful compared to some and how it gives ownership of the idea over to people.
Then there are the ideas that are created for pre-existing social worlds, like games. “#Pausetoremember” by Zulu Alpha Kilo was the standout this year. “Lofi Beats Suicide” by McCann London for Vice UK was another ingenious way of connecting with students this time, via a familiar character.
Then there’s the power of social to infiltrate and hack, “#GiveHerABreak” by Mojo Supermarket and “Stevenage Challenge” by David nailed that, and finally, social’s superpower, real-time response and earned media $ Bud Light’s “Not All Heroes Wear Capes” and “Go Back to Africa” shone brightly here.
Pain is temporary, glory is forever. #WorldSeries pic.twitter.com/8fXJ7iEA7L
— Bud Light (@budlight) October 30, 2019
There were some outstanding ideas that some might say deserved more but, rest assured, they will have their moment in more fitting categories. They’re probably just not made for social media like some of the ideas, amongst others, that I’ve mentioned above.
Trends? I guess the biggest one we see is the platform itself, Tik Tok is all the rage and I love how playful and creative it is, but interestingly not a lot of the work rose to the top– perhaps because much of it is a version of a theme, so it’ll be interesting to see how brands and ideas adapt to the platform or whether the platform will evolve as others have. I have to say some of the production levels for the Tik Tok ideas were very impressive though.
Many of the more common themes are still going strong I’d say. Ideas within games, social commerce ideas, creating a song they hope will spark the next dance craze, and when it comes to environmental issues, every other idea seems to be reusing ocean plastic to make a record or a shoe or repurposing someone’s random invention. I’m not criticizing a good cause I’m just saying do yourself a favor and make sure that if your idea lives in any of these areas make sure it’s original and relevant if you want it to make an impression– there’s plenty of competition.
How does your experience in the creative industry influence the way you perceive other people’s creative work?
That’s easy. I usually turn a shade of green. Years of experience gives you healthy regard for how tough it is to get great work through. So, when you see something special, you know what it’s taken. The gif of Leonardo DiCaprio enthusiastically applauding would probably best visualize that moment of appreciation and admiration I’m talking about. When I say they I mean both agency and client, because truly great work isn’t made by the agency alone, you co-create it. I think that’s where genuine work always eclipses scam work, because you get creativity with real purpose, whether that’s for a brand or a cause. It’s as robust as it is imaginative. I don’t even need to mention the campaigns, you know the ideas and brands I’m talking about. It inspires me to work harder at my craft but also at my client relationships.
"Years of experience gives you healthy regard for how tough it is to get great work through.
What is a piece of advice that you would like to share with aspiring young creatives?
There are the usual things like have fun, take risks, surround yourself with great people, etc. So, what else can I add? This suggestion might seem pretty obvious, which is why it’s probably less commonly dispensed, but I don’t think it’s as prevalent as you might think. Take pride in what you do. The best people always have. Think about those who inspire you. Word of warning though, it never involves taking the shortcut or the path of least resistance.
"Take pride in what you do. The best people always have."
How has Innocean Sydney been affected by covid and how are you moving forward and staying positive?
One day we were a place, the next we were a people. In the face of a looming pandemic, everyone was uncertain– there was no manual, no drill we’d practiced. Of course, there were plenty of people with opinions about the best way for agencies and brands to behave, but first and foremost our clients went into survival mode, just like every agency. Like most, we’ve focused on everyone’s physical and mental health.
We immediately took the pressure off and encouraged everyone to do only what they could as they adjusted– transforming kitchen tables into office desks and taking part-time teaching roles, all while trying to maintain a household, a job, and dealing with Covid-19 anxiety. Much to our surprise people didn’t simply cope, they excelled. Being out of the agency space has meant we’ve had to connect in other ways. One example saw us recreate a classic racing game with a lockdown twist, replacing the cars with couches. We all love playing Couch Racer now, but truly we made it to keep our spirits up and check on each other’s well-being.
We released Couch Racer into the big wide world recently so others could play and check on each other too, and there’s a donation button so we can collect some well-needed funds for the R U OK? organization. We’ve also been trying to create fun little projects we know will keep our morale up. The work still creates the culture whether you’re in a building or not. We even had a new CEO start right in the middle of this, so it’s been an interesting time, especially for her!
It’s an experience I’d rather not repeat, but there have been lots of positives. It has definitely made us closer than ever and more appreciative of each other, I think. When I look back in years to come, I’ll certainly remember the Innocean class of 2020.
The 2020 One Show WINNERS are HERE!
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