AICP Awards - Best in Show IMHO

Last week I attended a screening of the AICP Awards ... The Association of Independent Commercial Producers, the folks who make television advertising.  The AICP picked the best of the year's past advertising, across several categories. 

We watched the screening in an old theater in the middle of Richmond, VA of all places, because we were all in town for a Board Meeting for the VCU Brandcenter ... the #1 graduate program for branding in the country.  The Board of Directors is an amazing cast of characters from the industry, and I am so honored to be a part of it.

So here's my top 4 picks from the awards.  They will be the topic of conversation in my graduate NYU class this week (so students, if you are reading consider yourself warned)!  Should make for a lively discussion.

Volkswagon:  this little ditty debuted during the Super Bowl last year, to great debate.  Looking back, I'm not sure any of that was necessary.  I love how the creators try to capture an ownable mood for  the brand.

Durex:  this won for best "spec spot," meaning that it never aired.  Certainly shows off the product benefit without saying a word, perhaps the most convincing of advertising approaches.

Dollar Shave Club:  An entrepreneurial brand that is looking to reinvent a deep-seated category.  Awesome go at it with a real flare for engagement.

Expedia:  the show stopper by far.  I had never seen it before, and it stopped me in my tracks and brought tears to the audience.  Brilliant storytelling ... "Find Your Understanding."  I later found out that this was not only a true story, but the creator was the one getting married in it!  She's one of us!

I think the best part about the awards was watching them in a big theater on a big screen.  For one of the first times in my life, I was watching advertising as pure entertainment and didn't really over analyze any of it until much later.  Pure enjoyment ... we laughed out loud, we cried, we smiled, and we rejoiced in our industry of creativity.  Doesn't get any better than that!

What's your experience?  Jim.