Vox Pop: Andy Blood, Titanium+Integrated Juror

CB interviews New Zealand’s Titanium and Integrated Lions juror: Andy Blood, group ECD, TBWA\Whybin\Tequila, Auckland.

HIGHLIGHTOF JUDGING CANNES 2009?

The qualityof the people in the room – you always enjoy something more when the caliber ofconversation around you is so high, that’s kind of irreplaceable. I have beenon juries before where I’ve gone, ‘why is so and so here, should I really careabout what they think?’ That was in evidence in the room; we were in at all. Itwas an incredibly high level of thinking and conversation.

LOWLIGHT?

Thelong form content of award entries. These days they are not just fiveminutes; some went up to eight, nine, ten minutes. My advice to thefestival organizers is that if you can convince people to get theirentries down to say, 60-seconds, then give them half price entry tospeed things up for us all. People can really destroy their own idea.If you have a great sentence or sound bite then another seven minutesand 50-seconds don’t make it a better sound bite. That’s why Twitter isso brilliant – by forcing people to use less than 140 characters andhaving that little online calculator in front of you gets you into the140 zone and that’s probably why it is so successful. Imagine briefscoming through on Twitter?

ARE YOUINSPIRED?

Yes I am,also through a certain amount of vindication that what my agency is doing isthe right thing.

BESTADVICE?

Shut up.

PERSONAL FAVOURITE FOR GRAND PRIX?

There’s somuch great work here. I really like the Whopper ‘Sacrifice’. It’s living inthat world of it’s great online, it makes you do things, it creates actions andmomentum, it’s response driven using technology in a really smart way. It’ssubverting the genre of friendship, making un-friendship a savvy marketingtool.

WHAT’SLEFT TO DO?

Now we arefree so I’m spending some time in the sun and am down here for a few days nextweek.