What the?!? Ogilvy Shanghai’s ‘Cokehands’ good enough to win the Cannes Outdoor Grand Prix but bombs completely in outdoor at AdFest
This is no reflection on the Grande and the Gold Lotus winners in the Outdoor category at AdFest this year, but is Campaign Brief Asia the only one scratching our head over the fact that the Coca-Cola “Cokehands” poster was strangely missing from the winners list?
As we all know there are no certainties when it comes to award judging, but CB Asia would have bet the house on Ogilvy Shanghai’s “Cokehands” getting at least a Gold Lotus in the Outdoor category at Asia’s top regional awards show.
At the end of the Outdoor category awards we were convinced the AdFest presentation and editing crew had made an awful mistake and omitted the world’s most awarded poster of the past 12 months. However, as we found out later, it wasn’t the editing staff that had omitted the poster, it was the judges on the Jury.
Campaign Brief would love to know the reasoning? Further more, we would have loved to have been a fly on the wall when that discussion was going on: “Look I know it’s won dozens of prix and gold awards at international shows around the world, but it really only deserves an Outdoor finalist here…”
12 Comments
seriously CB? if you think that this poster deserves to win any award, then this industry is doomed forever.
becuase khai was not the judge
I must say Graham Fink’s stock has gone up by a mile for me after hearing this. If this piece would have won top honours it would have opened up needless comments of nepotism.
Just look at the CCA awards where every agency seemed to miraculously clean up in a category where of their own was a jury leader. Or the adfest interactive category where a piece of junk won…is it because the jury president was from the agency concerned…we’ll never know.
But with this smart move Graham Fink has removed any cause for complaints. Bravo Sir.
It’s a nice ad. Not great. Nice. The fact that it won a GP at Cannes was a bit of a joke. It’s a nice concept, but weak in execution – any swiss or german designer will tell you that. While I think it should have received a metal, it’s a bronze at best in any show.
“seriously” -Campaign Brief is not the only ones that obviously like it. It’s cleaned up everywhere. It won 2 silvers in Print at ADFEST so that jury must have liked it. I too would like to know the jury reasoning why it got nothing in outdoor.
“integrity was dead” – Graham Fink was not the president of this outdoor jury.
Why Oh Why?
Because:
a) it’s a massively, massively, overrated piece of work that has been PR-ed extremely skillfully by Graham Fink & Ogilvy. That’s what he’s paid to do, so good on him. No issues with that. The weight & momentum it’s acquired simply by winning GP at Cannes will carry it through most of the other award shows it enters. Not all. But most.
b) Errrr, Adfest is “Asia’s top regional awards show”, CB? Seriously? Um, no. 3rd best, if you include AWARD, 2nd best (distantly) if you exclude AWARD and only include Spikes.
Coke hands won the grand prix and gold in outdoor at spikes last year so maybe adfest is the better show Ernie?
I wonder if the guy who came up with this clever visual poster will end up being a one hit wonder. If so (and I hope not), what an amazing story it would make. Imagine him trying to top the medal tally on this piece ever. I’d say the odds are against him to do it.
Well it’s clear that Australians like it given the story above this one.
overrated. over-hyped. over-marketed. over-sensationalized. kudos to adfest for making me feel i’m not the only one who thinks that this piece is not THAT great.
not THAT great, but surely deserving of metal?
Obviously the jury was out to kill it. Leaving it as a shortlist is sending the agency a message as this would have been discussed in the jury room. I too would like to know why it was not rewarded at all.
I’m sure Graham Fink is not that concerned as 2 nights later he has 4 Golds at AWARD.
People. Esteemed Naoki Ito chaired that category. Why it failed to win is simple.
Outdoor should NEVER be a media used to adapt press material. It isn’t that this piece was shabby. Just don’t belong there.