Twenty-seven hours of judging behind me, (actually it was more like 45 hours), ‘WOW’ factor found, all pencils awarded and the 2022 D&AD PR jury is closed for another year.
What an amazing experience that was.
Are you doing video right? And do you want to do it better? Join us at our next Campaign Breakfast Briefing: Video 2022 – Moving Pictures to discover the latest learnings from platforms, broadcasters and other industry experts. There will be insights; there will be original research. The only thing that will make this event better is you. Join us and the industry on the 27 May.
I’m joined by 9 seriously creative, intellectual, open-minded, experienced and diverse jurors from around the world. Together we judged over 530 cases and shared 4 days of judging, coming together with the one common goal: to find THE best PR idea for 2022, the one that leaves you feeling jealous (in a good way) that you wished the entry was your own while being inspired just enough to keep you searching for the perfect alignment of a brave client meets a brilliant idea. There’s always next year.
Throughout the process I constantly had to keep reminding myself to compartmentalize the PR category into one of two pillars: was the PR a consequence or by design? A tough reality we needed to pull back from while getting absorbed in the creative.
Our jury was incredibly thorough, investigating every entry over and over again, really taking the time to respect and understand each submission. We analyzed and critiqued every single idea to make sure we found the absolute best for the shortlist. The challenge came when we had to choose the wood pencils that represented the best ideas of the year. And then the graphite.
Long meetings, discussions, debates, ideas being defended, more critiquing. It was crucial to keep an open mind and develop our thinking from other people’s experiences while finding the work that deserved these awards. After many hours of debating, we found them.
And then finally, the yellow pencils. This is when it really became difficult. For many people entering the awards in hope of a pencil is a once in a lifetime opportunity. It’s the absolute pinnacle of a career. A pencil recognizes the best of creativity, of ideas, thinking and execution all in one. A lot of deep and meaningful conversations continued to try and select what we believed was a yellow pencil. In the end, it was a unanimous vote. We chose the idea that represented the category of PR in a beautiful way. It’s an unexpected, diverse mix of the different disciplines of PR.
Learnings as a juror: be consistent with yourself, with the way you look at the work, and the way you respond. Find pieces and defend them strongly but keep an open mind. If someone adds something that you cannot defend, don’t make it personal. Walk away knowing that you’ve done everything you could. Lastly, when judging, realise this is the work that will guide and aspire our future creative leaders. These are the ideas our industry needs to keep improving.
Learnings from the creative side: purpose, bravery, collaboration and simplicity.
Put purpose in your work. It is essential. The only ideas that made it through to the final this year were the ones with purpose. Make sure the purpose relates to the brand honestly and authentically.
Be brave. Be really brave. You have to push boundaries as ok is no longer good enough. Be aspirational and edgy in your thinking.
Be collaborative. Think of really cool collaborations different from what we’ve already seen be it through the same mediums – technology, innovation, celebrities and influencers to name but a few. Collaborations were key to making this year’s winning ideas come to life.
And finally, simplicity. Keep it simple.
