The Epica Book 2008 [available in August]
This 22nd annual edition of the Epica Book features more than 950 commercials, print ads, publications, internet sites,
direct marketing operations
and packaging design projects honoured in the 2008/09 Epica awards, Europe’s premier
creative awards show.
Judged by journalists from 34 leading advertising magazines from Europe and the EMEA region, the 22nd Epica awards attracted 4,945 entries from 661 of the best advertising agencies, photographers and production houses in 51 countries.
All the winners and finalists are in the Epica Book, together with a selection of other high-scoring entries.
The Epica awards have
become the reference for
creative achievement in Europe.
The Epica Book is a lasting
record of the awards and a
unique source of information
for all those interested in
contemporary European
creative trends.
The price of the Epica Book 22 is €80, including postage within Europe. You can buy it in the Epica Shop.
Index
This unique record of European creative achievement is fully indexed and conveniently arranged by product categories with creative credits and brief English translations where necessary.
FOREWORD BY AMIR KASSAEI
Chief Creative Officer, DDB Group, Germany
At present we are living through one of the most radical but exciting periods in recent history.
It is not only the financial and economical crisis that is keeping the world in suspense. It is the speed with which it is undermining old structures and forcing new thinking.
We have reached the end of an era that has been driven by a policy of short-term gain and profit maximization. Now we are experiencing the beginning of a new era that spotlights innovation, creativity and sustainability.
Therefore, it is more important than ever to reward ideas that set standards beyond media and categories – standards for new thinking, for intelligent problem solving and for refreshing insights that affect people and markets.
The Epica Awards recognise exactly these sorts of ideas. And you can get an impression of their power and potential by leafing through this book.
Enjoy!
Amir Kassaei,
Chief Creative Officer, DDB Group, Germany
IT'S A DOG'S LIFE
Lewis Blackwell is a creative director, writer and strategic consultant. He is the former editor/publisher of Creative Review and worldwide creative head of Getty Images. His new book Photowisdom is a collaboration with many of the world’s leading photographers.
We all know that it is the emotional connection that makes for great – and successful – advertising. An ad has to make you feel inclined to believe it’s message, it cannot wrestle you into submission with logical argument. And belief is not entirely, or even at all, rational. Yet most of the ads out there all too literally try to tell us things, persuade us with logic even though we are not so logical, but highly emotional.
And then along comes an ad like ‘Dog’ for VW Polo out of DDB London. It wins the Epica d’Or for film because it entirely gets the need to connect at an emotional level. It does this so brilliantly that I for one could not even see the brief, but could only feel the force of its appeal. I was won over, ready to buy, by the sheer charm of the film.
So what is it about a small dog sitting in a small car alongside his owner, driving through Los Angeles, seeming to sing along to the classic song ‘I’m a Man’ (think Spencer Davis Group and Steve Winwood, 1960s), that makes this commercial so appealing? And just what is it saying about the product?
... read the full article in the Epica Book.
LOVE, HATE, EAT
Jan Burney is a writer and editor on the creative industries.
As this is Europe’s leading advertising award, with participants from the Baltic to the Black Sea and beyond, many of you may struggle to understand the culture behind the winner of the press Epica d’Or. The strengths of this innovative campaign from DDB London for the launch of Marmite Snacking products could be lost on you just where it matters most.
Yes, you might get that as a print campaign Marmite ‘LoveHate’ has a highly desirable graphic punch to it. You might appreciate the cool lines, bright colours and the short copy. You might admire how both a packshot and a product shot has been smoothly incorporated into every ad. And, most of all, the simple but tricky genius of creating a visual that says two different things when turned around will delight creatives everywhere.
But there is no getting around the fact that unless you have a little schooling in the meaning of Marmite, which requires years of exposure to the British Way of Life, then the charm of this campaign may pass you by.
“It’s a very British brand and a very British tone of voice,” says Graeme Hall, who ...
... read the full article in the Epica Book.
ABSOLUT MACHINES: ARTIFICIAL CREATIVITY
Mark Tungate is a journalist and writer based in Paris. He is the author of Adland - A Global History of Advertising.
Art is such a human endeavour that it seems unlikely that a robot would be very good at it. Nonetheless, a famous vodka brand, a Swedish digital agency and two teams of wildly talented designers got together to explore the virgin terrain of “artificial creativity.”
Ted Persson, creative director of Stockholm agency Great Works, takes up the story. “Since the 1980s, Absolut vodka has supported creative professionals in the fields of art, music and fashion. It was almost the first brand to become seriously involved with the art world. And for Absolut this made perfect sense, because choosing the brand was a form of self-expression.”
In parallel, Absolut ran a long and highly popular print campaign based on the unusual design of its bottles. Then, last year, Absolut bravely ditched this successful strategy in favour of a new slogan: “In an Absolut world…” The idea was simple: what if we lived in a world where everything was as perfect as Absolut?
Persson says, “We started thinking about how this might apply to technology and the internet. In order to be true to the brand, we felt that it should involve art in some way, so we began looking for ways to blur the borders between art and technology.”
After talking to dozens of design teams...
... read the full article in the Epica Book.
SELLING ILLUSIONS
Lewis Blackwell is a creative director, writer and strategic consultant. He is the former editor/publisher of Creative Review and worldwide creative head of Getty Images. His new book Photowisdom is a collaboration with many of the world’s leading photographers.
Take a look at these posters, winner of this year’s Epica d’Or for outdoor, and you see not only a great idea and stunning execution – you also see a confident client who knows what they are and where they want to be. This is always the case when you look behind a great campaign.
John Lewis is a chain store with a difference: owned by its staff, able to pay bonuses even in heavy recession, known for its long-lasting slogan of ‘never knowingly undersold’. It trades on quality while being reassuringly safe on delivering great value.
“Our challenge was to elevate John Lewis from being a place where you go to buy any old present to a place where you could find the perfect gift for somebody who you knew well,” says copywriter George Prest of the campaign he created with his art director Johnny Leathers at Lowe London.
“There is the underlying fact that John Lewis doesn’t sell any old rubbish, and they are a store that is very selective, careful about what they stock. But this back story is difficult to put across in words, let alone as a visual solution.”
Inspiration came in the form of an ...