Okay, so judging the One Show is a great honor. And, of course, it's incredible to be surrounded by a group of people who are so passionate about their work and dedicated to their craft. But honestly, it's also kind of a drag. I mean, we slugged through almost 300 entries today. As if I don't stare at this screen enough on a regular basis. Not to mention, I had a critical acupuncture appointment this morning (don't ask, I'm from California) so I was almost 2 hours late. This is why I'm still plugging away tonight.
Don't get me wrong, it is definitely a privilege. But it's also such an incredible responsibility. I mean, people pour their hearts, minds and lives into this work. Most agencies are lucky to have one piece they feel confident enough in to enter into the show. And so blowing off even one entry is absolutely not an option. Another reason I admire these guys around me... They're fair and dedicated, even when judging other people's work. It's very cool. It's true that the most talented creatives have the tiniest egos. And vice-versa. It takes a fairly open mind to stick with an entry that is not in your language, takes 3 minutes to load and ultimately doesn't make that much sense. But these guys do it. Mostly because they love the industry and what we're all trying to accomplish, but also because they appreciate how much effort goes into each and every piece of work.
So anyway, about the work. It's good. Well, some of it is. Some of it's pretty amazing, actually. Yes, the usual suspects will probably show well this year. But there will be a few surprises. Japan, especially, has some really unique ideas in the mix. Goodby is back with a vengeance. And a few of our Swedish friends have been cranking out the goodness again.
I'm trying to think what you all might want to know about the judging process besides the above, but I'm at a loss. Send me some questions tomorrow so I can give you exactly what you're looking for.
Peace,
ag
oof
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I think I know exactly which Swedish friends you mean. :)
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PermalinkOne question - when you see two or three top pieces that are hard to decide upon - how do you make a decision to choose one? Or can you give all your tops the highest marks?
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PermalinkHonestly, I'm not sure. The work is becoming so sophisticated, I find that one or two awesome aspects of the work is not enough. A great idea always rises to the top. But if the execution is weak or the idea is not original, it's probably not going to measure up. We're at a very interesting point in this business. We're sort of at the beginning of maturity. Post-pubescent but still not exactly sure how best to employ all our wonderful toys.
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PermalinkI got one - when I was on Jury Duty at Guldkornet, they were very picky that we not sway each other. We weren't allowed to discuss some things or reveal what points we gave the submissions. Same for you?
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PermalinkIn the first couple of days, we're pretty much nose in monitor. Not a lot of conversation. The great work rises to the top via mutual - but individual - appreciation. Starting tomorrow, though, we'll be discussing everything, which is when it will get more interesting. I think we'll realize that we're in new territory with this work. Things that would have won last year will not this year. Either because they have been done before or because they simply don't hit enough of today's touchpoints.
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PermalinkIt's refreshing to hear that juries take their time carefully screening each entry. In some award shows you really do wonder if they even looked at all the entries when you compare the shortlist to the winners list. (Not the One Show obviously but lesser awards names we shall not mention)
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PermalinkYeah. One Show is real. Kevin Swanepoel does an incredible job with this thing year round. You need a leader - just like an agency. For most shows, that's a revolving door.
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PermalinkQuestion - Do you judge work from your own agency/agency network?
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PermalinkYes. And no. In the first rounds, it's basically a pass/fail thing. Or rather, in or out. Then, you vote on a scale from 1 to 10. 10 being awesome and 1 being a huge waste of agency resources. In the first rounds, you can vote your agency's work "in" because, the theory is, you wouldn't have entered it if you didn't think it belonged in the show. After that, though, you have to "abstain" when it comes to work from your own agency. So, Ogilvy peeps, don't blame me if we don't do well.
That said, all entries are blind. In other words, unless the agency name is in the url or the description, judges don't know where the work comes from. Obviously, some entries are obvious, but I think it's as fair as it can be given out inbred this industry is.
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PermalinkHot potato! Thanks for this by the way Aaron, for being our fly on the wall in the One Show jury room. In fact you should have my avatar. I'll let you use for free.
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PermalinkIs it? Whenever I'm on a jury I can't vote for things that my agency has done. Thought that was the deal all around the planet.
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