The AICP Show: The Art & Technique of the American Commercial premiered tonight at The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City, closing out AICP Week, a celebration of advertising in the motion image, which also included the debut of the AICP Next Awards at The Tishman Auditorium at the New School, and the AICP Week Base Camp. Two thousand members of the advertising, marketing and production industries attended the debut of the AICP Show.
Serving as chairperson of this year’s Show was Lisa Mehling, Owner/Executive Producer of Chelsea Pictures. Following its premiere at MoMA, the Show will tour museums and cultural institutions around the country and abroad. Each year, the honored work becomes a part of the archives of the Department of Film at The Museum of Modern Art. The collection now numbers over 1,900 pieces of advertising in the motion image.
Each category of the Show may have up to three winners, with the exception of Advertising Excellence/Single Commercial, and Advertising Excellence/Campaign, which each may have only one honoree, making those pieces “Best in Show.” “Evan,” for Sandy Hook Promise out of BBDO New York and directed by Henry-Alex Rubin of Smuggler was honored for Advertising Excellence/Single Commercial. The ad uses a clever twist to highlight the signs that a teen may be planning a school shooting. Nike’s “Unlimited You,” comprising the spots “Unlimited Youth,” “Unlimited Will,” and “Unlimited Courage,” was honored for Advertising Excellence/Campaign. Directed by Max Malkin of PRETTYBIRD for Wieden+Kennedy, the campaign introduces viewers to exceptional athletes who have overcome challenges to excel at their chosen sports.
At the AICP Next Awards, the Most Next honor (Best in Show) went to Lockheed Martin’s “The Field Trip To Mars,” produced by Framestore for McCann New York. The experience follows children on a school bus as they experience a trip to Mars via virtual reality. The winner of the Most Next honor directs a $5,000 grant from the AICP Foundation to an educational institution of their choosing.This year’s grant went to the Washington D.C. chapter of Girls Inc.
The most honored production companies in the AICP Awards (across the Show and Next) is Smuggler, with six honors, followed by O Positive with five. Framestore and MJZ each earned four honors; while Epoch Films, Rattling Stick and Somesuch/Anonymous Content and Tool each received three honors.
Among directors, David Shane of O Positive earned five honors, while Henry-Alex Rubin of Smuggler and Spike Jonze of MJZ each received four honors. Martin de Thurah of Epoch Films, Ringan Ledwidge of Rattling Stick, Floyd Ross of Tool, and Daniel Wolfe of Somesuch/Anonymous Content each earned three honors.
On the agency front, BBDO New York and Wieden+Kennedy each earned six honors, while Droga5 and Wieden+Kennedy each received five honors. Framework and McCann each received four honors, while R/GA and Venables, Bell & Partners each had three honors.
The Art & Technique of the American Commercial has a bifurcated judging system, which begins with a series of judging panels featuring over 400 judges from across the country and around the world, with experts in various fields judging work across the 23 categories. The process culminates in the meeting of the Curatorial Committee, which is the final arbiter in the disposition of the Show, confirming eligibility and appropriateness to category.
The AICP Show reel features custom-designed graphics by Trollbäck + Company, with an original score and sound design by Antfood. The Show Sponsor reel and loop was created by Taylor James with music by Yessian.
For a full list of winners please visit www.aicpawards.com
