The Long Wait' Tops 2012 British Arrows Awards

"The Long Wait" Tops 2012 British Arrows Awards,
Rattling Stick Named Production Company of the Year

This John Lewis holiday spot was the jury favorite at the 2012 British Arrows Awards.

John Lewis' warmly sentimental holiday spot "The Long Wait," which shows a young boy's impatience for  Christmas to arrive, was the big winner at the 2012 British Arrows Awards, presented last night in London.  The spot was named Commercial of the Year and won numerous honors, including Best 60 to 90 Second TV Commercial, Best 60 to 90 Second Cinema Commercial, Best Retail and Best Corporate. 
 
Also topping the winners' table was Rattling Stick, which was named Production Company of the Year.  The shop won for its work for Walls Sausages, which netted Best 30 Second Commercial honors as well as Best Food, and it also won Gold Arrows for work for John Lewis and Barnardo's.  In addition, work from Rattling Stick won four Silver Arrows and two Bronze Arrows. 
 
The evening's parade of medals included not just honors in recognition of great work done over the past year, but also included honors for larger bodies of work. The Chairman's Award for this year was presented to Jeremy Craigen, Executive Creative Director of DDB in London, while The Fellowship Award was presented to Gorgeous Managing Director Paul Rothwell.  Advertiser of the Year honors went to Honda, while BBH was named Agency of the Year.

Academy Films MD Lizie Gower, Chairman of the British Arrows Board, presided over the gala.

SourceEcreative asked Academy Films' Managing Director Lizie Gower, Chairman of the British Arrows Board of Directors, about the competition and what makes it special.  "The Arrows' role is to reward the British advertising industry with a beautiful Gold, Silver or Bronze Arrow for exceptional work, which encompasses not only the idea but also the execution of it," she says. She points out that one of the requirements for entry is that either the ad agency or production company responsible for the work must be based in the UK, making it a purely British show.

And then there's the jury, which represents a cross-section of the industry, Gower adds.  "Our judging panels are made up of clients, agencies and production companies in equal proportion," she notes. 
 
"I think that the Chairman's and Fellowship Awards have been incredibly well received," Gower continues.  "It's important to recognize and applaud the talents of others that have contributed so much to the industry." Gower also notes that the British Arrows introduced its Advertiser of the Year award this year, and is gearing up for its Craft Awards, which are presented in the fall. "Those awards recognize the talent that often goes unrewarded behind the scenes," she says, "but as all of us know, these unsung heroes play a vital part in the production of a commercial."

Walls Sausages's "Kitchen," along with "Rolls Garage," were also big winners.

The 2012 British Arrows jury included James Studholme, Partner at Blink Productions; Nick Allsop, Partner at BBH; Mike Boles, Creative Partner at RKCR; Danny Brooke-Taylor, ECD at Dare; Richard Denney, Joint ECD at DLKW Lowe; Clare Donald, Head of Broadcast at Euro RSCG; Sara Dunlop, a Director at Rattling Stick; Kelly Engstrom  of T-Mobile; Piero Frescobaldi, Creative Partner at unit9; Adam Kean, ECD of Publicis; Mark Given, Head of Sponsorship at o2; Jon Goldstone, Group Marketing Director at Premier Foods; Laura Gregory, Founder of Great Guns; Kai-Lu Hsiung, Managing Director at RSA Films; Clare Hunter, Head of Moving Image at COI; Stuart Ibberson of Alra Foods; Heather Link, Global Head of Campaign Management at HSBC; Scott Lyon, Director at Outsider; Hector Macleod, Founder of Glassworks; Vicky Maguire of Suck and Chew; Russell Ramsey, ECD at JWT London; Madeleine Sanderson, Co-Director at Partizan, London; Rodrigo Sobral, Creative Director of The Mill Digital; and Ben Tollett, Joint Creative Director at adam & eve.

Here's a full listing of the Gold Award winners for this year:

 
Best 60 to 90 Second TV Commercial:
John Lewis, "The Long Wait," made for adam & eve by Blink
 
Retail:
John Lewis, "The Long Wait"
 
Corporate:
John Lewis, "The Long Wait"
John Lewis, "Through The Ages," made for adam & eve by Rattling Stick
 
Best 60-90 Second Cinema Commercial:
John Lewis, "The Long Wait"
 
Best 20 Second TV Commercial:
Aldi "Tea," made for McCann Manchester by The Love Commercial Production Company
 
Best UK TV Series:
Aldi, made for McCann Manchester by The Love Commercial Production Company
 
Charity:
Barnardo's "Life Story," made by for BBH by Rattling Stick
British Heart Foundation, "Vinnie," made for Grey London by Hungry Man
 
Best 30 Second Commercial:
Wall's Sausages, "Kitchen," made for Saatchi & Saatchi by Rattling Stick
Wall's Sausage, "Rolls Garage," made for Saatchi & Saatchi by Rattling Stick
 
Food:
Wall's Sausages, "Kitchen"
Wall's Sausage, "Rolls Garage"
 
Public Service Advertising:
British Heart Foundation, "Vinnie"
 
Non-Alcoholic Beverages & Water:
Aldi Tea
 
Dairy:
Cravendale, "Cats With Thumbs," made for Wieden + Kennedy by Smith & Jones Films
 
The John Webster Award for Best New Creative Team:
Barnardo's "Life Story"
 
Best 30-60 Second TV Commercial:
Wall's Sausages, "Kitchen"
Wall's Sausage, "Rolls Garage"
Cravendale, "Cats With Thumbs"
British Heart Foundation, "Vinnie"
Weetabix, "Big Day," made for BBH by Smuggler
 
Public Service Advertising:
BBC, "Wonderful World," made for RKCR/Y&R by Red Bee Media
 
Corporate:
BBC, "Wonderful World"
 
For a full list of Silver and Bronze British Arrows winners, click here.

Published 22 March, 2012