GLOBAL – November 27, 2013 – The results of the 2013 Epica Awards have been announced, with Epica d’Or (grand prix) winners from Denmark, Namibia, Tunisia and Turkey.
Danish agency &Co won the film grand prix for its “Made From Cool” campaign for fashion brand Jack & Jones.
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The campaign stars Christopher Walken as an enigmatic tailor with supernatural powers. It was directed by Martin Werner. The jury praised the actor’s performance as well as the campaign’s moody lighting and sense of foreboding, elements rarely associated with fashion advertising.
This year’s jury president, French journalist François Kermoal, commented: “The casting of Christopher Walken was a bold move and you certainly don’t expect to see him in this environment. The campaign is disruptive, on-target and perfectly executed.”
Creative director Thomas Hoffmann said: “From day one we knew it had to be Christopher Walken, but we were convinced he’d say ‘no’ because he’d never done advertising before. But he liked the idea and the scripts. Actually he went quite deeply into the character – he had clear views on how this person would look and behave.”
The press grand prix was won by Namibian agency Advantage Y&R for its work for the Land Rover Defender.
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The image shows travel books and souvenirs of adventurous journeys arranged on a bookshelf in the shape of the car. Jury president François Kermoal commented: “This beautiful image touches the imagination and makes you dream, which should be the aim of all advertising. And of course it captures the spirit of Land Rover without showing the product.”
Agency creative director Patrick Held said: “This is wonderful news for Namibia. The Romans used to say ‘Ex Africa semper aliquid novi’ – out of Africa, always something new.”
Havas Worldwide Turkey won the outdoor Epica d’Or for its “Music of the People” image for Açik Radio.
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The elegant, nostalgic image depicts silhouettes of strolling pedestrians against a backdrop of iron railings, as if they are musical notes. It is a photomontage of pictures taken in 1952 by Harold Feinstein, who agreed to lend his work to the campaign after being contacted by the radio station.
Jury president François Kermoal noted: “In an increasingly complex advertising world, this graphic image is in the grand tradition of posters. It’s a pleasure to look at and genuinely provokes the desire to find out more about the radio station.”
The interactive grand prix was won by Memac Ogilvy Label Tunisia for its “Mobilizing the 12th Man” app for football club C.S. Hammam-Lif.
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With soccer stadiums in Tunisia empty because public gatherings were banned for security reasons following the Arab Spring disturbances, the football club felt out of touch with its fans. So the agency created an app that allowed users to send artificial cheers, chants and applause from their phones to giant speakers at the stadium. As fans lent their support from home, the team won a crucial match.
Jury president François Kermoal said: “All too often, the digital world is a closed loop, disconnected from reality. This campaign brings the virtual world into the real world. An app that communicates the passion of fans to their team is a wonderful idea.”
In terms of network performance, Leo Burnett led the gold rush with nine gold awards, followed by Y&R with 8 and Havas Worldwide with 6.
Founded 27 years ago, Epica is the only worldwide creative award judged by journalists from the marketing and communications press.
