2010 Young Lions Winners

So as you can probably tell, I didn't win or place in the Young Lions Competition this year. I'm not completely heart broken because I am really proud of the creative I produced. From the beginning of the whole process I said I didn't care if I lost as long as I respected the ones that did and unfortunately I don't think the winners are all that they are cracked up to be.

Now I don't want to sit here and sound like another negative ad criticizer, there are enough of those online (see adsoftheworld.com), and congrats to those that did win. Regardless of anyone's opinion your ads were recognized as the best of the bunch.

Here is my feedback on the winners. First of all I'm so confused by their gold choice. It seems to be more of an ad for dyslexia then parkinson's disease. The second place winner made me laugh a little because two years ago when I entered this contest the winner was a fake perfume ad and I think the third placed ad is the best of the three!

I had a great time competing in this contest. Whether it was the brainstorming process, the execution or the waiting for the results it was an exciting ride and I love what I produced. Luckily I'm only 25 so I can compete for three more years. BRING IT ON 2011!

Feel free to leave your thoughts.

Here is a little info about what was expected from the creative:

The Challenge

The market is saturated with charitable messaging. Currently, the marketplace recognizes the name but has extremely low awareness of what Parkinson’s is. Parkinson’s is a complex andmisunderstood disease with much of the public believing it is a disease that mainly afflicts the elderly.A secondary challenge for Parkinson Society Canada is that the Michael J. Fox Foundation is now raising funds in Canada. There is confusion in the marketplace and a misperception that the two organizations are working together. Funds raised here by the Michael J. Fox Foundation do not stay in Canada.

The Objective

Increase awareness of Parkinson’s disease by making it known to empathetic Canadians. This will be accomplished by creating an understanding of the disease and exposing Parkinson’s as a disease with greater impact than people think.

Gold Winner:

Silver Winner

Bronze Winner

My Ad

Young Lions 2010

So this weekend I participated in the Young Lions competition. Basically its a competition of young people in the advertising industry who are under 28. Here is the gist of the contest, you are emailed a brief at 9am and have 24 hours to complete an ad. I joined the print category but there is also a web, media and film as well.

This year the ad was for the Parkinson Society of Canada. The ad was supposed to increase awareness of Parkinson's Disease and to give the viewer a better understanding of it. I did some research on Parkinson's while brainstorming creative ideas and I had no idea its symptoms were so complex. The most common symptoms are tremors, slowness, stiffness, impaired balance and rigidity of the muscles. Presently most people associate Parkinson's with Michael J. Fox and from seeing him in the media, think that its a disease that makes a person shake or have "tremors". That is not the only symptom of Parkinson's usually thats just a side effect of the medication. I can't even imagine having to spend every day fighting your own body, or being on edge about when a sudden symptom may occur.

I'm very proud of the creative that I produced. I won't post it up here until the judge is over in mid-April but I feel like its about the best ad I've made to date. I strongly recommend any young creative person in advertising to sign up for this contest, its very exciting and fun to be a part of.

The winners of the Young Lions win a trip to Cannes, France and the opportunity to represent Canada in the official Cannes Young Lions competition.

Wish me luck :)

Big Tease

So I am one of the millions of GTA dwellers that takes the TTC everyday. And what a glorious system that is. Am I right? The passengers are so generous, if they are not sharing whatever virus has plagued them that day then they are graciously taking up as many seats and poles as possible with their bags and bodies so that you can get some exercise surfing the subway. How sweet. And the Toronto Transit Commission has made the fare $3 so that you don't waste any of your extra hard earned money on something you may regret later. Anyways, complaining aside...

Sometimes, if I'm lucky, while riding the rocket I'll see an ad of some merit and interest. Its hard not to appreciate a great ad on the subway, its the only thing to look at other than all the other people excited about their morning commute. A coworker of mine told me to look out for these "Unlimited ads" and we couldn't figure out what they were for. Teaser ads, as annoying as they can be, are really fun to investigate and definitely start conversations. This one bothered me because I couldn't figure out what it was for. The photography is great and the simple layout and concept is so attractive. I googled them and found out they are for a new cell phone provider called Public Mobile who offers talk and text plans for $40 a month. The catch is they don't have the greatest coverage. Its only located in the GTA and Quebec. But for a newcomer I think they are at least exposing themselves well. They got my attention. Glad I could put my mind to rest on the subject.