Dead Ad Society Revives Killed Ideas with New York Awards Show

The production company Hungry Man is launching a new advertising awards show in New York - but with a twist. All of the entries will be ideas that were killed before production.

The Dead Ad Society will resurrect the ‘dead ads’ with entered scripts being performed live by an improv group at the awards show, taking place on November 14th at The Club Car at the McKittrick Hotel. A panel of judges, including Mike Byrne (Anomaly), Juliana Cobb (72andSunny), and Sam Shepherd (Uncommon NY) will decide the winner, which will then be brought to life by Hungry Man - revived and produced into the ad it was always meant to be.

Caleb Dewart, managing partner at Hungry Man, started the Dead Ad Society because he wanted to host a party in New York City. And what better way to bring the local industry together than a fun competition that will showcase some brave - perhaps too brave - creative ideas? The industry has already responded well, with SAG-AFTRA, The Mill, Work Editorial, Sonic Union, and Synapse Virtual Production all signing up as sponsors.

Before entries close this Friday, LBB’s Ben Conway spoke with Caleb to discuss how the Dead Ad Society came to be, and why he’s looking forward to celebrating, and potentially shifting the conversation around, creativity by showing ideas that clients were afraid of. 

LBB> What was the catalyst for creating the Dead Ad Society? What inspired this idea for a unique new awards show?

Caleb> Obviously, every other awards show honours work that’s been made and seen by the world. We thought it would be a lot of fun to shine a spotlight on work that didn’t make it - concepts that were bold, creative and maybe a little dangerous. We also just wanted to have a fun party in New York and this seemed like it could be something people would get excited to show up for. 

LBB> What are the most common reasons for an idea to be 'killed' before production? What might these 'dead ads' have that the ones which made it don't?

Caleb> Work gets killed for a multitude of reasons - the client changed the brief, the script didn’t deliver on all the product points, the CMO was having a bad day and took it out on the agency, there were too many cooks, not enough cooks, the company founder doesn’t like cats, the spot didn’t test well because nobody knew what the ad was for in the first five seconds... 

Our hope for the dead ad submissions is that they’ll be bolder and more fun than a lot of the work that gets bought by clients. We want scripts that didn’t make it through testing because they were too edgy. We want to see a script that a client was a little afraid to say yes to. 

LBB> What do you think you will learn from this process - about the industry, the state of creativity etc.?

Caleb> Can work be better? Our industry is collectively frustrated with the lack of good work being produced - it’s gotten so much harder to push ideas through. What happens when there’s no limitation put on an agency and a director? This is about celebrating unfettered creativity, so it’ll be interesting to see if we can ever so slightly shift the conversation by making something really great and then sharing it with clients.

LBB> The winner's idea will be brought to life by Hungry Man - can you tell us how that will work? If they're rejected ideas, will the associated brand have to be changed? Who will direct the ad and where will it live?

Caleb> We have experience getting permission from brands to make spots they killed. We also have experience with changing the brand and then getting that new brand's permission. We’ll work with the winning agency and creatives to navigate that process. The fact that the client doesn’t have to pay for the spot should make that conversation a bit easier. 

Who directs it will depend upon what the creative is and who the best fit for the work is. In all likelihood, the spot will be directed by one of Hungry Man’s up-and-coming directors… but you never know. The best and perhaps worst case scenario is that we have a bunch of upset directors who are mad that they didn’t get to make the spot.

The spot will live on a director’s reel and in the creative’s portfolio.

LBB> The judges include Mike Byrne (Anomaly), Juliana Cobb (72andSunny) and Sam Shepherd (Uncommon NY) - how have people reacted when you've asked them to take part? Why does the idea appeal to these talented creatives?

Caleb> The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. We’re honestly freaking out a little bit because now the pressure is really on for the show to be great. I think the idea is appealing because it’s different and maybe a little wild. Ask any creative and they’ll tell you they have files of scripts they wish they’d been able to sell.

LBB> The judging will happen live at the event - why is that an important aspect? And when/where will this event take place?

Caleb> We’re bringing improv actors in to perform all the shortlisted scripts. How the scripts play in the room will be a major factor in determining a winner. It’s one thing to fall in love with a script on the page, it’s a whole other thing to see it acted out by incredibly talented actors.

The show is November 14th in New York at The Club Car at the McKittrick Hotel on west 27th street. 

LBB> When will the final product (the winning ad) be produced and ready to share? 

Caleb> By the end of the year or early next year. It’ll depend on directors’ schedules and the approval process with clients.

LBB> What is your vision for the Dead Ad Society beyond this first iteration?

Caleb> We’ve focused this on New York because we wanted to have a fun party in NYC - all the jurors are east coast. If this is successful, we’d like to go bigger with it and have it be a legitimate awards show that’s taken seriously. More judges from around the country, more submissions, sponsors and most importantly, different award statues every year. 

This year we’re getting gold, silver and bronze statues that are dead fish wrapped in paper. There’s a lot of fun to be had with the dead theme - zombies, tombstones, taxidermy… 

Entries are open here until Friday, October 25th, 2024.