High Five: Dean Paradise
Choosing my favourite ads of all time is a little bit like having to choose my favourite child. You sort of have an inkling, but no matter what you pick, it just doesn’t feel right. So, in no particular order, here are my choices...
Guinness - 'Surfer'
Agency: AMV BBDO
Production: Academy
Director: Jonathan Glazer
Post: The Computer Film Company
Post: The Computer Film Company
Sound: Soundtree x Wave Studios
At the top of the list will always be Guinness' 'Surfer'. It showed me that advertising is more than just the sell, it can also be poetic and artful. It also got me obsessed with finding out the people behind the ads, and since then, I’ve had a career-long obsession with Jonathan Glazer.
BMW - 'The Hire: BMW Films'
Agency: Fallon Minneapolis
Production: Anonymous Content x RSA
Director: Guy Ritchie x Ang Lee x Alejandro González Iñárritu x Neil Blomkamp and more
Sound: Primal Scream x Element
The next idea in my High Five is the BMW Films series titled 'Hire', directed by Guy Ritchie, Ang Lee, Alejandro González Iñárritu, and many other amazing filmmakers. It totally changed my perspectives on what is possible in the ad world - that we could literally create movies and shows just like the entertainment world. It’s incredible what it did for the industry, creating an entire new category, 'Titanium', at Cannes.
Topsy Foundation - 'Selinah'
Agency: Ogilvy Johannesburg
Production: Egg Films
Director: Kim Geldenhuys
'Selinah' by the Topsy Foundation is one that has always stuck with me. An Aids patient was filmed over 90 days, and simply by documenting the power of the medication and reversing the footage, we see how it changed her life. Sometimes, the most powerful ideas just show the truth in an interesting way, and this showed me that you don’t always need giant productions. I want to say it was one of South Africa’s first gold Lions for film, and it showed the country that we can compete with the best.
Melbourne Metro Trains - 'Dumb Ways to Die'
Agency: McCann Melbourne
Director: John Mescall
I was at Cannes the year 'Dumb Ways to Die' swept all the categories, and it was one of those where everyone was celebrating it winning. I love how they showed that serious issues sometimes need a little levity to really make a difference. It also was an idea that integrated itself into every possible channel, and the craft involved in every detail was something to behold. From the characters, to the song, to the animation, the details are what really made it so memorable and groundbreaking at the time.
Burger King - 'Google Home of the Whopper'
Agency: DAVID Miami
Production: Caviar Los Angeles
Director: Kris Belman
And last but not least, is 'Google Home of the Whopper'. I love how it completely hacked the traditional 15, but also did it in a way that gave it so much voltage, it was impossible not to see it in your feed. It’s also awesome that my two bosses are the masterminds behind this ingenious 15 sec TVC.
