Inside the Jury Room: UK Immortals Jury Delves into the 10 Finalists

It seems that as clouds gather in the UK — uncertainty around the new government’s first budget and a hesitation to spend from marketers, per the latest IPA Bellwether report — there’s an appetite from some comedic relief. Of the ten projects named as finalists by the jury of the UK arm of the Immortal Awards, a good three were explicitly humorous, eliciting actual LOLs in the screening room of Framestore London, with some other more serious pieces bearing at the very least, a wry smirk.

It was also a year for creativity that defied the expectations of category, with charities going upbeat, beauty brands getting into gaming and toilet paper ads actually embracing a bit of, well, toilet humour.

In the end, the jury put forward an unprecedented ten finalists to duke it out with the rest of Europe with a selection that really shows the best of British. LBB's Laura Swinton spoke to the judges to find out why they fell in love with the successful work.

“Probably right up at the top of the list was Channel 4’s ‘Considering What?’ Paralympics campaign. The first thing that struck all of us in the jury room was, “how the hell are they going to one-up the amazing campaigns they’ve done year on year?” Kudos to the in-house team there and the creators that have done that. It took us aback and we all felt something towards it. For us, it had to be in there. Super excited to see what it does in the European and Global juries!”

“I liked ‘RESPECT’ from the RSPCA. I think it’s wonderful to see a charity ad with so much joy and levity but that still makes you feel an awful lot. In particular, I’m a huge animal lover, so it spoke to me.”

“It was one that stood out for me this year. It was really solid, it was unusual. It’s a fantastic piece of advertising. It’s emotive, it’s strong, it’s funny. I particularly like the quails that dance. There’s a lot in there and it’s unexpected. I think, for me, that’s the most powerful part. It resonates, being an animal lover or not, it would still resonate. I think it’s an amazing choice of track. For me, it was up there.”

“We thought Dove ‘Code My Crown’ was super ambitious and a great example of the best of this year’s UK work. It’s an idea that shakes up the gaming industry, with positive disruption. Bringing genuine cultural diversity to hair representation with an open-sourced approach, ensuring every player can see themselves in gaming and celebrating the richness of individual identities. It’s about time for this work.”

“Without sounding like an awful cliché, as a father of two teenage daughters, I think this campaign is just so important to tell. It's a story that needs to be told and told again. And I think What's brilliant about it is that the team behind this and the brand constantly reinvent the idea and execute it. So for me, this continues to stand out amongst the crowd.”

“It’s a bit of work that, when I saw it on the news, I was professionally jealous of. I think it’s an iconic piece of work contextually because of  when it launched, around the football. It’s one of those pieces I wish I would have done.”

“I just love ‘Everyday Tactician’ for Xbox because it takes the truth and culture of an unreal world plus the benefits of that, and places that squarely in the real world.”

“I think the reason that I liked ‘Get Comfortable’ is that I found it a fresh campaign, I hadn’t seen anything like that for a while. It was what everyone thinks about at work so it’s a brave campaign executed really well, the two spots in the campaign certainly really hit home. When you hear chuckles in the audience then you know it’s working and it’s funny. It’s well crafted… stylised mini movies. Nice job!”

“Personally I loved Uber One ‘Best Friends’ because, for me, it was scripted so amazingly. If a creative team came to me and read me that script, the dialogue is so on point. I feel that’s often more the preserve of American agencies, but the fact that’s come from a British agency I think is fantastic. It’s obviously fantastically acted but it’s just fun. It’s a moment of levity and I think we need that right now.”

“Apple’s ‘Lost Voice’ is such a beautiful idea, so simple and so beautifully executed. The craft that went into all of the vignettes and characters just really impressed us as a jury. And on top of that there’s a rug pull at the end where the voice was from the actual father reading to his daughter at the end. It really pulled on the emotional heartstrings and left us feeling in such a great, great place at the end.”

“I think the Apple campaign was a well done piece of advertising, not only technically, which it is, but as a script, as an idea, as a story. The way it ties up the voice, which starts in the beginning and you realise at the end whose voice it is and what it means for him and the girl. I think it’s a good message. As a father myself with a young daughter, I would hate to miss that moment. I think being enabled to do that is something to cherish. It’s a piece of advertising but sometimes advertising goes beyond the product. For that reason I think it’s a special project.”

“Doritos ‘Silent’ was just one of those ideas that was really targeted at its audience, the gaming community. I think what was so special and ingenious was its use of AI to remove all of that extraneous sound so that gamers could enjoy the gaming experience and planting Doritos at the heart of that created that amazing love for the brand.”