The Epica Book 2004
The 18th annual edition of the Epica Book features more than 800 commercials, print ads, publications, internet sites, direct marketing operations and packaging design projects honoured in the 2004/05 Epica Awards, Europe's premier creative award show.
Judged by journalists from 32 leading advertising magazines, the 18th Epica Awards attracted 4.755 entries from 635 of the best European advertising agencies, photographers and production houses in 41 countries.
All the Winners and finalists are in the Epica Book, together with a selection of other high-scoring campaigns.
The Epica Awards have become the reference for creative achievement in Europe. The Epica Book is a lasting record of the awards and a unique source of information for all those interested in contemporary European creative trends.
Index
This unique record of European creative achievement is fully indexed and conveniently arranged by product categories with creative credits and brief English translations where necessary.
I DON’T BELIEVE THE 30 SECOND COMMERCIAL IS DYING. GIVEN SOME OF THE WORK IN THIS BOOK, I DON’T EVEN THINK IT SMELLS FUNNY.
Basil Mina. Regional Creative Director Leo Burnett Europe, Middle East & Africa.
Here’s an upbeat thought to kick off this celebration of creativity : 86 per cent of advertising goes unseen. It’s not just disliked or mistrusted – it’s unseen.
Ads are kind of like pigeons. They’re everywhere, but you don’t notice them until one refuses to get out of the way, and then you have to decide whether or not you want pigeon-kill on your conscience.
Truth is, most people don’t give a flying pigeon about advertising. They simply blank it out.
Can’t say I blame them. How many commercial breaks, magazine pages or web sites do you figure they have to endure before something brilliant, fresh and innovative (something like the better work in this book) works its way into their hearts and minds?
The answer of course, is "none". TiVo and other evil, ad-hating technology has put us right at the bottom of the food chain. They can simply program us out of their lives.
I guess the obvious question to ask is, if they’re indifferent to our brand stories, are they equally indifferent to our brands? You know the answer to that one.
Things have moved on from the days when the biggest media decision was 30 seconds or 60, and, as the great Ed McCabe put it, all your ad had to do was "make them feel a schmuck for not buying your product".
I guess Mr. McCabe would say it’s a whole new ball game. There’s a growing belief that the 30-second commercial is dying and that 360 degree thinking is the way forward.
Now, while some of the most exciting, breakthrough work we’ve seen over the past few years has been in viral and alternative media (you only have to look at the wonderful Trojan work in this book) at the end of the day, holistically-driven crap is still crap.
I’m not sure the 30-second commercial is dying. Given some of the work in this book, I don’t even think it smells funny. The same goes for print and other conventional forms of advertising.
While the world might have changed, the fundamental problem is the same as it ever was, probably the same as it always will be: the belief that we can communicate via osmosis.
After all the theories, buzz words, acronyms, touch points, brilliant media solutions and "good meetings", all consumers really give a damn about is our ideas. The brilliant creative ones that break through, connect and persuade.
There’s some good work in this book (the work is judged by journalists and if it makes it past their naïve, non-judgmental eyes it’ll make it past anything).
Some of it is brilliant, fresh & inspiring. But there is also a hell of a lot that is trying really hard to be just like the work that was in here last year.
That’s not helping anyone is it?
The only thing that will pull us back up the food chain is fresh, original ideas. And if it’s in here, it’s no longer fresh or original.
So, pull your nose out of the book & go do anything within the reasonable bounds of the law to get your work in here next year.