The Epica Book 2007 [available in August]
This 21st annual edition of the Epica Book features more than 950 commercials, print ads, publications, internet sites, direct marketing operations and packaging design projects honoured in the 2007/08 Epica awards, Europe’s premier creative awards show.
Judged by journalists from 34 leading advertising magazines from Europe and the EMEA region, the 21st Epica awards attracted 5,642 entries from 732 of the best advertising agencies, photographers and production houses from 47 countries.
All the winners and finalists are in the Epica Book, together with a selection of other short-listed 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.
The price of the Epica Book 21 is €80, including postage within Europe. You can buy it in the Epica Shop.
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.
Foreword by Juan Cabral
Creative Director, Partner, Fallon London
When I started working in advertising I thought that ideas where the driving force of the industry. Silly me. Of course I later figured out that it was all about numbers.
But I have to say, that for the last couple of years, I’ve realized that it’s not about numbers anymore. Numbers evolved into something else. Something worse.
The real driving force of the industry is Fear.
Fear is the real client these days. What a shame.
Clients deal with too much pressure. Almost to the point where they can’t think for themselves – it’s like something else controls their heads. That’s why ads are becoming more mediocre at a time when media is blossoming.
So there’s more mediocrity around us.
But I have to say, I’ve been pretty lucky with a few of the clients I’ve worked with lately. I would go even further and say thanks to them.
For leaving fear outside the meeting room.
For avoiding safety (there is no safety).
And for thinking with their hearts (at least for a brief moment – that takes some guts).
Because it’s about winning people’s hearts, not their heads.
That’s where healthy brands live, in the audience’s hearts.
Agencies and clients need to work hard to create bubbles where ideas can be fertile. Where brands can dream – even for a bit. In those sporadic moments I remind myself where the real force of the industry lies.
Getting the love back
Lewis Blackwell is a creative and brand adviser, former SVP Group Creative Director of Getty Images and editor/publisher of Creative Review, and a renowned author and speaker.
It has a massive entry on Wikipedia, has been uploaded thousands of times on YouTube and has been viewed, commented on or shared many millions of times over the web. It delights many and annoys a few. It is the spot that won the Epica d’Or for film: Gorilla, for Cadbury’s Dairy Milk.
Not every Epica d’Or winner can be seen as paradigm-shifting, or emblematic of an era, but for this film it would not be excessive to make such claims. The way that Gorilla works as an advertising film is clearly of this time, this late web 2.0 era, and could not quite have happened in this way before. It is a powerful, contained spot with an advertising message – traditional in those terms – and yet succeeds because it is also a fantastic piece of entertainment designed to take off and grow organically as word-of-mouth content over the internet.
Did I sense that somebody hasn’t seen it?
OK, a quick summary. Open on close-up of a gorilla...
[read the full article in the Epica Book 21, available in August.]