Kris Kiger’s Andy Diary: Stranded on Scrub Island
The international ANDY Awards’ judging are underway in the British Virgin Islands and as is now an annual custom, one of the top jurors writes a spiel for Campaign Brief, an ANDY’s media partner. Kris Kiger is managing director, Visual Design at R/GA, New York and here is her report:
Let me set the scene for you. As judges are called to duty to serve on the ANDYs jury, the journey begins as we fly to the British Virgin Islands on small prop planes and take a special ferryboat to the secluded ‘Little Scrub’ Island, which is nestled in next to ‘Big Scrub’ Island. Both actually are rather small, but big on beauty. They were founded as one of the few small islands Columbus had landed on back in the day (so the story goes). They were named for where sailors docked and scrubbed the bottoms of their boats. What a great location to hide away and examine what the world of advertising will hold for the upcoming year. I guess we’ll be scrubbing through some creative barnacle build-up of our own.
As we sail in to our final destination, we are greeted dockside with a rum punch (which is an excellent way to set the tone for the week). Coming from a snowy NYC, I am more than well prepared to take on the harsh and punishing responsibilities of casting judgment for the industry. Sunshine, turquoise waters, light sand beaches, waves lightly hitting the shore with a slight warm breeze or two… and a darkened room with a projector to go through the hundreds of entries submitted this year across multiple categories.
First evening here, we all meet for cocktails and an introduction to all the judges by Ty Montague and Michael Lebowitz. It’s a stellar lineup of amazing people from all over the place. Some are old friends from other international juries I’ve been on in the past, and some are the legends in the industry that I’ve always wanted to meet.
I had a great conversation or two about the anticipation of the show. What will it be like? I found myself talking with Iain Tait of W+K Portland and Ben Malbon of Google Creative Labs. Great conversation. Iain wondered ‘How will the dark arts of interactive figure into this show in particular. It’s a show known for its more classic advertising formats.’ I don’t disagree. However, the form advertising is taking is augmenting, changing and diversifying as fast as it ever has. Interactive is one medium that can deliver on all the different aspects seen in traditional media and formats — especially as all the delivery channels are converging.
As we get ready to get into it, I question if we are up to the task. Can we stay focused and get through the stuff with good discussion and debate? Can we wake up to do this, day after day, following prior nights of drinking, eating, dancing and … ahem, a little bit of karaoke poolside? Will I get to hear Andrew Keller sing a Britney Spears song (Hit Me Baby One More Time) in a small bar across the bay? Will Andrew sing (yet another) awesome song the following night at another little bar named Foxy’s across another bay on a different island? Can we come to the conclusion of what will be awarded the ultimate supreme GRANDY? I am hopeful. I wait with anticipation for the challenge as dawn breaks.
The next couple days here on the island, my esteemed colleagues and I have the brutal task of determining what advertising is the ‘best in class’ this year.
We are shut away in properly shaded rooms, out of the bright sunshine and the blue waters of the island. We watch advertising back-to-back from 9 to 5 (most days), and a day or two we finish a little earlier to take a boat ride out to The Soggy Dollar bar where we weigh anchor, jump into the water and swim to shore for a drink. It becomes an efficient and well-run marathon viewing session of the perfected ‘submission videos’ we all realize our industry has come to love.
This is the award show that starts the year off, and the ANDYs crew has their act together (everything ran super smoothly). This is the show that others look to for what the rest of the year might soon also celebrate. It’s kinda cool to be a juror on this show and take a view out in front, assessing the landscape of what’s being done before the other shows take place.
I struggle thinking about what makes the perfect ad today.
As a consumer and a creative coming from a design background, I’m always trying to find the work that is new and interesting. Is it well crafted? Does it offer something of importance? Does it provide value functionality, use of information, etc… and most importantly, does it have a solid idea or concept behind it? Sometimes if it just makes me laugh that can be good enough. I’m easy but, at the same time, super critical. I want ads not to clutter or clog my view of things; I want them to enlighten me, be personalized or contextually relevant. That’s not too much to ask, right? Sure. That’s simple.
The one thing I realize is that for work to be recognized and awarded today, it has to have done some of those things super well. It has to be work which we, as a jury, wish we had thought to make ourselves (in the words of a colleague, it makes you want to say, ‘f*ck me, I wish I had done that…’).
A fellow juror said to me ‘this is a show about ideas, not just design.’ That is a strong position to stand on and I agree with that sentiment wholeheartedly. It all starts with a good idea. Certainly great craft and an understanding of the complex environments we create in are essential. But if there is no concept or solid idea, then it is empty and has missed its purpose.
As I look around the jury room, I realize we’re all from different and diverse backgrounds and experiences. Advertising. Design. Interactive. Planning and Strategy. Client and Agency. Culturally we all want to create the best work possible that delivers value, meaning, understanding or functionality where needed as well as breaks through and leaves a mark, an impression.
Though we all might solve creative problems in slightly different ways, our industries were made of the mediums we serve. We need these perspectives to derive a complete view of the landscape. It’s one of collaboration, invention and growth. In the future, instead of being from ‘Agencies’ or ‘Studios’ that hold firm to old cultural differences about how we create or value different aspects of the work, we will unite and become a more blended bunch. We will all just be ‘Creative Shops’ that solve problems across the diverse landscape of mediums. I look forward to that challenge. I know this year is going to mark another step in the direction of invention and merging of all the different disciplines, mediums and channels.
In the judging this year (as always), it’s the coming together of diverse creative cultures that form a unified perspective on the year’s work. It takes a diverse bunch of creative people to deliver meaningfully in our space today. It’s a collaborative effort to get there, much like the process of judgment. We won’t need to be unanimous but it’s a blend of diverse thought that’s well considered, debated and concluded. This is a great year to judge as well as a wonderful moment in time to be creating. I’m excited for the future.