We charged six teams of two - made up of one
renowned TED speaker and one rising star from the advertising industry
- with finding and nominating the most compelling work of 2012 in
the following categories.
Talk
A straight-in-the-camera video of an individual giving a TED-like talk about a company or cause. This could be a CEO sharing their company's idea to change the world, a technical expert sharing knowledge or presenting research, or a consumer sharing their enthusiasm.
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- Sebastian Wernicke is the head of business development at Seven Bridges Genomics, having returned to his bioinformatics roots after several years in the corporate sphere where he motivated and managed multidimensional projects.
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- Tom Beckman is executive creative director and partner at Prime in Stockholm and teaches marketing at Berghs School of Communication, Stockholm University and Stockholm School of Economics. He started his creative journey as editor and publisher at a book-publishing firm in Stockholm, before moving on to journalism and copywriting.
Social Good
A campaign to right a wrong or change the world for better. A public service campaign that offers a socially conscious idea and deserves the passionate attention of the global community. This spot should engage the audience in solving a problem or answering a question and feature a moving call to action.
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- Ellen Gustafson is the creator of The 30 Project and co-founder of FEED. Gustafson is trying to change the way the world eats.
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- Simon Issacs is the Principal at Task Force, a public relations agency for social good initiatives. He was formerly the VP of sustainability marketing at Ignition, the water programs manager at the Clinton Foundation and partnerships development officer for the UN's Nothing but Nets program.
Creative Wonder
Work that elevates the craft of the creative in advertising, that is ingeniously clever or technically brilliant, using technology in ways we’ve never seen. These ads showcase compelling writing, amazing musical compositions, cinematic art direction or high-impact design, and make information beautiful.
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- Raghava KK began his career in art as a newspaper cartoonist, and the cartoonist's bold line -- and dead-on eye for truth -- still powers his art. His work spans painting, sculpture, installation, film and performance, always linked by his challenging opinions on identity, conformity, gender, celebrity, ceremony. Among his latest work is an iPad book that uses art and tech to champion diversity and empathy.
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- Adam Joseph is an executive producer at Legs Media. Prior to joining Legs Media, he was a casting director and photographer for MTV Networks.
Cultural Compass
These are the campaigns that touch a cultural nerve. These campaigns represent the best example of a compelling trend or movement. These ads are an active part of cultural dialogue in a connected world.
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- Kirby Ferguson is a filmmaker and remixer who explores creativity in a world where "everything is a remix."
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- Gerry Graf spent time at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, BBDO NY (on two separate occasions), TBWA/Chiat/Day, and Saatchi & Saatchi NY—until he left his job as CCO to start his own shop, Barton F Graf 9000.
Brand Bravery
Some brands have the courage to do it differently. We want to reward the brands that have reinvented their image, or even their industry; companies that have it hard because their business or product may not be flashy, but they stand out from the herd with an authentic, engaging, clever campaign; companies that are radically transparent in the face of difficult issues.
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- Jared Ficklin is a frog Fellow, where he builds user experiences for clients, playing with interactions including touch and multi-touch, and applying physics to enhance the user experience.
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- Eliza Esquivel iis VP, Global Brand Strategy at Mondelēz International (formerly part of Kraft Foods). She is responsible for nurturing the development of high growth global brands and leads an international team of strategists who provide planning resource to the business units.
Education
When advertising is at its best, it can do more than sell a product or even inspire emotion -- it can teach its audience something new. As the educational sector begins to explore diverse possibilities for funding and implementation, we want to unearth the kind of ads that compliment and facilitate learning.
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- Jonathan Bergmann spent 24 years as a high school teacher and won the Presidential Award for Excellence for Math and Science Teaching in 2002. He is among the educational pioneers developing the use of video and screencasts as part of his teaching. He helps train other educators to use video through his co-creation, the Flipped Learning Network.
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- Jinal Shah is a Digital Strategist at JWT New York. Her history in fashion journalism and belief in the importance of technology keeps her approach as a strategist devoted to the power of storytelling in the digital world.