When I saw the names of my fellow judges, I knew it was going to be a special week. Not only had LIA pulled together one of the most highly qualified Radio juries ever, having been responsible for many of the world’s most awarded radio campaigns, each person was equally passionate and insightful about a medium that is so often misunderstood.
On radio, ideas are exposed for all their worth. So when you hear a stinker, or even worse don’t hear any idea, it can get very depressing. Thankfully the iPod’s Wi-Fi reached the first row of sunbeds, which helped to take the sting out of judging the in/out round.
By Day 3, the cream began to rise and the excitement started to build. We fought for the work we admired, weeded out the dubious ‘prototypes’, shared cultural context when necessary and ended up with a shortlist of work we all loved, and a Grand Prix we all wished we had made.
As ever, there were too many examples of great ideas let down by their execution. Common faults were overwriting and overacting, or in the ‘Innovative Use’ category, overestimating the listener’s willingness to give a shit. People won’t Shazam, pan, re-tune or activate Siri just because your ad tells them to. In fact, they’ll barely remember your message, unless you move them.
With so many new audio platforms available for advertisers, it’s a great time for any creative who ‘gets’ audio. Radio’s not going anywhere, so I hope those who have been recognised this year will continue to break new ground in sound for many years to come.
When I saw the names of my fellow judges, I knew it was going to be a special week. Not only had LIA pulled together one of the most highly qualified Radio juries ever, having been responsible for many of the world’s most awarded radio campaigns, each person was equally passionate and insightful about a medium that is so often misunderstood.
On radio, ideas are exposed for all their worth. So when you hear a stinker, or even worse don’t hear any idea, it can get very depressing. Thankfully the iPod’s Wi-Fi reached the first row of sunbeds, which helped to take the sting out of judging the in/out round.
By Day 3, the cream began to rise and the excitement started to build. We fought for the work we admired, weeded out the dubious ‘prototypes’, shared cultural context when necessary and ended up with a shortlist of work we all loved, and a Grand Prix we all wished we had made.
As ever, there were too many examples of great ideas let down by their execution. Common faults were overwriting and overacting, or in the ‘Innovative Use’ category, overestimating the listener’s willingness to give a shit. People won’t Shazam, pan, re-tune or activate Siri just because your ad tells them to. In fact, they’ll barely remember your message, unless you move them.
With so many new audio platforms available for advertisers, it’s a great time for any creative who ‘gets’ audio. Radio’s not going anywhere, so I hope those who have been recognised this year will continue to break new ground in sound for many years to come.