(Honda)
It's a big week for directors, grips, and gaffers -- and not just because of the Golden Globes. The North American International Auto Show is up and running in Detroit, and today on the show floor, awards are being doled out for the best recent car ads.
The Automobile Advertising of the Year Awards are co-sponsored by NAIAS and The One Club, "the world's foremost non-profit organization recognizing creative excellence in advertising and design". Ads are submitted by advertising agencies and car companies alike, then evaluated by a panel of marketing bigwigs and auto journalists. To be eligible, this year's nominees had to debut between September 1, 2012 and November 30, 2013.
In terms of video campaigns, Honda was the big winner, nabbing trophies for both broadcast television and online ads. The "Hands" commercial embedded above walked away with top honors for TV, and the truly fascinating racing-theme clip "Sound of Honda/Ayrton Senna 1989" won for best online video.
For conventional print ads, Fiat rolled to the #1 spot with its ingenious "Letters" campaign, and Hyundai won in the interactive category for a piece called "Driveway Decision Maker". BMW and Toyota tied for best experiential campaign.
We've posted a list of the finalists below and bolded the top-scorers. Have a look at all the contestants and share your thoughts about the winners in the comments below. (And if you haven't already done so, check out our other favorite clip, created by some very thoughtful, safety-minded folks down under.)
Finalists, 2014 Automobile Advertising of the Year Awards
Broadcast TV
- Dodge "It Comes Standard" – Wieden+Kennedy/Portland
- Honda "Hands" – Wieden+Kennedy/London
- Honda "Illusions" – McGarryBowen/London
- Daimler/Smart "Offroad" – BBDO Germany/Duesseldorf
- Land Rover "Roam Free" – Young & Rubicam/New York
Online Videos
- Audi "The Challenge" – PMK*BNC/New York and Audi of America
- Honda "Sound of Honda/Ayrton Senna 1989" – Dentsu/Tokyo
- Honda "Project Drive-in" – RPA/Santa Monica
Interactive
- BMW "Eli's BMW" – kbs+/New York
- Hyundai "Driveway Decision Maker" – Innocean USA/Huntington Beach
- Fiat "Abarth 500 Zero Followers" – Leo Burnett/Duesseldorf
Experiential Advertising
- Toyota "Tundra Endeavor Campaign" – Saatchi & Saatchi/Los Angeles (tie with BMW)
- Toyota "Camry Thrill Ride Experience" – Saatchi & Saatchi/Los Angeles
- BMW "Window Into the Near Future" – kbs+/New York (tie with Toyota)
Print/Outdoor
- Kia "Panoramic Sunroof – Cat" – David&Goliath/Los Angeles
- Fiat "Letters" – Leo Burnett Tailor Made/Sao Paulo
- Volkswagen "Child" – Grabarz & Partner/Hamburg