The Chip Shop Awards
A total of 15 awards were up for grabs at the very first Marketeer Chip Shop Awards, held at Harry Ramsden’s in Manchester.
Fighting it out for one of our prestigious winners’ Chip Awards or a Vinegar Bottle Award (given for commended work) were many of the North and Midlands leading creative agencies. Their work proved beyond doubt that the quality of regional creative, when boundaries such as cost, deadlines and the fact that they don’t actually have the clients on their books are taken away, is staggering.
The judging panel was chaired by Dave Waters of dfgw and included Hugh Todd and Adam Scholes of Saatchi & Saatchi, Johnny Leathers of BBH, Rob Turner of TBWA\London and Greg Mitchell of Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe/Y&R.
On the night, LOVE Creative picked up the Grand Prix, the major award of the night, for Mr & Mrs Armstong’s Mills & Boon wedding invitation.
Speaking of the Grand Prix winner, Waters concluded: “The choice for the Grand Prix was completely unanimous. The wedding invitation is a stupendous piece of work that was beautifully observed and brilliantly produced.”
The work featured a Mills & Boon book in which all the details of the wedding were laid out, in perfect keeping with the M&B theme.
Picking up the Chairman’s Award was MBD for its Oops! Tippex Bottle, which was basically a bottle of Tippex that could be sent to friends and relatives to inform them that Michelle had changed address again.
Waters said: “The Oops Tippex Bottle has been created in the true spirit of chip shop advertising. It is a very clean and simple idea that has been very well executed.”
Other work that stood out included executions for the Bosch Group by The Source, Ann Summers by WAA, Greenpeace and Portakabin by Workhouse Marketing and Durex by LOVE.
All in all, the event did achieve its objectives of identifying work that would otherwise not have seen the light of day, unless it had found a way around the rules of conventional advertising award schemes.
Gordon Young, publisher of The Marketeer, said: “That is really the whole point of the Chip Shops. Each year traditional award schemes attempt to tighten their rules to banish this type of work. But we believe there is a place for Chip Shop creativity, which we would define as work that is designed to generate recognition for the creative team, as opposed to business for the actual clients.
“At the end of the day, it provides the same function for the creative industry as concept cars provide for the motor industry. It shows what can be achieved when creative minds are freed from the usual commercial and logistical restraints. And, hopefully, that will provide a force for inspiration to the wider community as a whole.”
The list of winners, who all received a giant chip (any resemblance to other award trophies is entirely coincidental), is published on the following pages.
Grand Prix
Winner: LOVE Creative
Client: Mr & Mrs Armstrong
Title: Wedding Invite
Chairman’s Award
Winner: MBD
Client: MBD
Title: Oops!
Best Consumer Campaign
or Advertisement
Winner: The Source
Client: The Bosch Group
Title: Bish Bash Bosch
Winner: LOVE Creative
Client: Durex
Title: Fast Car
Commendation: MAP
Client: Brillo
Title: Oi – Give Me My Pan Back
Commendation: LOVE Creative
Client: B & Q
Title: Lawrence
Best Business-to-Business
Advertisement or Campaign
Winner: MAP
Client: Railex Office Storage and Furniture
Title: Look Out Behind You!, Big Office, Extra Floor Space
Commendation: WAA
Client: Ann Summers
Title: Wood
Best Charity Ad or Campaign
Winner: Workhouse Marketing
Client: Greenpeace
Title: Happy Mothers Day
Commendation: Thunk
Client: Save The Children
Title: Collecting Tin
Commendation: MAP
Client: Breast Cancer Relief
Title: Press Here
Best Corporate Identity
Winner: WAA
Client: George’s Best
Title: George’s Best
Winner: Direct Relations
Client: House of Horror Fancy Dress
Title: Scary Stationery
Best Work for a Relative or Friend
Winner: LOVE Creative
Client: Mr & Mrs Armstrong
Title: Wedding Invite
Commendation: And Partners
Client: Lowercroft School
Title: Back To School
Commendation: Palmer Hargreaves Wallis Tomlinson
Client: Ian Moss
Title: Raising The Roof
Commendation: MBD
Client: MBD
Title: Oops!
Best Press Ad