To mark the 10th anniversary of the Chip Shop Awards, this year’s judging panel were asked to delve into the show’s deep and dark archives and single out their favourite Chip Shop Awards winner. Each judge has now carefully deliberated over the extensive back catalogue to select just one favourite.
All judges admitted that singling out just one was no mean feat, with many citing two or three winners that could be named as their overall favourite. BMB co-founder Bil Bungay even said he just loved “too many to mention”.
Mr Baglee founder Patrick Baglee summed up what makes the best Chip ever, commenting: “It should be an idea that subverts what was an already brilliant piece of creativity in a way that makes virtue of the original’s art direction and model casting.”
Here we takes a look at the favourites, which include a topical horsemeat ad, a beer called ‘Responsibly’, Jesus, a mime, and a cut price chocolate bar…
Dave Birss - Free Snowman - Best Outdoor and Chairman’s Award 2012
“Looking through Chip Shop Award winners, some give you a belly laugh, some make you shake your head in disgust, and some make your jaw drop with their sheer wrong-ness. But the reaction I got from this IKEA entry from Steve Lownes was “Bastards! Wish I’d thought of that.” It’s such a lovely little treat of an idea. And it feels completely on-brand. Let me repeat myself – bastards!”
Alfredo Marcantonio - A bag for lives - Best Ambient Media and The Big Chip Winner 2011
“Like most truly outstanding creative ideas this Topshop/Oxfam bag from Chemistry’s Stacey and Sareka is simple, startlingly original and wonderfully relevant. Like so many truly relevant ideas, it leaves you wondering why no one had thought of it before.”
Mark Denton - Credit Crunchie - Invent Your Own Category Winner 2012
“Iris’s Credit Crunchie wins favourite ever Chip from me because if this was a real product I would buy it for three reasons: 1. It made me smile, 2. I’m a bit hard up at the moment, and 3. I like Crunchies.”
Abi Ellis - Are You Dead? - Best Press Ad and Best Bad Taste Chip Winner 2003
“The Lothian and Borders Fire Brigade ad from Stephen Drummond and Scott Mitchell is my best ever Chip. Why? Because it doesn’t rely on a visual pun or Photoshop-tastic art direction. Nope. Words and words alone get this message across.“As a copywriter, I appreciate the craft that went into this ad. What’s not to like about an ad that poses the question “Did you smell like chicken?” and “The afterlife, where’s good?”. To me it’s timeless and the ad is still just as smart and relevant now, as it was then. Which is no mean feat, I mean, look at the 2003 Academy Awards…Chicago waltzed off with the most Oscars. Now that’s bad taste.”
Mike McKenna and John Jessup -Thank God! - Best Use of Bad Taste and Chairman’s Award Winner 2007
Mike McKenna - “Nothing can come close to Jesus on the Cross for No More Nails. As an advert it had everything, a simple idea, nicely art directed and as a Chip Shop ad the authors could go to sleep confident that it would upset millions.”John Jessup - “My personal choice is the No More Nails ad with Jesus from Workhouse Marketing. For me it really sums up what the Chips are all about – funny, very bad taste, and well done.”
Bil Bungay - Flogging a horse - Best Work for any Brand you haven’t a Hope of Winning Winner 2012
“In light of the recent horsemeat scandal I have to plump for the ‘Flogging a horse’ execution for Pedigree Chum by Bonafide Creative – because evidently you can fog a dead horse, it’s just you mustn’t tell anyone that’s what they are buying! Plus, they could get more mileage out of this idea by putting a Findus lasagne packet on there as well now. Fun and irreverent is where it’s at.”
Patrick Baglee - We’re Closing In - Best Remake of an Existing Ad Chip Winner 2010
“This 60 second TV spot was re-imagined for the Department of Work and Pensions by Savvy Marketing. It was so good that I’ve completely forgotten who the original ad was for. But I clearly remember spending the 60 seconds it took to judge the ad back on 2010 hoping for a twist that was clever, surprising and subtle. And so it proved. Chip of the decade by a country mile.”
Paul Burke - Slide for Sore Eyes Best Viral & Big Chip Winner 2009/We’re Closing In Best Remake Winner 2010
“My favourite ever Chip Winner would probably have been the Specsavers ad, though it’s missing a ‘Should have gone to Specsavers’ line. If there had been such a line then it would have been great because as it’s not there you don’t really know what it’s for.“So I would have to go for the Benefit Cheats ad from Savvy Marketing. Nice idea, but it does have ‘Nicked off YouTube’ written all over it.”
Jason Andrews and Russell Speed - Drink Responsibly - Invent Your Own and The Big Chip Winner 2010
Jason Andrews - “This is such a lovely, simple idea, I’m surprised the Rapier didn’t switch business models from advertising-mongers to lager-meisters. Or at least set up a microbrewery in the basement. It’s a product that barely requires advertising because every competitor brand does it for them with ‘Please drink Responsibly’ emblazoned across their bottles. It can simply lean on notoriety for its publicity. Sadly, the agency that created it doesn’t exist anymore and for all the work it might have billed legitimate clients for, this piece stands out a mile as its best legacy.”Russell Speed - “Responsibly is a fantastic product idea – not just an ad – it leapt on the back of a new legal requirement in drink advertising and there’s a huge amount of humour that goes unsaid. The ad is wonderfully simple and I’m sure limiting the intake of such a fine lager beer to just 21 units per week would be impossible.”
Dave Waters - Glass Box - Best Use of Ambient Media Winner 2012
“I loved the Windolene mime guy in a glass box by Profero; I loved it when I first saw it and I still remembered it months later. I assume the idea is to have the mime actually performing in various urban spaces with a large bottle there. You would just have to stop and watch wouldn’t you?“I think it could have won many awards if it had run, but this is the only place I’ve seen it. Very clever.”Deadline for this year's Chip Shop Awards is next Friday (8 March) all submissions should be made via the Chip Shop Awards site.
