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Omelet gets super-awesomely weird for thinkLA IDEA Awards

By Doug Zanger, Americas Editor

June 9, 2016 | 3 min read

As promotion for an awards show go, this one could very well be one of the most “out there” we’ve seen in awhile — if not ever. The thinkLA IDEA awards, established in 2011, celebrate achievement of the Los Angeles advertising, creative and marketing community. To support the effort, Culver City, California-based independent Omelet took a page right out of Scientology and 80s (maybe 70s, actually) weirdness to create the “cult” of Ideationology — a mash-up of the word/not-word “ideation” and the associated, er, “ology” of said word/not-word.

For their part, Omelet, through CCO Grant Holland and co-founder Ryan Fey, assembled an OT-level 400,000 cast of LA creatives including Tom Dunlap at 72andSunny, Jason Sperling at RPA, Kristi VandenBosch at MXM, and the legendary Lee Clow, at TBWA\Worldwide, who is Brother Clow, one of the leaders of Ideationology.

They also clearly did not take themselves too seriously on this one.

“We were very excited to have the opportunity to create something new and take the piss out of ourselves. In the advertising and creative industry, everyone knows everyone, a “family” in the sense that we all, at some point, have touched the same brands and have worked at the same agencies or studios. We figured why not lean into that idea of a 'cult-like family,' to actually create the cult of creativity,” said Vincent Morrone, Omelet copywriter.

Using muses from around the world and, specifically, LA, the creative is equally entertaining, different, unique and decidedly creepy — but that “creepy” that you can’t really take your eyes away from. In fact, the entire campaign gets progressively weirder and uncomfortable. In fact, going way off the grid and just going for it unearthed a strange path and feelings.

“One day our creative was falling flat. We knew this had to be remedied. After hours of intense breathing exercises, mind embracing, and kale chips, a light struck us. It was glowing as brightly as the sun and we could feel our creative auras expanding. That’s when we knew…Ideationology was the answer….to everything,” said Kailey Daniells, Omelet Art Director, with tongue firmly in cheek.

Despite the looniness (pro tip: don’t watch teaser #2 in the event you are eating a certain fungus) and the fact that one may wish to pay $250,000 a year to join the Ideationology, um, organization, there was some serious work awarded at the gala in Los Angeles in 14 categories. Omelet was the “Campaign of the Year” award for their “Save the Drop” campaign on water conservation, done for the Mayor’s Fund for Los Angeles. Other winners came from RPA, CP+B LA, 72andSunny, Deutsch LA, Avatar Labs, 180LA, Vice Media, Part IV, Honda, Spotify, Horizon Media and Kargo.