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Advertising Creative Emmys

Commercial Emmy nominees announced, with R/GA, McGarryBowen, 72andSunny and others getting nods

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By Kyle O'Brien, Creative Works Editor

July 14, 2017 | 4 min read

With most of the hype centered on network versus cable shows when the Emmy Award nominations are announced, it’s easy to lose sight of the single category focused on commercials.

Emmy nominated spots

Emmy nominated spots announced

Luckily, that category still exists, and the 2017 Emmy nominees for Outstanding Commercial have been announced. They range from quite funny traditional spots to longer-form PSAs about love, diversity and inclusion.

Below are all five nominated spots.

Calling JohnMalkovich.com – Squarespace

Agency: John X Hannes

Production Company: Smuggler

Actor John Malkovich calls the person who has his domain, JohnMalkovich.com, in order to try and convince them to give it back to him. The humorous spot for Squarespace shows Malkovich trying to reason, then getting comically frustrated and angry and essentially being John Malkovich. It’s tagged with “Get Your Domain Before It’s Gone." Effective and funny in all the right ways.

Love Cam – Ad Council: Love Has No Labels

Ad Agency: R/GA

Production Company: Tool of North America

One of two Ad Council spots nominated, this longer form spot displays a new take on the kiss cam, with a heart floating around the stadium where the NFL Pro Bowl was being played. Love Has No Labels puts a twist on the kiss cam by turning it into a symbol for unbiased love. In the stadium, fans cheered for love in all its forms – regardless of race, gender, disability, age or religion. It raised awareness about unconscious bias through love rather than overt activism.

We Are America – Ad Council: Love Has No Labels

Ad Agency: R/GA

Production Company: MJZ

A long shot of wrestler/actor John Cena finds him in a monologue of nearly three minutes, talking about what makes up America, and it’s not just apple pie, eagles and flag waving. It’s love. It’s also seeing what kind of people make up America – 51% women, 41 million senior citizens, 54 million are Latino, 27 million disabled, 9 million LGBTQ and 3.5 million Muslims. The stats, delivered by a respected personality, makes viewers truly think about what America is and how we can all get along.

#WhyIMarch – Women's March On Washington

Ad Agency: McGarryBowen

Production Company: Hungry Man Productions

Created with Intel's Teresa Herd and McGarryBowenSF's Marianne Besch, this PSA for the record-breaking Women's March on January 21, 2017 has a wildly diverse group of women – and men – talking about why they are marching. They range from a girl saying “I want to feel safe at school” to a man saying he is a feminist to an African-American woman saying “Because my grandmother fought for the right to vote." It includes statements by actor Jennifer Esposito and talk show host/comedian Chelsea Handler. The spot is a powerful statement on women’s issues and the reasons for the march.

Year In Search 2016 – Google

Ad Agency: 72andSunny, Ad Agency

Production Company: Hecho en 72

This occasionally tough-to-watch spot highlights some of the most intensely powerful stories of the last year – Brexit, the Orlando nightclub shooting, the 2016 election, terrorism attacks in Europe, protests around the globe. But it also shows personalities like Ellen DeGeneres, Stephen Colbert, Lin-Manuel Miranda and others calling for love, understanding and peace, plus the positive events, like the Cubs winning the World Series, the Olympics, and entertainment big moments from Beyonce, Game of Thrones and video trends, and the passing of beloved celebrities, all through the eyes of Google search.

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