Chip Shop Awards: has the pandemic been a roadblock to creativity?
The Drum chats to Dipesh Mistry, associate creative director at Brave and chair of the jury for The Chip Shop Awards 2021, about the impact the past year has had on creativity.
Have the events of this year stifled our creativity, or forced us to make better, more innovative ads? Dipesh Mistry, associate creative director at Brave, says he is impressed by the work of the past year.
“I’ve seen so many memorable ideas, from all different kinds of agencies, that make you wish you’d thought of them yourself.”
Mistry points to The Uncommon Agency’s lusty campaign for mortgage provider Habito, which saw the agency team up with Rocky Flintstone, the author whose work features in the hit podcast ‘My Dad Wrote a Porno’, to create an adult graphic novel about mortgages. “It’s an amazing use of a different format. It’s not just another television commercial, they’re really thinking outside the box and have created something physical that really speaks to their audience.”
But that refreshing creativity is not limited to the big agencies. Bringing up the KitKat billboard that creative Sam Hennig created for a viral One Minute Briefs challenge, “you could say it’s a scam ad – because it didn’t really run. But that’s perfect for The Chip Shop Awards! Bring us your scam ads!”
With regard to his own agency, Brave, it has been a good year, the pandemic notwithstanding. “We’ve used it to our advantage, and see it as a challenge. A lot of clients are wondering what the next phase will bring, particularly with lockdown, but that’s the challenges that gets you thinking.”
And the industry as a whole? “Looking at all this great work, it’s hard to see creativity as being stifled. I think we’re definitely on the up.”
Watch the full interview over on our YouTube channel. You can also enter The Chip Shop Awards now.