Miami Ad School’s ‘Top Trumps of advertising’ to inspire next gen of creatives
Innocean Berlin and the Miami Ad School have collaborated on an educational card game for ad students to inspire them towards game-changing creative ideas of their own.
The cards feature classics such as Volkswagen ‘Lemon’, Levis ‘Odyssey’ and Apple ‘1984’
MAd Game Changers follows the rules of Top Trumps, with players comparing stats on their cards with the aim of collecting the full deck of 32.
Born in a Miami Ad School classroom as part of an assignment, the idea was then further developed together with Innocean Berlin, led by Miami Ad School graduate Ricardo Wolff.
To create the final 32 cards, the agency and school reached out to graduates now in leadership positions, such as Andrew Keller, the vice-president of creative and experiential at Facebook, and Dentsu CCO Menno Kluin, asking them to name the classic ads and creative ideas that every student needs to know before landing their first job.
Then, in a live voting session, over 300 Miami Ad School students across the globe judged each idea according to the categories:
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Could it win a Grand Prix today?
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Is it a behavior changer?
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Is it brand-building material?
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Is it worth sharing with non-ad friends?
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Does it belong in the Moma?
The final deck of cards feature classics such as Volkswagen ’Lemon’, Levis ’Odyssey’ and Apple ’1984’, covering the most ground-breaking and relevant work created over eight decades of advertising, from agencies such as BBH, Wieden & Kennedy and AMV.
Innocean Berlin’s Wolff says: “There’s a lot of skepticism around studying ’old campaigns’ and an idea that students should look for references outside of advertising. I think that’s wrong. One thing doesn’t exclude the other. They should know great ads and other stuff. It’s like telling aspiring basketball players they shouldn’t look at Jordan’s videos.
“Browsing annuals, scanning festival winners, these things matter. You’re silently developing your own criteria. And that’s what Miami Ad School is all about: helping shape creative minds. No wonder we, at Innocean Berlin, scoop up so many brains there. I’m particularly happy to help bring this game to life both as a Miami Ad School grad and as part of an agency that believes ideas are the driving force of this industry.“
Innocean Berlin also created a website to showcase the final 32 cards and their respective campaigns, along with a token ’joker’ card and profiles of each of the ’jurors’ (Miami Ad School students). Visitors can also download the entire deck to print and play.
Pippa Seichrist, chief exec of the Miami Ad School, says: “How to evaluate ideas is the most important skill students can learn to improve their work. When 300+ students vote on campaigns, like in a real jury, we’re offering them a unique opportunity to practice just that.
“I’m so proud of the students who came up with MAd Game Changers: Madalena Gonçalves, Gabriela Barreira and Deborah Ferreira. They realized the importance of critical thinking and together with Innocean Berlin – without whom this global project wouldn't be possible – found a way to help other young creatives develop this skill by simply playing a card game.“
