The year’s top advertising talents were celebrated at the AICP Awards gala held at The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York. Since its inception in 1992, the AICP Awards have recognized excellence in advertising, with the winning works becoming part of MoMA’s Department of Film archives.
The event showcased the winners of the 2024 AICP Show, AICP Next Awards, and AICP Post Awards. Highlights included the top winners in each competition: the AICP Show’s Advertising Excellence and Advertising Excellence/Campaign awards, the Next Awards’ Most Next award, and the Post Awards’ Best of Show honoree. The evening featured a screening of the winning entries, followed by a gala celebration.
Top Honorees
The Advertising Excellence/Campaign winner for the AICP Show went to the Progressive Insurance “Dr. Rick” campaign, comprising the spots “Chance Encounter,” “Fast Casual” and “Social Listening.” All three pieces were directed by Martin Granger of Moxie Pictures for Arnold Worldwide.
Sean McBride, CCO, Arnold told Reel 360 News, “AICP is all about craft, so it’s especially gratifying to be recognized. For a few years there, this industry had a pretty narrow interpretation of what craft meant – one that didn’t seem to include making jokes. It’s been great to watch that script flip recently. Not just because I love making funny work, though I do. But because advertising needs to relearn how to surprise and entertain mass audiences. If craft is just something we use to impress one another within the industry, or something we only call upon when the brief is about changing the world, we won’t have an industry to work in much longer.”
The Advertising Excellence winner went to “Best Friends” for Uber One | Uber Eats, directed by David Shane of O Positive for Mother. The spot was also a winner in the categories of Direction and Humor.
The most-awarded production company was SMUGGLER, with ten honors, followed by O Positive, with six.
The most honored directors in the AICP Show for 2024 were Tom Hooper of SMUGGLER and David Shane of O Positive, both of whom earned four honors. The Best New Director honor went to Adam Morse of SMUGGLER for his work on “Javier in Frame” for Google, created by GUT Miami.
David Shane shared this with Reel 360 News, “This is such a nice honor, especially as it’s the “craft” show. I am happy to accept it on behalf of my dozens of co-directors. I don’t say that out of false modesty. This is such a collaborative medium and I would be exactly nowhere without the editing, cinematography, wardrobe and production design, amazing agency creatives, AD team and my wonderful EP and producer Nell Jordan.”
The most honored agency was TBWA\Media Arts Lab, with five honors, including one for its London office, followed by BBDO New York, with four honors. Havas and Mother both had three honors, while Droga5, Johannes Leonardo, NOMINT and Ogilvy had two honors each.
The most honored brand in the AICP Show was Apple, with six honors, followed by Uber One | Uber Eats and Vanish, both with three honors.
Next Awards Top Winners
The Most Next honor, the AICP Next Awards’ Best of Show winner, went to “Banned Book Club” for the Digital Public Library of America, created by FCB Chicago and produced by 456 Studios. An integrated, multidisciplinary effort designed to counter book bans in libraries across the country, this entry was also a winner in the categories of Digital Experiences, Purpose Driven and Real Time Engagement.
Its “Banned Book Club” initiative makes e-book versions of banned books available to readers in locations across the United States where titles have been banned, via the free Palace e-reader app.
As the winning entrant of Most Next, FCB Chicago directed a $5,000 grant from the AICP Foundation to Digital Public Library of America. The DPLA empowers people to learn, grow, and contribute to a diverse and better-functioning society by maximizing access to our shared history, culture, and knowledge.
The most honored agency at the Next Awards this year was FCB, with seven honors split between its Chicago office, which earned four, and its New York office, which earned three. The next most honored agency was BBDO New York, with two honors.
Leading the list of most honored production or development companies at the Next Awards this year was 456 Studios, which earned a total of seven honors, three of which it shared with Lord + Thomas. The most honored director at the Next Awards was Jackie Helfgott of 456 Studios, who earned four honors for her work on “Banned Book Club” for Digital Public Library of America.
The most honored brand at the Next Awards was Digital Public Library of America, with four honors, followed by AB InBev Michelob ULTRA, with three honors, and Meta, also with three. Rounding out the list of most honored brands was eBay, with two honors.
REELated:
Post Awards Top Winners
Winners of the AICP Post Awards are presented to the individual post production artists behind the winning pieces. The Best of Show winner this year went to Editor Matt Posey of PS260 for “Who is Sabato De Sarno? A Gucci Story” for Gucci, created by the brand’s in-house agency and directed by Henry & Rel of Moxie Pictures.
The entry also won in the category of Fashion/Beauty. Posey was also the most awarded artist in the AICP Post Awards this year, with two honors.
Companies whose artists earned multiple honors at the AICP Post Awards, in addition to PS260, included The Mill and Trim Editing, each with two honors.
The most honored agencies at the Post Awards were Droga5 with two honors, one of which it shared with Accenture Song; Gucci, with two honors; and Universal Music, with two honors. The list of most honored brands at the Post Awards includes Apple, Expedia and Gucci, which each earned two honors.
Jay B. Eisenstat Award Presentation
Robert L. Sacks, Partner at Ellenoff Grossman & Schole LLP and AICP’s longtime general counsel, received the prestigious Jay B. Eisenstat Award, recognizing his expertise, guidance, and leadership in the commercial production and post production industry.
Follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram
