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The Gerety Awards, the only creative prize to reward the best in advertising from a female perspective, announces the 2021 winners.
“The winning work created rich conversation with the other jurors. It’s not often you get to be on a jury made up of women from diverse backgrounds. It was a reminder of how much we need different perspectives and experiences when we make the work but also when we award it our highest honours. In the sea of sameness, the Gerety Awards is championing the best of global advertising through the female lens”, explained jury member Nancy Crimi-Lamanna, Chief Creative Officer, FCB, Canada.
“Being awarded by the Gerety is important and should mean a lot as it really is a diverse group of creatives filtering, discussing, recognizing and awarding the work. I have been fortunate enough to be a part of the panel last year and I appreciated the diverse points of views and the conversations around the work through the lens of the different leaders. I have been a part of many jury panels for award shows but the Gerety was the first all women jury panel. It was super interesting and insightful when we got to the discussions about the work. It was open, honest, and encouraging to be judging the work with women all over the world,” noted Jax Jung, Global Creative Director, Cheil, South Korea.
“The Gerety Awards bring a unique perspective to the table, the female one. And I feel this ensures the winning work is not only creative, but a reflection of a modern society with diverse and inclusive ideas. And I have two favourites. The New National Anthem Edition and The Birth of Gaming Tourism. The New National Anthem Edition was so powerful because it started with a small observation…the fact that the national anthem was phrased to only recognise men. And the rewrite sparked a nation and propelled a powerful movement - I just loved reading about it. My second favourite was Xbox ‘Birth of Gaming Tourism’. Simply put - I wish I did it,” commented Tara Weerasinghe, Group Head – Creative, Leo Burnett, Sri Lanka.
“I am very excited by this year’s Gerety Grand Prix award winners as they exemplify a shift to more purposeful branding and meeting the cultural moment. The Birth of Gaming Tourism breaks category norms by recasting gaming away from violence into virtual tourism showcasing the creative aspects of video games for everyone everywhere. The New National Anthem Edition cast the light on an underserved audience – women – giving them a voice to advocate for their country. Both of these campaigns are deserving of the top prize through their inclusive approaches and their societal impact far beyond the scope of marketing,” said Dr Frederique Covington Corbett, SVP, Chief Global Brand & IMO, Visa, USA.
Internationally, the US was a top Gerety winner overall with 19 total statues, followed by Canada with 13, the UK with 12, France with 11 and Spain with 7.
In total, the 196 judges from 36 countries composed of industry leaders from across the globe awarded 4 Grand Prix, 15 Gold, 47 Silver, 48 Bronze, from a total of 114 winners.
Grand Prix were awarded to Burberry, An Nahar Newspaper, Xbox/Microsoft and Znamkamarada.
Grand Prix, in Craft, for “Festive” Burberry by Riff Raff Films.
"This ad makes me so happy. At first glance it’s a feel good, anthemic, music driven ad but it also excels by highlighting Burberry’s coats waterproof feature, resistant against all elements, even large blocks of ice falling from the sky. Megaforce’s craft is impeccable, as well as the music and choreography, sending a much-needed optimistic message in a year filled with adversity,” said Daniela Vojta (Grand Jury, USA).
Grand Prix, in Communication, for “The New National Anthem Edition” An Nahar Newspaper by Impact BBDO Dubai.
“The power of a word. The Power of print. This is a reminder of the impact that this traditional medium can have. It became a symbol of female empowerment. This positive change to the National anthem was adopted by a nation, it is both moving and momentous," noted Kate Stanners (Grand Jury, UK).
Grand Prix, in Experience, for The Birth of Gaming Tourism Xbox / Microsoft by McCann London.
“This is one of my favourite campaigns. It is unexpected and bold. I like the smart twist on it, the first time promoting games as tourist destinations, providing a fresh angle for the gamers to experience the game at different levels,” commented Kelly Woh (Grand Jury, China).
Grand Prix, in Works For Good, for “Anticorruption Hackathon” Znamkamarada by WMC Grey Prague.
“A brilliant example of where social media platforms can be used to engage a nation in a positive meaningful way. It’s a brilliant example of a call to arms and where as a society we can come together to solve problems, and in the process create economic societal and political change,” said Karen Blackett OBE (Grand Jury, UK).
See all the winners at www.geretyawards.com
