Canadian agencies made an impressive showing at the first annual Golden Marble Awards gala held earlier this month in New York, bringing home seven golds and two certificates of excellence.
The Golden Marble is the first and only awards show honoring creative excellence in advertising to kids.
More than 300 entries from across North America were judged by a panel of nine senior advertising creative people headed by Joe Bacal, co-chairman and director of creative services for Griffin Bacal.
The event was produced by Brunico Marketing Inc., the Los Angeles-based subsidiary of Brunico Communications, Toronto-based publisher of Strategy, KidScreen and Playback.
Mark Smyka, executive editor of KidScreen magazine and vice-president of BrunicoEvents, the events division of Brunico Communications, says the Golden Marble Awards were established to acknowledge a section of the industry that had been largely ignored.
‘There’s a whole stratum within the industry who are working on nothing but kids’ advertising, and who have never really had a chance because a cereal commercial has a tough time competing against a big car commercial.
‘Here was an opportunity to give a whole section of the industry an opportunity to get recognized.’
Smyka says the Canadian agencies that won should feel very good about their awards because the judges, conscious that they were setting a standard for the future of the show, were very tough.
Clive Veroni, account management director for TBWA Chiat/Day in Toronto, says children’s advertising hadn’t previously been widely acknowledged because advertising awards tend to be subjective and kids’ advertising is not directed to the people judging award shows.
‘You have to look at children’s advertising in a special way because of the very severe restrictions placed on advertisers advertising to kids. Particularly here in Canada where we have incredibly stringent regulations defining what we can and cannot show, how we can express ourselves, what we can do.’
The Golden Marble Awards gala on Sept. 10 was preceded by a two-day conference tackling issues such as fragmentation in the kids’ market.
Canadian winners are as follows:
Young & Rubicam of Toronto brought home two gold marbles, one for Best Beverage Commercial for client Kraft Canada and one for Best Overall Out-of-Home Advertising for Kraft Canada/ Kool-Aid.
TBWA Chiat/Day was awarded gold for its television spot called ‘Heart’ for Binney & Smith’s Crayola brand in the Best Creative Play Commercial section.
BBDO Canada did Campbell Soup Co. proud with gold in the Best Food Commercial, General category.
Palmer Jarvis DDB of Vancouver continued its winning streak for Playland with gold for the Best Entertainment Venue Commercial.
Leo Burnett of Toronto nabbed gold in the Best Breakfast Food Commercial category for its work for Kellogg Canada.
Harrod & Mirlin/FCB won both a gold and a certificate of excellence in the Best Breakfast Commercial category for client General Mills Canada.
The agency took a second certificate of excellence for ‘There’s a Sucker Born’ in the Best Overall Out-of-Home Advertising category for its client S.A. Chupa Chups.
