"The End is Near!" -- So Rock the House
Hmm . . . lots of scaffolding . . . is this the Hudson Hotel? . . . oh, there's good friend & super uber creative guy, Gerry Graf, headed in the door ("Hi, Gerry!") so this must be the place for the awards show but . . . "go where?" . . . down these fire stairs? . . . now what!? . . . MORE fire stairs? . . . is this SPINAL TAP?! . . . you sure we're in the right place? . . . but wait!: what's that cool robotic voice saying? . . . "Welcome to the ANDY Awards" ?. . . OHhhh ! Alright! This is different!! This is COOL and EXCITING and FUN!!!
By now, EVERYONE has seen their share of awards shows -- from the Oscars, to the Emmy's to the Grammy's -- so everyone kind of knows the drill. And as one who has covered a lot of awards events, it was very stimulating to experience the formula getting a kick in the pants. Once, that is, I got over my preconceived notions. And that is what I realized was going on at the 2012 International ANDY Awards.
The One Show Interactive awards broke the mold a few years ago with theme-based events/awards presentations that serve as an electrifying culmination to Creative Week.
This year, the Advertising Club asked industry icon Bob Greenberg and digital agency R/GA how to breathe new life into one of the industry's most celebrated events: the International ANDY Awards. Themed around predictions of the end of things as we know them, the answer was a club scene-like creation at Hudson Hotels' Good Units. Attendees were shuttled thru graffiti'd winding hallways into a cocktail reception area with award winning works spotlighted on the walls that were otherwise decorated with moody low-lighting and art installations. Eventually, everyone was called upstairs to a loft-like area with streaming photo-booths that overlooked a foggy dry-iced, post-apocalyptic set with two giant overhead screens to show the winning work (which you can see a full list of on the ANDY Awards site). An all-star team of industry luminaries entertainingly steamrolled through presentations of four basic categories with quick video tributes but without the usually obligatory, finger-drumming parade of acceptances.
AND THE BAR STAYED OPEN!
Yes, Bob Greenberg and The Advertising Club rocked the house!
Everyone In Advertising Goes Looking For a Little Head
And they find it -- if they’re good enough -- at the annual Advertising Club International ANDY Awards!