Clarks’ in-house design group and Partners Andrews Aldridge have won top prizes in the Big Bus Challenge 2014 run by Exterion Media, in association with Campaign.
The footwear retailer’s bus ad triumphed over other national campaigns while Partners Andrews Aldridge’s work for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution’s patrolling of the Thames emerged victorious in the regional category. Cogent Elliott picked up a media commendation for a campaign of simple line drawings for Samaritans. Clarks and the RNLI were awarded 200,000 of national and 25,000 of regional bus advertising respectively and each of the creative teams given 2,000 of department store vouchers to share. Samaritans was handed 20,000 of media space. The winning entries to the second Big Bus Challenge were chosen by a panel of judges and revealed at The London Transport Museum tonight where guests were able to view showcased work, including entries from the 23 regional and 45 national finalists. Clarks’ ad stood out for its “elegance, simplicity and having the courage to keep the design so minimal,” said Paul Domenet, the executive creative director of Johnny Fearless and a Big Bus Challenge judge. PAA’s EastEnders-inspired ad for the RNLI was praised as a “sound concept” by Andy Hunns, the creative director at Clinic and the Publicis executive director Andy Bird described Cogent Elliott’s Samaritans campaign as “brilliant, clever”, with “massive standout”. Four other national finalists were chosen: Cogent Elliott for WD-40; Rapp for the Open University; Lida for Foyles and Proximity London for The Economist. In the regional category, there were three finalists: Publicis Life Brands Resolute for The Passage charity; Rapp for Virgin Media and Bray Leino for Bath Spa University. The judging panel, chaired by Philip Smith, head of content solutions studio at Campaign, consisted of: Martin Hancock, development director, National Express Bus; Gill Huber, group communications director, Posterscope; Chris Marjoram, managing director, Rapport; Richard Jacobs, marketing director, Kinetic; Ross Neil, executive creative director, WCRS; Jason Cotterrell, managing director UK, Exterion Media and Simon Harrington, marketing director, Exterion Media, along with Domenet, Hunns and Bird. The winning and shortlisted entries can be viewed at bigbuschallenge.com
