Alberta Health and Wellness wins TVB honour

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A spot for Alberta Health and Wellness entitled “Do Bugs Need Drugs” was the recipient of the Consumers’ Choice Award at the Television Bureau of Canada’s annual advertising awards, Tuesday.

Created by Global Edmonton, the spot espouses simply washing your hands rather than using antibiotics to combat everyday ailments like coughs and colds. The spot, which mixes live action and animation, also won gold in the Station Produced category and placed first in the Government category.

Re-christened the Retail Commercial Awards six years ago, the TVB’s annual show is the only national advertising competition in Canada that has consumers act as judges. This year, 300 English and French commercials were judged in more than two dozen categories.

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They’re the only awards to “clearly show what spots consumers love the most,” said TVB president and CEO Theresa Treutler in a release. “Advertisers need to know whether consumers are connecting or not with their spots.

Gold in the Agency/Production House category went to Vancouver agency Elevator for its “Any Questions” ad for the Canadian Cancer Society.

The ad opens with a woman being informed by her doctor that she has cancer, and hearing only white noise while her doctor outlines treatment options. When the doctor asks the woman if she has any questions, she says no. A super informs viewers “there are always questions” and directs them to the Canadian Cancer Society’s cancer information service. The ad also won the PSAs/Charities category.

A complete list of winners should be available at tvb.ca today.