As head judge for the Super Bowl Canadian Ad Challenge, Fuse Marketing Group president Stephen Brown says creativity and originality will be the key criteria for determining the winners.
Brown is among the 12 judges announced this week for the Ad Challenge, which was conceived by CTV and the Canadian Marketing Association (CMA) as a way to encourage Canada’s creative community to create Super Bowl ads capable of competing with those from U.S. clients and agencies.
The winning ad will be aired for free during CTV’s Feb. 1 telecast of Super Bowl XLIX.
While standard awards show metrics like execution of the idea, brand relevance and a strategic fit will be considered, Brown said success in the Ad Challenge will be determined by agencies and clients willing to push the boundaries.
“The safe spot will not be seen,” he said. “The push the limits, surprise-and-delight [entries] will be rated much higher.”
He predicted that entries would be riskier than the usual TV creative, in keeping with the Super Bowl’s reputation for running commercials that are big, bold and sometimes just plain odd.
“The Super Bowl is such a monumental event, so it’s really to show how our brands and best creative minds can put themselves forward in a really unique way,” said Brown. “It’s looking for what’s never been done before, a new twist on something – what’s really engaging, or entertaining, or humorous.”
Of the more than 450 complaints made to the CRTC about simultaneous substitution last year, nearly 100 were from viewers upset at not being able to watch U.S. commercials during the Super Bowl.
While the general perception is that Canadian TV creative is inferior to that of the U.S., Brown said clients’ tolerance for boundary-pushing work is related more to the advertising category than geography.
The jury for the Super Bowl is a mix of people from the client, agency and media sides of the marketing communications business. Judges for the challenge are:
• Joseph Bonnici, partner, creative director, Bensimon Byrne
• Jennifer Hedger, TSN broadcaster
• Peter Ignazi, SVP, executive creative director, BBDO
• Susan Lute, director, business marketing communications, Rogers Communications
• Laura Pearce, VP, brand strategy and fan engagement, Blue Ant Media
• Scott Pinkney, SVP, creative director, Proximity Canada
• Franke Rodriguez, president, Anomaly
• Gordon Ross, VP, business development, Aimia
• Helena Tigert, head of consumer credit marketing, Visa
• Annette Warring, CEO, Dentsu Aegis Network
• Pat Weir, VP, creative director, Fuse Marketing Group
“The team we’ve assembled is very good at spotting what’s truly great marketing, versus smoke-and-mirrors marketing,” said Brown.
Submissions for the Super Bowl Canadian Ad Challenge will be accepted at BellMedia.ca/TheChallenge until Monday, Dec. 1, with the top five ads unveiled on Bell Media’s digital platforms on Thursday, Jan. 15.
The top five ads will also be featured in CTV’s Super Bowl pre-game show on Feb. 1, with the winning ad announced during Super Bowl XLIX and showcased in a spot on the game telecast.
