Judging for the 6th District’s ADDYs competition takes place on Friday and Saturday, so I’ll be headed to Muncie, Indiana to wade through a few hundred silver and gold entries from the local shows. The AAF 6th District comprises Michigan, Illinois, and Indiana.
[If you’re wondering, judges are recruited from other districts for some semblance of objectivity. That’s not a problem for the local shows. Earlier this year for instance, I judged the Dayton Advertising Association show (extremely well-run by the way), which happens to be in our own 5th District comprising Ohio, Kentucky, and West Virginia.]
I’m told the great thing about judging the 6th District Region is all the great ideas coming out of Chicago and Detroit. A former Windy City creative myself, I know how strong that market is. Meanwhile, the Detroit market is centered around the automotive industry and we all know what a blood bath it’s been there recently — which brings me back to the ADDYs.
The ADDYs competition is like WWI compared with what happens at CA, Cannes and OneShow (see our favorite sites to the right). Think of the ADDYs as a war of attrition. The best work has to survive the local, regional, and national judges to collect the industry’s top honors.
Unfortunately this process also means that some brilliant, but suspect work occasionally gets Simon Cowelled. It’s just like American Idol. You’ve got three judges so unfortunately that means a single judge can torpedo something they don’t like. The whole name of the game is “Don’t Get Eliminated Early.” You just want your work to get a chance at the nationals.
I think of it this way. It’s like getting a job in any hot creative department. Your portfolio is fighting against dozens of others. The dirty little secret of ECDs is that because we’re so busy, we’re looking for any reason (not to hire candidates, but) to eliminate them. That way we can get to the top three to five books quickly, do the interviews, and try to make it home before midnight.
An ECD wants to see great work, but we’re really just trying to separate what’s good from what’s great.The book that only has six pieces (but which are ALL stellar) will win over the book with 15 pieces because that book also includes four pieces influenced by illegal substances. There’s just too much to look at. There’s just not enough time these days for simply “good” work.
So, what’s the secret of judging a show like the ADDYs — or a portfolio (– or something furry and soft in your refrigerator)?
If there’s doubt, toss it out.
