In this report on the 1994 Bessies, Playback wanted to provide a forum for reflection on the best of Canadian television advertisingand maybe touch on some industry issues – with input from those in the front lines.

To that end, in addition to showcasing the winning entries, we asked the Bessies judges to share impressions gleaned over the three days of judging. The judges’ assignment was to pontificate on this year’s Bessies fare, hopefully providing some insight as to the overall calibre and disposition of the Canadian commercial industry, trends prevalent in 1993 and some ideas as to the source and impact of the influences on creativity.

The observations range from the benefits of having women on the panel and the problem of being third show on the tv spot awards circuit to a warning that recycling should be limited to Blue Box items – Not Ideas.

p.s. We have not reprised the Bessie All-Star feature this year. Due to the increasing difficulty met in (subtly) ascertaining complete credits, accurate tabulation could not be assured. So, rather than risk shortchanging folks (usually in the production and especially post areas) on their craft stat tallies, we decided to stop drafting teams composed of the top-scoring award-winners into the hallowed halls of the Bessie All-Star league.

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We’ve sat through hundreds of screenings over the years, but none like this one. I mean I’ve had screenings last a whole day, but not a whole weekend! This was the big one, the mother of all screeningsThe Bessies Judging.

Never before had I felt like a client. Never before did I have the opportunity to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to the commercials before me. The power in that little black electronic voting device was enormous. I was now going to be a part of deciding the fate of hundreds of commercials, to judge instead of being judged, to screen instead of being screened. The opportunity, the responsibility, the irony, was too much, but then I reminded myselfhey, it’s only advertising.

The initial screening was the weeding-out process, sort of like selecting rushes from a seven-day shoot, basically deciding what should stay for further consideration. The urge to rewind and look at the spots over and over soon passed.

With the knowledge that this was the second highest level of entry, we poured through a series of fertile and futile categories. Whole categories were dropped due to lack of entries or lack of substance. Initially there seemed to be few surprises in this collection of commercials. I think the biggest surprise, to me, was the sheer number of entries that were just basic commercials, offering no interesting ideas, presentation or techniques. Commercials you would only see on air for a split second because you would turn them off. zap!!

Things looked up

But ultimately the cream floated to the top, and as we came to the end of the first day, things started to look better. By the time we finished the weekend I think we all felt good about the whole process, and the winners selected.

The actual awarding part of the judging consists of a series of enlightening and lively debates. The standout commercials usually became evident throughout the process, as the spots that required the least amount of debate. Although the debate of ‘what’ spot should win rather than ‘if’ they should win may have been a longer process. The standout commercials, for me, were not necessarily the Gold winners although there were some that I couldn’t ignore.

The Honda Accord spots were some of the first selections awarded and rightfully so. Although they were not necessarily groundbreaking, they were effective and slick. A good core idea supported by compelling visuals eloquently constructed, with a nice mixture of style and technique, a music track that elevated the visuals, and heywe got to see the car.

From the weird and wonderful visual realm of Black Ice, to the classic quality comparison technique of the Molson Signature spots, to the comic simplicity of the Moosehead spots, beer ads, once again demonstrated some of the best ideas for peddling their wares. Through a pleasant diversification of technique, technology and writing, these spots were able to cut through the clutter of Ice beer wars and all the other slash and flash of the beer market, in a year that saw more new products and commercials than any year I can remember.

Sprite spot

Sprite’s ‘Biker’ spot was able to catch some attention and I was glad to see it win something. Although it wasn’t conceptually mind-numbing, it was unarguably entertaining, and it cleverly supported the ‘Sprite in you’ positioning that Sprite has established. And let’s face it, entertainment is an important feature that seems to sometimes get lost in Canadian advertising.

The Coffee-mate campaign uses a series of amusing tales woven around the product with an interesting narrative approach, coupled with some nice cinematography. Although we never see this product, through previous years of advertising and the brands’ longevity, we immediately make the connection with a product that is very difficult to advertise.

Probably the most memorable spots from the show had to be the anti-smoking commercials, as demonstrated by the selection of the Gold Bessie winner. I’ll tell you if I hadn’t quit smoking already, these spots would have made me think again. They were powerful in both presentation and content. The financial slant put on the Gold Bessie winner was a fresh, less scare tactic approach that really hit home (and the pocketbook).

Although there were plenty of other spots worth talking about, I’ll bring to a close this portion of our program with a brief mention of the Robert Sellors ‘What A Ham’ and Preparation H spots. Effective, funny and inexpensive, these spots once again confirmed the fact that a good idea can go a long way.

What I found most satisfying about this year’s crop of winners was that they predominantly exhibited solid production values. The message was clear and the visuals were often classic and classy. A professional body of work that actually looked professional.

Obviously the most discouraging aspect of this year’s awards was the large number of entries and the small number of big winners. I think we killed a forest with the number of certificates of merit that were handed out this year.

If the quantity of entries this year indicates that the volume of production hasn’t necessarily dropped, then the quality of the entries indicates that the budgets have dropped. A good commercial shouldn’t necessarily rely on a large budget (i