Jury President Overall Campaign and Editorial/Book DesignWhat is so groundbreaking about this year's Gold Campaign? The standard of this category was therefore no worse - but it offered slightly fewer surprises than before.
Do you see any new trends?
Aebi: One trend is probably that multidimensional campaigns are developing an almost limitless variability (fractal brand), which in the best case takes on a cult character - far more than just a consistent visual style, for example. Sportplausch Wider was the closest example of this.
Your conclusion after 26 years of ADC: Has the standard of the submitted work increased, remained the same, or deteriorated?
Aebi: Today, as in the past, there are pleasing and less ground-breaking things. The evaluation criteria are also rightly adhered to: 1. an independent idea. 2. a winning realization. And 3. a realization that does not make the 1st and 2nd worse, but rather more of them.
Can newcomers be spotted, or did the ADC habitués win once again?
Aebi: Newcomers and non-members were by no means handicapped this year either. For example, gold in the "Editorial" category went to the "Freitag" books by Lars Müller. Such outsider successes are not prevented by jury lobbying, but many awards go to ADC habitués. On the one hand, by jurors who confuse strict selection with not wanting to grant others anything at all. On the other hand, by individuals who have not done any award-worthy work themselves for years, but then embarrassingly want to prevent better-qualified people from receiving the awards they deserve.

ADC President, without voting rights at the gold judgingThe Kuoni campaign outshone all others. What is so groundbreaking about it? Multimedia and stoppers tailored to the location of the placement, all leading concisely to the punch line.
What about the quality of this advertising year in general?
Aebi: Good to very good - except for everything that is not good to bad.
Which works could have a chance at the Cannes Festival?
Aebi: All gold winners. Plus the one or two that were mistaken for bronze. (No judging gives the pure truth).
What was the main focus of the evaluation?
Aebi: The idea. The idea. The idea. And its implementation.
The ADC turned 25 years old: Is that why the jury set the evaluation bar even higher than usual?
Aebi: No. But the mode was completely different. Instead of seven jurors, 20 discussed a category and assessed each campaign individually with marks. Without friendliness between colleagues and therefore perhaps tougher after all.
Are you satisfied with the jury?
Aebi: On the whole, the right thing was rewarded with silver and gold. A little too few advertising dimensions that break patterns. Even the ADC is not immune to thinking in familiar classic formats and solutions.