Morbus Crisis

Luca Aloisi on the 27th ADC Awards judgingThe Art Directors Club (ADC) Switzerland narrowly avoided a debacle. Igros - sorry: Migros - is the savior in need. Publicis' highly resonant "Big M" campaign for the major distributor's Expo.02 commitment not only made the "Strangers in Paradise" exhibition on the Expo site a hit with the public. It also strengthened the image of the big M - and saved the creative club from a free fall into insignificance in a year of recession. After all, Migros, Switzerland's second largest advertising client, was the only heavyweight among the award-winning works this year. Against the backdrop of the ADC's preferred equation "creativity equals efficiency", the two gold cubes for the retail giant can be seen as a kind of salvation for the creative club. Nevertheless, the ADC is increasingly lacking in credibility if it only succeeds in improving the quality of the less prestigious and revenue-generating courtesy campaigns and the really relevant players don't give a damn about the ADC's verdict.
Accordingly, the accusation cannot be denied that outstanding or even pioneering communication solutions are increasingly becoming the playground of underchallenged creatives who want to help their neighborhood bar or the Figaro on the street corner gain some publicity. Most big spenders, on the other hand, are once again relying on tried-and-tested advertising models in the difficult economic climate. However, the ADC is less to blame for this misery than clients lacking in courage and imagination.
Instead of giving creative people their spurs, they are grabbing the reins across the board.
> Luca Aloisi, Deputy Editor-in-Chief