For once, let’s not start by having a debate about what ‘Direct’ is.
It happens on every jury I go on. Understandably, I suppose, as the lines have blurred, but great Direct will always adhere to the golden rule of staying TRUE to the customer; that’s being Timely, Relevant, Useful and Entertaining. It’s how we make brands truly matter to customers.
The winners here are shining reflections of the genre, but the Crème de la Crème goes to a piece that is genuinely, spontaneously direct; seeking to engage naturally with their audience and build a relationship that matters. (No mean feat for a burger brand!) And something made even richer by the supposed sideswipe of being trolled.
We live in a world of ‘now’. We broadcast content live, we comment immediately, we can buy in a moment and we form opinions that can create a community of audience instantly. And it’s the brands that are part of those conversations that are the truly direct brands of today.
Congratulations to the winners and a big thank you to my judging partner Ian Haworth, ECD of Wunderman. It was a pleasure to discuss a great body of work together and be collectively stunned by the quality and breadth within the network. We should all be immensely proud of being part of such a creative powerhouse.