TED Announces Winners of 2011/2012 Ads Worth Spreading Challenge

LONG BEACH, Calif., Feb. 28, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- TED, the non-profit dedicated to Ideas Worth Spreading, announced the winners of the second Ads Worth Spreading initiative on the opening day of TED2012 in Long Beach, CA. This year's 10 winners were carefully curated to shine a spotlight on ads which break the mold through longer-form, idea-based storytelling.

The Ads Worth Spreading challenge, which attracted entries from 39 countries, is designed to recognize and reward innovation, ingenuity and intelligence in advertising; to seek out the best in online video storytelling – the kind of ads that inspire people to watch, learn and share.

"We sought out ads that were driven by ideas," said TED Curator Chris Anderson. "At TED, we've seen the power of imagination and innovation. We want to reward companies that have invested in longer-form, beautifully crafted campaigns that value human attention and intelligence, and take the time to tell a thought-provoking story."

For this year's challenge – in addition to accepting entries via YouTube from agencies and marketers – TED called on 25 industry Advocates and six Nomination Teams – made up of one renowned TED speaker and one rising star from the advertising industry – to seek out compelling ads from six specific areas of interest: Talk, Social Good, Cultural Compass, Creative Wonder, Brand Bravery, and Storytelling.  The nominators were challenged with examining these concepts to unearth best-in-class, new forms of online video storytelling – beyond the traditional boundaries of advertising – in these six areas.

Entries ranged from 30-second spots to 5-minute mini-documentaries, as well as several custom-made TEDTalk-like pieces humanizing companies and causes. 

"Ads Worth Spreading has been a fascinating exploration for us – a process of discovering ways to think about online video storytelling as advertising," said Ronda Carnegie, Head of Global Partnerships at TED. "This year's winners spanned across many categories, drawing from culture, technology and brand expertise.  L'Oreal confronted the definition of beauty in a talk, Prudential exhibited powerful storytelling, and Chipotle raised the bar with its creative animation that beautifully communicates their message."

"Today's best ads have all the qualities of today's best content - they're powerful, interactive, and a bit magical. YouTube supports Ads Worth Spreading because it helps to shine a light on what's possible in online advertising," said Mark Sabec, YouTube Product Marketing Manager.

The 2011/12 Ads Worth Spreading are:

• Canal+: The Bear
  Brand: Canal+
  Agency: BETC

• Chipotle: Back to the Start
  Brand: Chipotle
  Agency: Creative Artists Agency Los Angeles

• Engagement Citoyen: The Return of Dictator Ben Ali
  Brand: Engagement Citoyen
  Agency: Memac Ogilvy Tunisia

• L'Oreal Paris: Aimee Mullins
  Brand: L'Oreal Paris
  Agency: R/GA New York

• Mazda: Defy Convention
  Brand: Mazda           
  Agency: Team Cosmos/JWT Germany/Team Mazda Europe     

• Microsoft: Kinect Effect
  Brand: Microsoft
  Agency: twofifteenmccann San Francisco

• NTT Docomo: Xylophone
  Brand: NTT Docomo, Inc.
  Agency: Drill Inc., Dentsu Inc. Tokyo

• Prudential Day One: Linda
  Brand: Prudential
  Agency: Droga5 New York

• Rethink Breast Cancer: Your Man Reminder
  Brand: Rethink Breast Cancer
  Agency: john st. Toronto

• Sharpie: Start with Sharpie
  Brand: Sharpie         
  Agency: Draftfcb Chicago              

This year's winners were vetted by industry experts and curated by an internal TED team led by Chris Anderson. The winning work will be showcased at TED2012 as well as on TED.com and on YouTube.  TED and YouTube will also honor the winners at a celebration held at the Art Directors Club in March in New York City. 

Next year, TED will further evolve the Ads Worth Spreading challenge and engage in deep one-on-one conversation with the global advertising community to share what the organization has learned.  Additionally, TED will open up TED.com as an incubation platform for testing and launching great creative.  Details can be found at: www.ted.com/pages/aws_overview

TED solicited entries for this challenge via a channel on YouTube.com. The judging system for Ads Worth Spreading was graciously hosted by AICP (Association of Independent Commercial Producers) and Zester. Ads Worth Spreading was also supported by Contagious Magazine, 4A's, IAB, IAA, Art Directors Club, and the Advertising Club of New York.

View this year's winners online here: http://www.ted.com/aws

About TED

TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. Started as a four-day conference in California 25 years ago, TED has grown to support those world-changing ideas with multiple initiatives. The annual TED Conference invites the world's leading thinkers and doers to speak for 18 minutes. Their talks are then made available, free, at TED.com. TED speakers have included Bill Gates, Al Gore, Jane Goodall, Elizabeth Gilbert, Sir Richard Branson, Nandan Nilekani, Philippe Starck, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Isabel Allende and former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown. The annual TED Conference takes place each spring in Long Beach, California, along with the TEDActive simulcast in Palm Springs; the annual TEDGlobal conference is held each summer in Edinburgh, Scotland.

TED's media initiatives include TED.com, where new TEDTalks are posted daily, the Open Translation Project, which provides subtitles and interactive transcripts as well as the ability for any TEDTalk to be translated by volunteers worldwide, and TEDBooks, short e-books by speakers that elaborate on a single idea originally presented on TED's stage. TED has established the annual TED Prize, where exceptional individuals with a wish to change the world are given the opportunity to put their wishes into action; TEDx, which offers individuals or groups a way to host local, self-organized events around the world, and the TED Fellows program, helping world-changing innovators from around the globe to become part of the TED community and, with its help, amplify the impact of their remarkable projects and activities.

Follow TED on Twitter at http://twitter.com/TEDTalks, or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/TED

Contact: Jen Hirsch
[email protected]; 646.495.9723

SOURCE TED