Inside the Jury Room: 4 Netherlands Projects Become Finalists at The Immortal Awards

On Tuesday October 22nd the Immortal Awards Netherlands jury gathered to discuss which pieces of work stood a chance of being deemed ‘Immortal’. The jury selected four pieces of work to be elevated to Dutch Finalist status, qualifying for the European regional round of judging.

The Netherlands jury room was made up of Gijs Determeijer, head of commercials, 100%; Niels de Wit, executive creative director, Monks Netherlands & Benelux; Nick Docherty, chief strategy officer, Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam; Ignacio "Nacho" Ferioli, chief creative officer Europe, GUT; Anne Fleming, creative director, 180 Amsterdam; João Inácio, creative director, DEPT Agency; Gijs Sluijters, creative director, Dentsu Creative Amsterdam; and Hannah Sterke, creative director, TBWA\NEBOKO.

As deliberations proceeded, the four projects that emerged as finalists were: DEGIRO - Pink Chip; KPN - A Piece of Me; Nike - Watch Where We're Going; and Patta, FC Barcelona, Nike - Culers del Mon. The discussion flowered with colourful debate, exploring the value of purpose driven creative that matches impact, impeccable craft, and the power words can yield when copy is honed to perfection. See what the judges had to say about each project below.

Patta, FC Barcelona, Nike - Culers del Mon (submitted by 100%)

Niels de Wit said: “When it first came out, it really grabbed me; it made me feel everything it wanted me to feel. I think it transcends just having a film with a good idea and a powerful slogan. It adds to the sneaker-wear and streetwear culture, and that’s what I love about it. It’s totally in the zeitgeist of their target audience and I love the craft. I was proud to find out that it was shot by a Dutch production company and director.

Gijs Sluijters added: “I think people will remember it for years to come because of how powerfully it has been made. I think the Barcelona song is powerful… But it’s also a great visual representation of the song. It’s actually an ode to the song that was already there. It was great that such a crafty level of execution came out of the Netherlands.”

Nike - Watch Where We're Going (submitted by 100%)

Ignacio ‘Nacho’ Ferioli said: “It’s a very powerful story. In the spot, they are portraying that sometimes sport is the only shelter. And that kills me. It’s so powerful. The copywriting is also amazing. The craft of the compelling copywriting coupled with the powerful story are the two things that made me want to highlight this work.”

Anne Fleming added: “The sentence ‘Where do you come from?’ can carry a lot of pain and be difficult for people to deal with. I’ve never seen such an apt, nice response to it. The copy turns it into ‘Watch Where I’m Going’. I felt that was such a nice flip on something that can be quite damaging. Particularly for refugee athletes, it was a really great insight into the world they live in, the kind of comments they get thrown at them, and turning it into an inspiring message.” 

KPN - A Piece of Me (submitted by Dentsu Creative Amsterdam & Amp.Amsterdam // The Sonic Branding Company)

Niels de Wit said: “It makes me proud that I’m in advertising. It does something that goes above and beyond to educate an audience. Sometimes you just make work that transcends your everyday job, and that’s what this does. It’s the thing you go into advertising for. I think this is work that you’ll remember in five years.”

Anne Fleming added: “I felt the creative idea of hijacking the genre of heartbreak songs to ask, ‘What does modern heartbreak look like today?’. It’s definitely not him breaking up with you. I felt it was an incredibly powerful message to put out in the perfect medium. The fact they had spoken to real victims really brings it up another level for me – it isn't just creativity unleashed, it is retelling someone's story in the most effective way possible.”

Nick Docherty noted: “What I love is that it’s not just highlighting a problem, but offering a solution. Yes, it’s an emotionally charged piece of film, but it’s clearly targeted at young men, and it gives them a solution to the thing some of them are generating. There’s some behavioural psychology behind it too, which I think elevates it.”

DEGIRO - Pink Chip (submitted by AKQA Amsterdam)

Hannah Sterke said: “I think it’s great when an idea can also be a solution. So it’s not only about raising awareness about investing in female companies, but also has the facts to back it up and package that within the idea. So the medium was basically the message and I thought that was very powerful and well executed.”

João Inácio added: “We all know this is a problem. White men in very important places aren’t trusting women with a lot of responsibility. That’s already the problem they are trying to solve. So it’s a big task but the way they do it is very efficient because it’s about business. That's what sells it really well for me. It solves a problem and faces it with numbers. It does transcend advertising for me, because it makes them think about investing in a different way.”