The TVC produced by Frieze Films for POWA, Waking up the Neighbourhood, achieved finalist status in four categories in Cannes last week and netted a Bronze in the Promo & Activation category, as well as a Silver in the Film category. These accolades follow a win at One Show.
For executive producer Jo Barber, the fact that the ad has generated over 600 000 hits on YouTube is the cherry on top. “Award winning work – particularly in the social awareness category needs to prove that it is effective. Ideas can’t be great in a vacuum. Both the volume of viewers and comments on YouTube show the impact of the spot in a way no award can,” she says.
Barber adds that, for a production company, this piece was a real achievement as it marked a flexibility of approach. “It was exciting to craft a reality film,” she said. “When we started this production, we had no idea of the outcome. We could only believe that the statistic would prove to be true. What became important was authenticity and accuracy in the documentation of the experiment and then finding a way to portray that reality in short form. Both Ogilvy and Frieze were intent on making this spot 100% authentic and ultimately that was achieved.”
The POWA TVC can be viewed on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BW30WslahMc
