Last month we headed over to The Creative Shootout at BAFTA, in a bid to see what’s going on at the cusp of creativity in the communications industry.

This annual event, in which the top creative teams from across the industry get their chance to show what they’re made of, is apparently the only real time creative award in the UK. We couldn’t miss it!

In its fourth year, what did team Kazoo make of the entries and what did it say about the creative industry we live in day-in, day-out?

Firstly, what’s the deal?

Nine shortlisted agencies were given a real, live brief from A Plastic Planet, with four hours to turn it into a compelling creative campaign. They then pitched it out on stage, with just 10 minutes each, to a judging panel and a live audience.

The winner is then crowned live on stage on the evening, with the winning agency getting the chance to work with A Plastic Planet to see their idea come to life – as 2018's winner, Raw London, has done this summer with FareShare. 

The judging criteria is simple:

- Is there an incredible idea?
- Does it answer the brief?
- Can you see it working for A Plastic Planet?

And what was the brief?

Very simply, how can creativity help to get consumers to reduce their plastic purchasing habit?

Who got involved?

Agencies ranged from Advertising, PR, Content, Digital, Experiential, Integrated and Media. We loved seeing how different disciplines took different stances and outlooks on the brief.

From a simple plastic-free loyalty points card which rewards the planet for reducing plastic usage, to creating a nation of tea-totallers by boycotting tea brands until they remove plastic from their tea bags, and a body positive campaign promoting fruit and veg being comfortable in its own skin without the plastic wrapper.

The winning idea stood out for its simplicity and focus. PR production company, Wire, set out to get the nation to take the plastic test to discover the level of plastic in your body. And their rationale was clear: we care more when it affects us directly.

Key trends in creativity

There were some clear trends in creativity which emerged from the evening.

1. Through-the-line campaigning is King. No longer are PR agencies creating pure PR campaigns, Social agencies cannot rely on Twitter only and Experiential needs the support of editorial to spread the word

2. To get cut-through, brands must talk to consumers about what they really care about: themselves

3. Clear strategies are vital. Not only so that clients understand your vision, but a murky strategy will only create a murky creative and this means the consumer will not understand where you are heading as a brand

4. To really start to shift the dial, we need to start small. There’s no use trying to get started with an enormous earth-shattering campaign that no-one will understand. Start small, begin to seed your message, and then grow

Look out for team Kazoo on stage at BAFTA this time next year…

GET IN TOUCH

To find out how Kazoo can help you use creativity to meet your objectives, contact Laura Rudolph – Laurar@kazoo.co.uk