The Kancil's after thought

The Kancils. Revote?

The 2008 show was one of the more interesting Kancil judging experiences for me.

Maybe it was because I was Jury Chairman. Maybe it's because we had a stellar jury of serious heavyweights.

And I'm not just talking about the local cast. Thirasak Tanapatanakul, Iain Tait, Jon Dranger, Graham Kelly, Alex Burnard, Flo Heiss, Sonal Dabral, Pann Lim and Matty Burton have enough awards between them to last a few lifetimes.

But just like every other awards show, there will be complaints. All Kancils that have come and gone, and all other award shows, there have been and will be complaints.

Until you share a judging room with 10 people with different whims and fancies, you'll never understand. And as long as you weren't in the judging room, you'll never understand. Well I was in all judging sessions, and there is still a lot that I don't understand.
 
Some of the entries deserved to do better. You have your own list I'm sure. Here's mine.

TV
Durian, Proton (Merit)
A charming spot that talked about the Saga's generous boot space. Casting was perfect with David Arumugam, who made me smile. We even revoted on this twice, but it didn't move. It's a bronze to me.
 
Husband To Friend, TDC (Bronze)
When was the last time you saw a decent Tourism Malaysia ad? (Pregnant pause) Okay, time's up. This idea for the India market used the familiar topic of arranged marriages. How a trip to our beautiful country can do magic for once total strangers. Game changing in this category, should've moved to silver.
 
Print/poster
Cats Impotence, Anti-smoking Message (Merit)
I liked this from the first time I saw it. A geriatric couple enjoying their cancer sticks. No kids, but enough cats to give them all the love they'll ever need. This deserves to move two notches up to silver. Sonal noticed my scrunched up face when the hands stayed down for metal. He liked this one too. We revoted, but the hands were limp.
 
Cymbals, Cobra Car Alarms, (Merit)
Just what we're all looking for in a car alarm. Something that will scare the crap out of those bloody car thieves. The photo is perfect. A bronze at least.
 
Guinness, Stop (Silver)
This is a strong campaign, but I particularly like this version. It illustrates the exact reason why drink driving is a serious issue. The crafting is near perfect. Classic Saatchi stuff. A revote didn't do anything for this one. But it's a gold for me.
 
Innovative media
Skydancer, Extra Joss Energy Drink (Bronze)
This one did something rare for me - it made me laugh. A lot. A simple air-powered ‘skydancer' showed how much I need Extra Joss. You should watch the video. Hilarious and hard sell at the same time. This was revoted a few times but stayed at bronze. I think it deserves a silver.
 
Underwater Camera Shop, Olympus (Merit)
Why only sell a waterproof camera in shopping malls? This simulation of a camera shop in swimming pools helped me overcome any fear and doubt I had with its waterproof claims. I had to keep my mouth shut on this one, so here goes. Guys, just a merit? Come on!
 
Interactive
Consequence Body/Children, Volvo Safety (merit)
We've seen all too many so-so Chinese ideas. Posters that play on chinese characters, punny radios, etc. This was fresh for me and a good example for Chinese-based creatives to do things differently. The tough interactive jury wasn't convinced, even with my explanation of how well it works for this market.
 
IF Interactive - Man/if/esto (Bronze)
Malaysia has achieved world class crafting in print. However we're far from getting Datuk-ships for our crafting in interactive. This site is an exception. Silver for me.
 
Campaigns
DiGi Corp - Dive, Weight, Gymnastics (merit)
Here we go again. Once again, there were many discussions on the merits of a fat guy in a yellow suit. I like these simple ideas, I always have. It took a while to explain his significance to the foreign jury but it didn't fly. Should've been a bronze. I'll try again next year.