French ad agencies led the Best of Show (Grand Prix) winners list for the 2017 Mobius Awards international competition. BETC, Paris, won Best of Show in both Commercials/TVC and Social Media Marketing with “Timeless” and “Like My Addiction.” Havas Paris took top honors in Brochure/Book for “Annual Report.”

BETC developed the video "Timeless" for Lacoste, Paris, to demonstrate the brand’s lasting value. The “Timeless” theme begins in the 1930s with a young man who falls in love with a girl at first sight and follows her onto a train. His trip through the train’s cars become a documentary of periods where styles change, but the Lacoste brand remains as elegant as ever.  Chief creative officer was Rémi Babinet with Antoine Choque as creative director, Aurélie Scalabre as art director and Olivier Aumard as copywriter.  Sound production for “Timeless” was by Green United Music (GUM), Paris. Seb Edwards directed. Others on the project were TV producer Fabrice Brovelli and music creative director Christophe Caurret.  Julien Levêque was head of media. The production companies were Wanda Production, Paris, and Academy Films, London. Post production was by Mikros, Paris.

BETC’s charitable work, "Like My Addiction" done for Addict Aide, Paris, was selected Best of Show in Social Media Marketing and also won First Places in Social Media Marketing and in Digital-Mobile. “Like My Addiction” uses an Addict Aide Instagram account featuring a fictitious 25-year-old user named Louise Delage to demonstrate how hard it is to recognize addiction in someone close.  Stéphane Xiberras was executive creative director for the project with Rayhaan Khodabux as art director, Rémi Campet as copywriter and Christine Lefers as TV producer. Stéphanie Huguenin served as executive TV producer and Julien Lévêque as head of media. The production company was Francine Framboise; Pierre Edouard Joubert directed, and sound production was by Green United Music (GUM), Paris.

Havas Paris earned Best of Show in Brochure/Book for "2016 Annual Report" done for LVMH/LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE, Paris. The report, released in October 2017, sought to revamp the perception of the annual report. Havas accomplished this by explaining the LVMH values editorially and with digital and social media, drawing inspiration from contemporary art and coffee table books.                                                             

Best of Show-Brand Identity went to Williams Murray Hamm, London, for "Aberlour-Pernod Ricard." Despite growing to the sixth position in the global market (and France’s No.1) Aberlour whisky was relatively unknown to the general population and had not changed its communication much since 1879. The new approach pulled from the founding family's motto: “Let the deed show,” meaning actions speak louder than words. Scottish artist Liz Myhill brought the commitments and manufacturing processes to life using traditional lino cutting and printing techniques to create original illustrations gleaned from books of storytelling in the 1900s. Creative director was Garrick Hamm, with Craig Kirk as designer. Jacques-Henri Brive of Aberlour was marketing manager with Nicole Eminian as senior global brand manager.

VML, Sydney, received Best of Show-Digital/Mobile for unique use of media with "Snaplications." The entry also won two First Place awards in the overall competition, in Social Media Marketing and in Digital-Mobile. The campaign was aimed at recruiting the next generation of McDonald's crew members (a staggering 30,000) by making the application process as seamless and low-barrier as possible. It was aimed at young Australians between the ages of 14 – 25.

The Package Design Best of Show went to Shenzhen Baixinglong Creative Packaging Co., Ltd., Shenzhen, Guangdong, China. The agency took Best of Show with its "Huanghelou jiu" wine box entry. The design, which targeted men 40 to 50 years old, is nostalgic as it is based on the shape of the Yellow Crane Tower, a Chinese landmark in the same district as the advertiser, Wuhan Tianlong Yellow Crane Tower Wine Co. Ltd. The tower has been built and rebuilt in various forms since around AD 223.   

The Best of Show Student Award went to Miami Ad School Rio, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, team that created "Nivea Soccer Sunscreen: Protect Your Skin With the Same Passion You Show Your Team.” The students are art directors Saulo Guimaraes Vinheiro, Gabriel Carvalho and Valeria M. Turcott, and copywriter Carolina Mauricio. The entry presents the sunscreen product in many colors and an array of face painting patterns that at once protect the skin from excess harmful rays of the sun as a loud, bright enthusiasm for one's favorite team. Nivea Soccer Sunscreen is a facial sunscreen designed with the colors of Brazil's most popular soccer clubs.  

Eighteen entrants were nominated for Best of Show. In the 47th annual competition overall, entrants from 22 countries won awards.

For more information, visit www.mobiusawards.com