Despite sub-freezing temperatures and a snow/ice storm that blanketed the region with a slushy, frozen mess, the Kansas City office of Sullivan Higdon & Sink (SHS), an advertising, marketing and public relations agency, still managed to come together on the ad world's biggest night to hold the 2004 LAMBardi Awards. The LAMBardi's, now in its third year, honor the top Super Bowl spots that do the best job of standing apart from the flock of its competition.
And the winners of this year's LAMBardi's are:
·The Seabiscuit Award goes to Budweiser's "Donkey" spot for the best use of an equine or equine-like animal. ·The Lassie Award went to the first spot of the night, Bud Light's "Fergus," for best use of a dog. ·The My Big, Fat, Obnoxious Commercial Award goes to Bud Light's "Rocket Sled" for the best attempt to be overtly outrageous or gross. ·The I-Missed-It-Cause-I-Was-Outside-Smoking-And-Drinking Award goes to the Truth campaign for its "Shards of Glass" anti-smoking spot. ·The Sunglasses Award for best use of a celebrity went to the NFL Network's "Tomorrow" spot. ·The Apple's-1984-Was-Still-More-Cinematic-Than-That Award goes to Van Helsing for best movie trailer during the game. ·And our choice for what spot will top USA Today's rankings of the spots: Budweiser's "Donkey," with Chevrolet's "Holy S***" spot a close runner up. ·Yet again, the advertising during the Super Bowl failed to generate a breakthrough spot that was so out of the ordinary it stood apart from the flock. So, for 2004, the LAMBardi Trophy goes unawarded.
"It wasn't a blockbuster year. There were several very likable spots that drew laughs. But we didn't see a breakthrough idea that really stood out from the competition. For that reason, our LAMBardi Trophy will go unawarded for 2004," said John January, creative director for SHS.