"The reaction to the pandemic was everywhere"

Stephen Herold ist Design Principal bei IBM Zürich und war Teil der Shortlist-Jury in der Kategorie “Brand Experience & Activation”. Im Interview mit Hype5 spricht er darüber, auf was er bei der Bewertung geachtet hat und was die Trends des Jahres waren: Frauenrechte und Covid.

What was the judging process like?
The process is not entirely transparent to the jurors – maybe on purpose – although I did not ask for details. Basically there are two phases of judging: It starts with preselection, to down select the best cases. This is then followed by the final selection. There are a few subcategories for each Lion award such a local activation, entertainment or digital, so we really saw a wide range of work. I was representing Switzerland but was judging cases from all around the world – Americas, Asia, Europe, Africa.

How many case movies did you watch during the judging period?
It was a lot... I had more than 350 cases to judge. We had to judge cases from 2020 as well as 2021 so it was more than normal, as far as I know.

What does a Brand Experience / Activation idea need to have a chance for a Lion?
There is specific judging/scoring criteria we must follow, but there are so many great cases, the best ones go beyond the basics. Of course, I looked for social and/or environmental impact. I also looked for cases that brought tangible value to their audience – more than just brand or product exposure, or a laugh. And, of course, a creative leap – that element of unexpected charm and surprise that inspires us all.

What impact did the pandemic have on the work?
The reaction to the pandemic was everywhere. There were very few cases that did not address it or react to it in some shape or form.

Are there any trends that have caught your eye?
It has been an interesting and an inspirational experience. The trends and common themes were around empowering women and, of course, Covid: combating lock-down/isolation, small business support and "new" virtual events replacing face-to-face of the past. Many of the cases were similar but at the same time unique given the circumstances. It was clear that the universal creative conscious was in high gear.