Al Young has been responsible for some of the UK’s most famous ad campaigns; starting with 'You Know When You’ve Been Tango’d' in 1995, and most recently, in 2015, '#ThisGirlCan'.
Al has won over 50 major advertising awards, including two Grand Prix and multiple Golds at Cannes, three Yellow Pencils and eight nominations at D&AD, multiple Golds at The US One Show and British Arrows, and a Grand Prix at Eurobest.
Al's choices
Finish "Dishes"
Wieden + Kennedy’s 2015 ad brings an original new spin to the everyday dishwashing product ad. It plays on the simple truth that, no matter what goes on in your life, you're guaranteed to have dirty dishes following you around.
The rapid-fire execution, directed by Megaforce, is offset by quirky, cinematic details, such as the depiction of the dirty dishes suspended in mid-air as if in a dishwasher. The tag "Every dish, every time" emphasises that the product frees you up to focus on these things that matter, rather than doing the dishes.
The ad won the 2016 D&AD Wood Pencil for Film Advertising Crafts and Editing for Film Advertising.
Carlton Draught "Beer Chase"
Australian brewer, Carlton Draught, has a history of funny ads. It’s 2012 ‘Beer Chase’ from Clemenger Melbourne BBDO, features a car chase like no other. Because (of course) there can be no drink driving, the chase takes place entirely on foot.
"We used some poetic license with the locations so they would match your expectations of a classic car chase," said Ant Keogh, Clemenger executive creative director.
The spot won a Gold and Bronze at the 2013 Cannes Lions Festival, in the 'Alcoholic drinks' and 'Direction' categories, as well as a Gold World Medal at the New York Festival.
IKEA "There's no bed like home"
Filmed in Johannesburg, this 2014 ad was part of IKEA’s ‘The Wonderful Everyday’ campaign by Mother.
It pushes the strapline "There’s no bed like home" with a dreamlike sequence that shows a woman falling through the sky from bed to bed, before waking up next to her sleeping partner and dog. The sequence is set to a reading from Act 4 of Shakespeare’s The Tempest, voiced by Prunella Scales.
Creatives Diego Cardoso de Oliveira and Caio Gainnella said "as the idea developed, it got a little more ambitious and we decided it could become more of a brand film showing not just IKEA products, but all the beds you sleep in at different times in your life."