British Arrows Recent Highlights

As my tenure as Chairman of the British Arrows comes to an end and we approach the 50th event next week, I wanted to revisit some of the creative highlights from the shows I’ve been lucky enough to chair, as a reminder of why we all do this and what the Arrows stands for. Craft and creative excellence at its best.

2024:

EE: Freedom // Director: Elliott Power

Strategically, most telecoms ads focus on something specific like blistering 5G speeds, 4 trillion megapixel cameras or cost saving family bundles. This one focuses on pure feeling and it hit like a punch to the solar plexus.

Director Elliott Power captures a beautifully unvarnished Scotland, filled with oily skinned teenagers meme-ing, TikTok-ing and navigating the moments of phone induced joy, insecurity, connection and ostracisation that is daily teenage life. As one of the opening chapters of EE’s massive brand relaunch, ‘Freedom’ was an extraordinary tone change from previous campaigns and absolutely captivating. Its power lies in its radical honesty. These are real kids interacting with their devices exactly as they do in the wild. It’s the kind of rawness that likely felt like a risk in the boardroom (the hallmark of many great commercials).  Bloc Party, and actually the entire suite of music from the EE campaigns, is the icing on the cake. The film deservedly won a GOLD, SILVER and two BRONZE Arrows at the 2024 ceremony.

Vanish: Me, My Autism & I // Director: Tom Hooper

If EE ‘Freedom' was about the kinetic energy of youth, 'Me, My Autism & I’ for Vanish is its quiet, soulful counterpart. This film works because it does the hardest thing in advertising by taking a functional product benefit (keeping clothes looking new) and connecting it to a profound human necessity.

Most stain remover ads are about the before and after. Vanish realised that for the autistic community, a ‘new’ looking garment isn't about fashion, it’s about sensory regulation. 73% of autistic people use familiar clothing to help navigate a world that often feels overwhelming. For them, a faded or ruined hoodie isn't just a laundry mishap. It is the loss of a safety blanket.

The performance of the lead, Ash, is charged with an anxiety that the viewer feels completely. Her presence is luminous because it is rooted in her lived truth.

The film treats its subject with zero sentimentality and total empathy. It isn't a sad or ‘worthy’ ad about autism; it is an empowering film about the tools we use to survive and thrive. It proves that when a brand listens to its audience’s real struggles it can change the conversation. It can also win a load of awards, in this case nine British Arrows including four GOLDS!

Channel 4: Idents // Directors:  Saman Aminzadeh /  Optical Arts / Bafic / Mike Battcock / Will Dohrn / Daniel Eatock / Mike Skrgatic and James Allen / Verity May Lane / Maria Lax / The Line / Louis McCourt / Justyna Obasi / Elliott Power / The Romantix / Dan Tobin Smith / Daniel Wolfe

Channel 4 has consistently redefined broadcast identity.  Their 2023 idents are a masterclass in collective creativity and staggering craft.

Instead of relying on a single director, Channel 4 collaborated with a diverse group of independent creators and studios to build a visual tapestry of modern Britain. The iconic blocks of the logo are liberated from their usual constraints and woven into wildly different environments. We see them hidden within surreal animations, gritty live action scenes and beautifully built miniature worlds.

What makes this body of work so breathtaking is the sheer level of artistry on display. Every single ident is meticulously constructed, whether it is exploring themes of youth culture, the natural world or the delightfully bizarre. It is a bold, unapologetic celebration of British eccentricity and creative freedom.

To seamlessly stitch together the visions of so many different artists into a cohesive brand identity is a monumental achievement. It reminds us why British broadcast design remains the envy of the world. Seeing this kaleidoscope of craft recognised at the British Arrows was a genuine thrill, proving that a brand logo can be so much more than a badge.  Six GOLD and one SILVER Arrow, plus the accolade of Commercial of the Year prove that I’m not alone in my huge admiration for this work.

2025:

KFC - Believe In Chicken // Director - Vedran Rupic

I’m not alone in my admiration for this film. The approach is gloriously absurd and the resulting ad is barking mad. Mother have thrown the rulebook out the window for this sector. Director Vedran Rupic treats the love of fried chicken, not as a hunger pang, but as a cult like devotion.  It’s deeply unconventional, and the lunacy makes me adore KFC in a way that is entirely separate from the reality of a high street KFC store. It reminds me of the level of separation between ‘Reassuringly Expensive’ and what a can of Stella actually tasted like.

I love it and so did the jury - one GOLD and two SILVER Arrows.

Riyadh Season - Usyk vs Fury // Director - Megaforce

Reminiscent of an Aphex Twin video, this one from BigTime Creative Shop is an exceptional addition to the impressive and ever growing Riyadh Season canon.

In Tyson Fury, we have a man born to perform and his counterpart Oleksandr Usyk matches him stride for stride in this bombastic film directed by Megaforce and unexpectedly, yet appropriately  soundtracked by Kylie Minogue’s ‘Can’t Get You Out Of My Head’.  The creative swings are wild and wonderfully entertaining.  ‘Reignited’ took home SILVER and three BRONZE Arrows on the night.

Playstation - Play Has No Limits // Director - Frederic Planchon

Yes yes, it’s an Academy production….  But I would still have really loved this piece of work if we hadn’t made it.

It was a fantastic script written by a brilliant young team at adam&eveDDB (as they were called at the time), taking mundane city life and turning it into a gigantic playground as the urban landscape transforms into slides, trampolines and spinning roundabouts.  The scale of the physical visual effects is staggering, but the flawless craft never overshadows the humanity.  It felt like a really confident old school piece of advertising, shot through with unbridled joy. It should have done better than the 1 BRONZE it picked up, but hey that just goes to show that Arrows jury voting is independent of influence from the Chairman!