Debbi Vandeven, global chief creative officer at VMLY&R, selected Colenso BBDO as the first Mad For This Ad winner for its 'I'm Drinking It For You' campaign — a  humourous Valentine R&B music video created for client DB Export's low carb beer.

"Different expressions of creativity are what fuels us in this business," says Vandeven. "So, when Susan Glass Ruse, Scott Rose and the team at New York Festivals asked me to contribute to their newly launched 'Mad For This Ad' initiative, I thought it was a wonderful chance to honour a piece of work that recently captured my attention."

"The idea came from one of our advisory board members, Fede Garcia, Global ECD at HUGE," says Susan Glass Ruse, executive director of NYFA. "NYFA is all about celebrating and rewarding great work. With 'Mad For This Ad', we get to do more of that before the competition even closes."

"Seeing a preview of creative work that's impressing industry leaders before the awards season is an exciting indicator of what's to come. The chosen campaigns are also rewarded with a free entry into NYFA, which is the icing on the cake," adds Ruse.

"It was an incredible honor to be invited to join the NYFA advisory board. I've always felt that it's incredibly important to highlight and celebrate the kind of work that should inspire our industry," says Garcia.

"In trying to find an idea to celebrate work throughout the year. I worked with the team at the NYFA to find a way to regularly showcase the work that holds the level of excellence we should aspire to reach every day," adds Garcia.

"Congratulations to the team at Colenso BBDO," says Vandeven. "I often ask our creatives around the world to put everything they are into everything they do, so it's my honour to celebrate a team that used its unique gifts of song to do just that. Thank you for sharing your humor, your personal passions and your mastery of melody with us all."
 
Max McKeon, Colenso BBDO creative director, says, "'I'm Drinking It For You' is the perfect non-cocktail of insight, humour and love. So, it's great to see international talent like Debbi Vandeven and the New York Festivals recognising the work."

"Beth, Thom, Levi, Wortho, Ahmad, Rob and all the James' will be raising a relatively carb-free glass to this. Thanks to DB for seeing what it could be and The Sweet Shop for making it what it is."

"Because hindsight isn't always 2020, we created this initiative to celebrate great work before it's entered," says Scott Rose, competition management and development of NYFA.

"The recommendations from these respected industry ad hunters is exciting because it's sharing a worldview of creative work that is resonating with executive across the globe," adds Rose. 

The weekly 'Mad For This Ad' selection can be viewed here. The 2020 NYFA entry deadline Monday, 16 December. Applicants can enter here.

For more information, visit www.newyorkfestivals.com. You can also follow the NYFA on Facebook, Twitter or on Instagram.