It really must be the World’s Best Idea when, for the first time in New York Festivals’ International Advertising Awards history, only one entry received the title.  Wieden + Kennedy Amsterdam creatively harnessed the energy surrounding the World Cup across the globe, making a larger statement for their client, Nike.

A high energy shot from the three-minute ad

According to New York Festivals, “the objective of  the ‘Write The Future’ was to weave Nike into conversations taking place around the World Cup.  The winning entry celebrates the participating Nike athletes by giving a glimpse into their future based on their success and failures on the World Cup stage.”

Perhaps fueled by our obsession with Mad Men, we were interested in seeing how these “Creatives” would create our space.  For all this talk about future in the winning ad, the event design hearkened back to the city’s past…

A logo projected in light on the floor greeted guests

Our in-house designer, Chris Taylor of Taylor Design worked directly with NYF’s CEO to create an Art Deco look that brought back the idea of old Madison Avenue and 1920′s New York.  The golds, silvers and bronzes of Deco architecture mimic the metals in the awards that were given out to the best in the biz that evening, subtly linking the innovating present with the industry’s past.  Skylight West was bathed in golden light, which brought out the golden tones of our floor–also a relic from this period of time, and accentuated the layers of history evidenced in our peeled paint ceiling–a gold and silver historical statement unto itself.

A central bar was used to anchor the room, and became a functional centerpiece

The room was anchored with a central bar, which was its own functioning installation.  By creating a geometrical pyramid of mirrored “infinity boxes,” and taking all alcohol off the bar surface, the remaining glowing glassware became a part of the design.  Chris Taylor and the NYF team in essence built an upside-down crystal chandelier, which right side-up evokes the skyscrapers that rose into the NYC skyline in the Deco era–the perfect centerpiece.

Golden Deco Glow

This was the ideal setting in which to host the world’s most prominent people in advertising, and to tie the industry’s legendary history in New York together with its future in the world.  To view the entire three-minute winning ad, and also to see how each country performed in the “medal count” (the US came out on top!) click here.