> EPICA AWARDS 33 DEFINES ITS PURPOSE

The Epica Awards has underlined its unique positioning in the awards landscape with a new advertising campaign from Hecho Studios Amsterdam, wittily reminding potential entrants that it’s time to leave the “self love” to other awards. Hecho Studios gathered photographer André Bakker and body paint artist Ton Nizet to create striking images that shed light on the status quo of creative awards and Epica’s uniqueness. “We appreciate the aesthetic and unique perspective Epica brings to judging creative work. To elevate this we wanted to convey a bold and visually striking message inspired on op art. With André and Ton in the mix, we managed to create an eye-catching visual that illustrate selfaffirmation with a dash of sex-appeal”, says Gregg Clampffer, Executive Creative Director at Hecho Studios Amsterdam. Epica Awards will return to Amsterdam for its next jury meeting, conference and ceremony from November 18 to 21. This year’s jury president is Fiona Rogers, Chief Operating Officer of Magnum Photos. For 70 years Magnum has been home to legendary photojournalists, many of whom have also worked in the advertising field. Fiona Rogers commented: ““The Epica Awards is at the intersection between journalism and advertising, making it an ideal match with Magnum Photos. […] We are in an age of infinite content creation: more than ever brands are turning to emotive, powerful and relatable stories which have the ability to move and cut through the noise. It’s an honour to be invited to preside over such an important initiative. I’m looking forward to seeing how our entries creatively approach this shift to an expanded, 360 degree representation of the traditional ‘authenticity’ tropes.” Plus, Epica revealed its brand new website, designed by Lithuanian studio and former Epica winners Godspeed Branding. The Epica ceremony will be preceded by the annual Creative Circle conference, whose subject this year is “The Truth About Brand Purpose.” Epica’s editorial director Mark Tungate said: “At a time when ‘purpose’ is omnipresent in branding, it’s probably a good idea to remind people of our own. Our new website, the involvement of Magnum and the new campaign all emphasise our heritage and the value we bring to the industry.” He added that after a number of nomadic years, Epica had chosen Amsterdam as its annual home. “For us the city represents both a global outlook and a non-traditional approach to creativity.”