Extreme Group nails down four Bessie Awards

Extreme Group’s recent television campaign for The Workers’ Compensation Boards of Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador received four craft awards at the Television Bureau of Canada’s annual Bessie Awards. The Bessies were handed out on May 15 at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel in Toronto and recognize Canada’s best English language television advertising.

The television campaign consisted of three spots, each featuring stories of safety hazards left ignored and calling out for help. The spot featuring an exposed nail, which received the greatest reaction from audiences, won craft awards in the categories of cinematography, copywriting and sound design. It was also awarded in the category Best in Series – Single, recognizing it as the best piece in the craft categories.

“Great production values and a powerful concept came together in a message that is already resonating with people,” said Cliff Thompson, associate creative director at Extreme Group. “We’ve had feedback on personal experiences where the commercial has inspired people to take action on a very practical, grassroots level. Effective, real results and excellent creative is something both the WCB and ourselves continually strive for, it’s the true sweet spot. And, it works.”

By providing inanimate objects with very human traits the message is both direct and emotional. The objective of the advertisements is for audiences to move beyond awareness and to take action in their own lives to be responsible for workplace safety. The ads show that seemingly mundane objects can easily cause injury and therefore it is important to eliminate potential hazards on the job.

Chaired by John St.’s Stephen Jurisic with Lara Palmer of Taxi Vancouver as vice-chair, the nine member jury judged hundreds of entries from across the country. The Bessies have been awarded each year since 1963 and are organized by the Television Bureau of Canada together with the Broadcast Executives Society.