This month’s Aerial Award winner announced

Sara Rose, Executive Creative Director at Saatchi & Saatchi chooses ‘Jedol&Sampal’ for Marine Connection as this month’s winner of the Aerial Awards, a monthly celebration of the best of British radio advertising and the people who make it happen.

Congratulations to John-Paul Hughes and Jimmy Docherty, creatives at Communicorp UK who are behind the ad. Here’s what Sara had to say about the winner:

There is a strange spell that comes over us as the clock strikes midnight each year on 31 December.

No, we don’t turn into pumpkins, but we do transform. We see things differently. Our bad habits become challenges to take on, our cynicism is replaced with (or at least makes a little room for) optimism. Twelve chimes from a clock make the world feel new again.

So, it is fitting that this month’s top pick goes to a spot that tackles a long-standing issue in a new light.

Marine Connection looks at the plight of marine mammals in captivity through the lens of another crisis: human trafficking.

OK, so that doesn’t sound like a topic that embraces the positive vibes of a new decade. But the reframing of the experience of animals with that of the most vulnerable humans makes the cause feel as urgent today as it did when the movie Blackfish (the 2013 US-made documentary about a captive killer whale) premiered.”

Our Head of Creative Development Clare Milner summed up what this ad uses to its advantage:

This ad takes full advantage of radio’s power to engage the imagination and surprise its audience. For brands looking to raise awareness without a huge budget, this creative shows just how effect a platform radio can be.

Listen to the winning work below:

If you’ve worked on a great radio ad, enter free here for your chance to win, and read Sara’s tips on advertising on radio here.