London - Saatchi & Saatchi has won the top award at the BAAAs for their T-Mobile ‘Welcome Back' campaign. The win for Best TV Commercial of the Year is a second accolade in a row for the agency and T-Mobile, winning the same award for T-Mobile ‘Dance' at last year's awards. Welcome Back also scooped 2 golds for Best Over 90 Second Ad and in the Telecoms Category.
The night secured a run of award wins for Saatchi and Saatchi, with PGA European tour ‘Clay Pigeon' winning Silver in the Leisure and Tourism Category and a further two bronzes for Visa ‘Football Evolution' in the European and the Financial Categories.
'Welcome Back' is the fourth iteration in the ‘Life's for Sharing' campaign created by Saatchi & Saatchi for T-Mobile. The TV ad saw Heathrow T5 arrivals being greeted by a 300 strong crowd spontaneously bursting into song, giving the weary travellers a welcome back they would never forget.
'Clay Pigeon' is the second in a series of incredible golfing stunts that aim to test even the most experienced golfing pros. Four professional golfers met in the 35 degree searing heat of the desert in Dubai. Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world gave a stunning backdrop as each of the golfers attempted to hit clay pigeons that were fired through the air. The viral had zero paid-for media, but was passed on through blogs, journalist reports and word of mouth. The YouTube film currently has 1.8 million hits.
Visa 'Football Evolution' features a passionate fan who, seeing his team score at the tournament, leaps from his seat and runs the length of the entire African continent to join the celebration. The campaign saw Visa transactions rise by 70% on average by international visitors in South Africa during the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Both the T-Mobile and PGA European Tour campaigns were created by Rick Dodds and Steve Howell.
Paul Silburn, Creative Partner at Saatchi & Saatchi London says: "Oh my God, I can't believe it, we've never won two Commercials of the Year in a row before."
This recognition from the British Arrows follows a number of accolades for Saatchi & Saatchi's T-Mobile work, including 10 awards in the last 2 years at the Cannes Lions Advertising Festival.