When the “Get a Mac” campaign broke - we wrote about it, comparing it to the Burger King Manthem spot from Crispin Porter + Bogusky. We said one was a campaign, the other- a one shot wonder. One had brilliant strategy, the other a big budget. And for all the things we said, it turned true: TBWA Chiat Day is still churning out more of the simple spots- and Burger King is on execution 243.

Effie Awards : Effie Awards Press Release
June 8, 2007 (New York, NY) – Apple Inc.’s “Get a Mac” campaign, created by Media Arts Lab\TBWA was awarded the Grand Effie at the 39th Annual Effie Awards gala last night at the Metropolitan Pavilion in New York. The Effie Awards honor the most significant achievement in the business of marketing communications: ideas that work. Results from the “Get a Mac” campaign included market share growth of 42%, record sales and cultural influence.

“After much spirited discussion, the jury unanimously awarded Apple the Grand Effie for its portrayal of the Mac/PC rivalry. They managed to do it with humor, class, and honesty without falling into the trap of overtly negative competitive advertising,” said John Butler, Co-Creative Director of Butler Shine Stern & Partners and the 2007 Grand Effie Jury Chair.

There was a quote I heard at the 2007 AAF National Convention that summed the contrast of these two ideas up quite nicely:

“practice safe advertising: never do it without a concept”

Take note- a great concept wins an effie- and a stock price that’s climbed 50+ points- the other, continues to require extraordinary efforts to keep the brand fresh.

3 cheers to TBWA/Chiat/Day.