1. Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO
Undoubtedly, one of the best. Informal and childlike but addictively
attractive, this comes top of the list. The theme of the Abbott Mead
Vickers site is cartoons, it is cheeky and upfront in its approach but
it works well. Busy, but not overcrowded; colourful, but not offensive.
Examples of creative work are shown on a series of post-it notes and
instead of the conventional photos we are entertained by a cartoon
scribble of Michael Baulk as one of the contacts - what more could you
ask for? Humour, colour and all the appropriate info. Top effort.
2. Naked
Goodness gracious me! I think Naked has robbed all the OAPs in the land
of their big, flowery curtains. Woa! Don't go here if you have a
hangover or are feeling delicate in any way, for that matter. These
funksters have created a retro site for the more trendy type of client.
Despite all this, you can't help but like it. It is different and, of
course, very creative. A tour round floral-heavy rooms gives you a
decent insight into the agency. Unconventional by it's very nature, but
exciting to look at. Only gripe is that some of the info isn't up to
date.
3. TBWA
Now this is more like it. A clean, stylish site that looks the part with
its funky graphics and choice of viewing platforms (flash or html). The
design does egg you on to looking around - especially the section where
you look through the work the agency has put up on the web. The virtual
agency office they have created just shows how they have gone that extra
mile when it came to putting the site together - instead of just shoving
the ads up there, they cared enough to try and present them in a
different way. All the other usual info is there with contact details
and even maps of how to find them. The client list was bang up to date
too - good work.
4. M&C Saatchi
Clear and stylish - like the reception. Nice use of advanced effects,
not too showy or over the top but enough to make it clear they know what
they are doing. Good layout for the information, everything can be found
very easily - unlike some others we could mention. Video ads, up to date
info and a nice news section where clients can read what has been
written about the agency recently.
5. Mother
A gamble this one. Not that they are getting overly creative on us, but
those crazy ad types at Mother have chosen to make the main feature of
their website a webcam - or camera to the rest of us - that overlooks
the office. Gasp at how funky they are. Look on enviously at the crazy
things they get up to such as ... looking for pens. Clients won't want
silly things such as examples of work or contact details on there will
they. Will they? Sod 'em then - this is reality advertising, the Big
Brother of adland. The world will be fascinated by Mother's creative
antics.
6. J. Walter Thompson
Exciting site. It is fresh with bundles of colour and bounce. JWT has
even made the company history sound and look exciting - a miracle
surely? A site full of activity, all sorts of funny little things going
on. Lots of movement and use of advanced graphics that catch your eye
gain the site gold stars. It is quite informal and relaxing to dig
around in. The information is plentiful but not overpowering - a good
balance. Not up to date, though, with The Telegraph still listed as a
client.
7. Bartle Bogle Hegarty
BH? Don't you mean BBH? This site is very attractive and well
presented ... it's just that there is a typo in the first paragraph of
the introduction. Bad news. Campaign wonders which one of the Bs in the
agency title has been forgotten - Bartle or Bogle? Despite this, all the
other aspects of the site seem to be up to scratch. But if they can't
even get their own name right and despite a stonking reel, clients could
be forgiven for pondering what chance have they got producing
advertising that's right.
8. BMP DDB
BMP has excelled in handing over appropriate information. It is a safe
option and will serve its purpose. A nice opening sequence and a good
navigational feel to it generally, but with all its text the design
seems overpowered. Fantastic growing and shrinking pics in the "who they
are" section though!
9. Ogilvy & Mather
You'd think that with an in-house interactive agency you'd be laughing
when it came to putting together your own site, wouldn't you? O&M's is
indeed not bad - but it's the little omissions that really annoy us.
Things such as when showing off the work, why can't we see the TV ads
play on the site instead of just screen shots? Why when you click on a
profile of, say, Paul Simons, don't you get a picture of him as well?
The devil's in the detail and these guys have missed some tricks here.
The shortcut to creative at the bottom of the screen is tasty, though,
and you can't fault them for getting lots of information up there.
10. D'Arcy
Now this site is bloody good. Music greets you, funky, flashy graphics
follow your mouse pointer around the screen - but not so that it annoys.
The work is up there as well. Not only can you see the ads, streaming to
your computer (no miserly screen shots here), but you can also have a
look at the agency's reel. Nice. The only reason that this site gets
demoted in the running order here is that it is a global site; in other
words it is not just for the UK agency. Now, if you were a UK client you
wouldn't get much out of this because you really have to search to get
an impression of the UK operation.
