Last week Executive members of The Webby Awards judging body, the International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences, have started judging for the 26th Annual Webby Awards. This final review determines this year’s nominees, so we wanted to shine a light on the jurors who make it all possible by highlighting a few Executive Webby Judges. Meet Kerry McKibbin, President and Partner of Mischief @ No Fixed Address, where she leads a team shaking up the advertising industry.
For those who don’t know, tell us a little about your background.
I’m originally from Canada now living in Brooklyn. Started in Account Management and worked my way through the ranks to running an agency.
What particular expertise are you bringing to the Academy?
My past and current work tends to be in social-first, culture-first ideas. Less “let’s do a 30 second ad” and more “how do we do this thing we have never done before in order to solve this business problem.” Whether it’s creating a first-of-its-kind series of Deepfakes for Not For Profit RepresentUS (that garnered over 1 Billion earned impressions), or doing a TikTok-first campaign called “Cooch Blessings” for beauty brand EOS, my expertise is in creative work that is designed to get attention and create conversation. Sh*t. That sounded very braggy and therefore makes me deeply uncomfortable. But you asked!
What are you most looking forward to about reviewing this year’s Webby Awards entries?
There is nothing I love more than being surprised, nothing I love more than seeing ingenuity and creativity in action. I am looking forward to seeing work that makes me go “Dang. I wish I’d thought of that.”
What piece of creative work on the Internet has recently inspired you, and why?
There are a few brands doing awesome work in social right now that I am a big fan of. I love what McDonald’s has done with their social channels over the last year or two. They’re getting deep into their communities and meeting them where they are, and they’re not just relying on memes and trends but really creating their own. Duolingo’s TikTok account is unparalleled – they lean into the absurdity of a platform in a super brave way; they’re not afraid to take big risks for big pay off. Finally, I love KFC’s TikTok chicken sandwich push with LiliHayes — it’s actually one of my all time favorite TikTok influencer paid partnerships – an awesome example of a brand giving a unique creator the keys and letting them drive the car. And you know it was awesome because content came out of the content – like Lubalin doing a song about the ad (notably, Lubalin has done great influencer work with Heinz Canada).
What emerging trend or technology are you most excited about in your field of work?
We’ve been locked up for so long, and I think only just now are we really starting to get comfortable with going out to events again. Large-scale experiential events are poised for a rebirth. I’m excited to see how much the tech has advanced while we’ve been in hibernation for the past two years—especially, sensory tech that changes the physical space we’re in and bridges a gap between reality and digital. There’s a lot of fun and untapped creativity up for grabs here.
