Cannes big winners: Forsman & Bodenfors, MSL, Grey, TBWA, Y&R Istanbul, and BBDO India
OK then, what have have they won?
Tbe Creative Effectiveness Grand Prix went to Forsman & Bodenfors for last year’s big Cannes winner (runner up to adam&eveDDB’s Harvey Nichols scooper) ‘Epic Split’ for Volvo Trucks.
According to juror Coca-Cola’s Wendy Clark this has produced “huge results.”
So, presumably, Volvo has sold lots more trucks.
Anyway, it’s a great ad. I yield to no-one in my admiration for F&B but should Cannes really be doing ‘effectiveness?’
We continue:
The PR Grand Prix went to Publicis Groupe agency MSL for its work on Leo Burnett’s #LikeAGirl campaign for Procter & Gamble’s Always. I’m sure MSL didi a noble job but this is down to Burnett really, isn’t it? There’ve been a few rumbles in the jungle recently about the PR Grand Prix going to ad agencies, so maybe this is a bit of diplomacy.
I’ve seen this campaign so many bloody times, writing stories like this that I’m coming round. Aren’t girls wonderful?
The new ‘Glass Lion,’ for ‘gender equality,’ went to BBDO India for a P&G Whisper sanpro campaign, ‘Touch The Pickle,’ grappling with the notion in India, and, no doubt elsewhere, that if women come into contact with various things they’ll be, somehow, corrupted.
This is where we’ve got to after 3000 years of so-called civilisation – it’s shaming.
Now the Meeja Grand Prix. I always find media awards a bit odd; how the hell do you know which media plan/buy was the best? Usually, I suspect, they go to the best written entry, or something agreeably gimmicky.
This year’s Cannes Grand Prix goes to Y&R Istanbul and client Vodafone for devising what seems to be a very useful app, ‘Red Light,’ which women can activate by shaking their phone when being hassled.
Hardly media planning and buying, as we used to know it. Can you imagine this coming out of MBS or TMD in London back in the day? But this is ‘Media for Good’ and, actually, it is.
Isn’t it amazing how many of these awards are going to campaigns that promote the idea of treating women more fairly? Catch-up time it seems – and not before time.
Every little helps, as they used to say. A bit like Grey London’s efforts which won them the Promo & Activation Grand Prix (whatever that might be) for a Volvo cycling aid, ‘Life Paints.’
Last, but not least, the Outdoor Grand Prix (you’re supposed to call it Out Of Home now, Cannes) went to TBWA/Media Arts Lab for its Apple iPhone 6 user-generated ‘Billboard’ campaign of outstanding snaps.
Some of these are brilliant but mention them to many professional photographers (not the ones invited by Apple for this campaign, obviously) and they’ll attack the carpet with their teeth. Digital selfies have fucked up photography as a profession completely. Much as Apple is doing with music, from a performer’s point of view – unless you’re Taylor Swift.
An interesting selection anyway. Let’s see what the film awards bring.
