Heineken has been named as the Cannes Lions ‘creative marketer of the year’ following in the recent footsteps of McDonald’s and Coca-Cola.
Which tells its own story really; be a big and consistent advertiser and this particular gong will come your way.
It’s also announced early – the festival is in six or seven months’ time – which is a good way of selling tickets.
It’s also interesting that all three of these – Heineken, McDonald’s and Coca-Cola – are huge global brands (thanks, ads) under pressure as the world moves away from standardised beers, boring burgers and sugar-soaked fizzy drinks. Is advertising the last refuge of the corporate scoundrel?
But we mustn’t carp (although it would be good if, one of these days, Cannes chose someone a bit more, well, new). This is very good though:
The Cannes judges also congratulated Heineken on its handling of agencies “resulting in one global lead agency for the Heineken brand” – Wieden & Kennedy Amsterdam – that “ensured consistency across global campaigns.” Presumably Droga5, which handles Heineken’s Newcastle Brown in the US, also deserves some credit.
Anyway well done Heineken. The beers are on them come next summer.
