Cannes Contenders 2014
Patrick Collister, Editor
Issue 31 | June 2014
We put out an email asking creative directors for their Top 5 campaigns of the year, ideas they are sure will win Gold at Cannes in June 2014.
David Bell wrote that "There is no obvious repeat of last year's mega-winner, 'Dumb Ways To Die'". But judging from the responses we got, Forsman & Bodenfors - are going to win multiple Golds for their Volvo trucks campaign, which is broader and deeper than just the 'Epic Split' viral with Claude van Damme.
Similarly, Lemz Amsterdam will pick up a ton of metal for their work for Terre des Hommes, 'Sweetie'.
It's an idea that makes people in advertising feel good about the business and the role creative people can play in making the world a slightly better place. It has the Grand Prix for Good written all over it.
I'm happy to report that pretty much every Direct/ Promo and Digital campaign selected by the creative directors has appeared in Directory in the last year.
Further evidence to support our claim that it is worth subscribing to Directory because it's here you get to see the work first.
Top Picks: The Editor's Choice
Direct Mail
Bulk Litter Warehouse - Catnip DM - Rethink Canada
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wj4ZJ52xn7c
Direct Mail impregnated with catnip was sent out to pet owners, who were amazed to see their cats attracted to the post.
Digital
Pon's Automobielhandel - Porsche Blind Trade - Achtung
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTNrbJmQA3w
Porsche Netherlands invited people to trade in their car for the new Porsche, sight unseen. Cars to the value of €90m were traded including a Bentley and three Ferraris.
Ambient/Event/Guerilla
GE - Brilliant Machines - BBDO New York
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdqjrqxTBNs
A band of robots called Compressorhead played a series of free concerts, demonstrating the value of electricity.
Traditional media, broadcast
Itau Bank - The Broadcast Made For You - DDB Brazil
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3VqMdumgHM
Itau bank broadcast live radio commentaries of big football matches on two different radio stations, each radio station passionately supporting one of the teams. No balanced commentary, just pure 100% bias, the way fans like it.
Integrated
Metro St. James - Pay with a Kiss - Lavender, Sydney
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0MNJkOohAk
Rather than pay money, Metro St. James invited people to pay for their coffee with a kiss. They made a film; their Facebook page rattled up pictures and views; the world was charmed.
Top Picks: Graham Fink
Chief Creative Officer Ogilvy China
TV and Film
Mercedes - Magic Body Control - Jung Von Matt/Neckar, Stuttgart
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLwML2PagbY
TV and Film
New Zealand Transport Association - Mistakes - Clemenger BBDO, Wellingtonart
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvLaTupw-hk
TV and Film
Newcastle Brown Ale -- Behind the Scenes - with Anna Kendrick - Droga5 New York
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9g9wXBkdWEg
TV and Film, Branded Content
Cyber, Integrated
Volvo Trucks - Van Damme - Forsman & Bodenfors
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7FIvfx5J10
Integrated, Promo, Direct
Shenyang Centre for Psychology - Word Weapons - Ogilvy Beijing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43whWBK1gc4
Top Picks: Matt Batten
Chief Creative Officer Wunderman London
Outdoor, Cyber, Media, Direct, Integrated, Promo
Magic of Flying - British Airways - OgilvyOne, London
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtJx_pZjvzc
Many have seen the short video that shows the little boy stand up and point at the passing plane and marvelled at it's simplicity. But when the jurors see the full case study video, as I have, their minds will be blown by the complex technology that sat not only behind it but all around a two-and-a-half square mile zone of London to ensure the data was correct and the timing perfect.
Cyber, Outdoor, Integrated, Direct, Promo, Innovation
Power Suit - M.J.Bale - Whybin\TBWA Sydney
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xtXy9RXtvg
Tailor M.J.Bale and Heritage Bank and Visa have partnered to put a payment chip in the sleeve of their suits. Guys can pay 'invisibly'; with a wave of their sleeve in bars and restaurants, impressing all.
I think the new buzzwords 'wearable tech' will be all over Cannes entries this year, but many will fall short of a Lion due to scale, practicality, and strength of idea. However, Whybin have a history of creating innovative campaigns for high-end tailor M.J.Bale (recall their 'Grazed on Greatness' campaign from 2012?) and I hope this campaign gets the recognition is deserves in the context of the brand.
Cyber, Media, PR, Direct, Branded Content, Titanium
Sweetie - Terre des Hommes - Lemz, Amstersdam
https://www.youtube.com/user/sweetie
This incredibly well-constructed 'secret' campaign will carry home Lions by the truckload. From the insight - to the strategy to the technology to the politically- charged results, 'Sweetie' is flawless and big and bold and successful and everything a Cannes Lions winner should be. I wish I was judging again just so I could do my damnedest to make sure it wins.
Outdoor, Cyber, Promo
Blowing in the Wind - Apotek Hjärtat - Akestam Holst, Gothenburg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6UWmYwXxCs
For the Swedish haircare brand Apotek Hjärtat (try saying that quickly five times), the agency produced a digital poster on underground train station platforms that showed a woman with long luscious hair. When a train rolled into the station, her hair blew all around as though windswept by the train. Simple and effective way to blur the line between ad and environment.
Branded Content, Cyber, Direct, Promo, Media, PR, Integrated
Swing for Good - Coca-Cola - Aqua/Wunderman, Johannesburg
http://uk.adforum.com/creative-work/ad/player/34496413
So it might sound like bias but I genuinely believe we'll see the jury give kudos to this brilliant CSR project - in which Coke packing crates were up-cycled into children's swings and fitted with an Android device
that tweeted each time the swing swung. And for each swing/tweet, Coke laid 1-square-metre of turf on a bare football field. The idea included proxy swinging and other clever stuff that amplified this cool blend of the brand ethos of happiness with the modernity of tech.
Top Picks: Charlie Wilson
Chief Creative Officer OgilvyOne EMEA
We do have high hopes for OgilvyOne London's 'Magic of Flying' for BA, but I'd never be so bold as to name it as a prediction. Just fingers crossed at this stage...!
Direct, Cyber, Film, Media, The Lot
Terre des Hommes - Sweetie - Lemz, Amsterdam
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGmKmVvCzkw
This is a sure fire Gold winner. Brilliantly and secretively conceived. I know that the subject matter automatically raises the work to a higher level, but you just can't argue with the ingenuity and the results.
Sweetie, a 10 year-old girl in the Philippines, was an avatar, created to lure paedophiles into incriminating themselves online.
Direct, Cyber, Film, Media, PR
Volvo Trucks - Van Damme Forsman & Bodenfors, Gothenburg
I'm a sucker for a good product demo. But when it's executed this simply and beautifully, from the music to the casting to the one-shot take, I'm sure the jury will agree too.
Film, Cyber
Pharrell Williams - Happy 24-hour Music Video Iconoclast, USA
I know that this is not strictly advertising, but it has a simple and great idea at the heart of it and is a real joy to interact with.
Promo, PR, Direct Cyber, Media
Lidl - Dill - Ingo, Stockholm
A pop-up restaurant appeared in Stockholm with the 2-star Michelin chef Michael Wignall. It was called Dill and was booked out from the first day to the last. All the food came from budget supermarket Lidl.
A bold and fresh idea that deserves a Gold Lion just for managing to pull it off.
Promo, PR, Direct, Cyber, Media
D Rose Jump Store - Adidas - TBWA London
At last something from the UK! A lovely piece of work that is elevated even higher by a brilliantly witty and irreverent case study.NBA All-Star Derrick Rose was in London. A pop-up stiore was created in East London. All the shoes were free. You just had to get them. They were on shelves ten feet off the ground. 2,500 people turned up and 600,000 watched the video.
Top Picks: Martin Cedergren
Executive Creative Director M&C Saatchi Stockholm
Film, Branded Content, Integrated, Cyber, media, PR
Volvo Trucks - Van Damme Epic Split Forsman & Bodenfors, Sweden
1 minute and 14 seconds of true viral advertising including JCVD, a morning sunrise, two Volvo trucks driving backwards and Enya. What can go wrong? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7FIvfx5J10
Media, Press
LG OLed-TV - 4MM, The World's Slimmest Ad M&C Saatchi, Stockholm
LG's OLED-TV were touted as the thinnest televisions on the market. M&C Saatchi Stockholm realised that tech magazine, "Sound & Vision" was also just 4 mm thick -a coincidence leading to a perfect media placement, and a unique product demonstration, on the magazine's spine. http://adsoftheworld.com/media/print/lg_nordic_thin
Media, Outdoor Cyber, Promo
Apotek Hjärtat - Blowing In - The Wind Åkestam.Holst, Sweden
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gt_BeYyioKQ
An innocuous-looking poster in a Stockholm subway surprised commuters when the model reacted to the arrival of trains, her hair blowing around as if by the wind.
Top Picks: Geoffrey Hantson
Executive Creative Director Duval Guillaume, Antwerp
TV and Film, Branded Content, Cyber, Integrated
Volvo Trucks - Van Damme Epic Split Forsman & Bodenfors, Sweden
Cyber, PR, Media
350 Action - Climate Name Change - Barton F Graf 9000, New York
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGmKmVvCzkw
The World Meteorological Organisation gives extreme storms people's names - Katrina, Sandy etc. 350 Action asked people to sign a petition to get them to name hurricanes and typhoons after the policy-makers who deny climate change.
Media, Integrated
Lego - Launching the Lego Movie Ad Break - PHD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSbYBzUEQlc
Cyber, Media, PR, Direct, Branded Content, Titanium
Sweetie - Terre des Hommes - Lemz, Amstersdam
Top Picks: Pete Galmes
Creative Director Whybin\TBWA, Sydney
Cyber, Branded Content, Integrated Direct, Promo, Innovation, Titanium
Tourism Victoria - Remote Control Tourist Clemenger BBDO Melbourne
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rg74NzJlGp0
Four tourists in Melbourne were equipped with bicycles, GPS backpacks, handheld computers and with live-streaming cameras. At www.remotecontroltourist. com, potential visitors to Melbourne could explore the city through these four people. (Case history in Directory 29)
Film
Suntory - 3D on the Rocks
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAAnyUjiNGs
Cyber
Young and Well CRC - Appreciate A Mate - ZUNI, Australia
To combat cyber bullying, the app encourages and allows people to send customised messages of appreciation to each other.
Cyber, Film
Harvey Nichols - Sorry, I spent it on myself campaign - Adam&Eve DDB, London
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8DOZ_rK8rI | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNfnRVePfLk
A viral ad, in which people give incredibly cheap gifts to their nearest and dearest at Christmas.
Promo, Direct, PR, Outdoor
Christchurch Tourism - Christchurch: Repaired with Gold - TBWA\Whybin Sydney
Items that had been broken in the Christchurch earthquake were mended using gold. Then an exhibition of the repaired artworks and chinaware was held.
Top Picks: Bechara Mouzannar
Chief Creative Officer Leo Burnett MENA
TV and Film, Branded Content, Cyber, Integrated
Volvo Trucks - Van Damme - Forsman & Bodenfors
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7FIvfx5J10
Promo, Direct, PR, Cyber
Brazilian Association of Organ Transplants - Bentley Burial - Leo Burnett Tailor Made, Sao Paulo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8GvaEPyX9Y
When a Brazilian millionaire declared on Facebook he was going to bury his car as the pharaohs buried their treasures, Brazil was outraged. He called a press conference and declared it was no more stupid than millions of people going to their graves without having donated their organs.
Film
Haynes Baked Beans - Not for Astronauts - Cinesite
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WoM2bHfr48
Visual effects Cinesite made the fake commercial for non-existent brand Haynes to demonstrate their skills.
Promo, Direct, Cyber, PR, Branded Content
The MIMI Foundation - If Only For A Second - Leo Burnett Paris
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMWU8dEKwXw
20 cancer victims were asked to keep their eyes shut while they were given extravagant makeovers. Then they opened their eyes and for a moment they forgot about their illnesses.
Thunderclap - DE-DE New York/~~Droga5 New York
http://www.welovead.com/en/works/details/287EmsvD
Top Picks: David Bell
Executive Creative Director Mercer Bell, Sydney
In many ways 'Dumb Ways To Die' made our lives so much easier last year, because everyone from clients, fellow award judges and our peers used it as the outstanding creative benchmark. I sat in at least two juries where the judges didn't even review the DWTD entry to at least judge it in context of the awards criteria or even the category. As far as I can see there is no DWTD this year and we are all going to have to consider what will win gold with far greater scrutiny. So for what it's worth, here is just a selection of work in the Direct & Cyber Cats that I think will be considered for gold this year.
Direct
Magic of Flying - British Airways - OgilvyOne, London
Truly beautiful advertising, executed with style and brains. And a call to action, which sent you to a page which closed the loop and offered cheap flights from as little as £39 one-way. Nice one, BA.
You know when you're onto something when copycats start appearing.
www.mediabistro.com/prnewser/clever-uk-stunt-mocks- british-airways-magic-of-flying-billboard_b79007
Road to Recovery - Bundaberg Rum Leo Burnett Sydney
A big brand to the rescue. This inspired campaign is strategically sensitive, wonderfully executed and beautifully art directed in every element, right down to the customised labels on the bottles.
The city of Bundaberg - was hit by catastrophic flooding. Bundaberg Rum distilled a special rum called 'Road to Recovery', each named after the 171 streets which had been inundated. The bottles could only be bought on March 16th - from the distillery - in Bundaberg. Over 6,000 people made the pilgrimage, bringing some $2.5m to the struggling local economy. - All the rum sold out.
Direct
The Results Don't Lie - The Effe Awards Whybin\TBWA Auckland
Perhaps the toughest audience for anyone in advertising to sell to. Ourselves.
The sell job has been done powerfully in 'The results don't lie'. Oh how rare to see honesty and truth in modern advertising.
Top ECDs in New Zealand were interviewed about their award-winning work while taking a lie-detector test. The results suggested not all of them were entirely truthful about their work. The actual polygraph tests were mailed out to encourage entries to The Effies, the one award show where the results have to be real.
Direct
Fundawear - Durex Australia - Havas Worldwide, Sydney
Sex in advertising and technology what a winning combo!
Durex created 'wired' underwear which allowed lovers to connect by sending touch to each other via their mobile phones, tickling and teasing each other though a thousand miles apart.
Hutchwilco - Secret Fishing Spots - DDBNZ
This is my roughie. Secret Fishing Spots may not win gold in 2014 but I really like this campaign for its brutal honesty and no nonsense approach talking to an audience of hardy fishermen, in a million years they would never reveal their secrect fishing spot even if it might saves their lives. Until now.
