A copycat? Yes they Cannes! / Bienvenue au Festival de la pompe

cannesoriginal cannes2
THE ORIGINAL?
“As if you where in Cannes Party” – 2008
The CCB party from belgium launched in Knokke le Zoute during Cannes Festival for creatives who couldn’t get there. The image show a bar named Carlton that actually exist in the city of Knokke!
Source : Creative Club Belgium (CCB)
Agency : Unknown (Belgium)
LESS ORIGINAL :
Cannes Festival in Asnières (Paris suburb) – 2009
A french agency’s party launched during Cannes Festival for creatives who couldn’t get there.
Source : CB News Blog
Agency : Leo Burnett (France)
Pour une fête de créatifs et pour une annonce “libre” sans réel client, c’est dommage de faire une annonce si peu créative…
0 people like this post.

Like it? 

Cannes Lions ‘09 | Barack Obama é Grand Prix

obamatitanium1.jpg

Valeu a torcida. A campanha que fez eleger o primeiro presidente negro dos EUA levou o maior prêmio do Festival de Publicidade de Cannes.
Os GPs da categoria Titanium & Integrated foram para a campanha Obama / Biden 2008 “Obama for America”, inscrita e criada pelo seu próprio comitê.
A premiação já era esperada. Obama foi diversas vezes mencionado aqui no ADivertido e em outros milhões de blogs (nacionais e internacionais) devido a performance e o desenvolvimento de sua campanha bem sucedida.

Veja a seguir um estudo feito pela equipe da Riot – Estratégias em Mídias Sociais, e que detalha toda a estratégia da campanha que revolucionou a política e a comunicação.

Keep it Simple, People.

best-job-in-the-worldIn a world where clutter is king, advertisers everywhere are doing their best to break through the noise. A word of advice (or three) — keep it simple.

That’s exactly what Australian agency Cummins Nitro did in their campaign for Tourism Queensland.

Challenged to “create international awareness of the Islands of the Great Barrier Reef” and drive tourism there, the local agency executed a campaign that placed classified ads in newspapers across the globe. Unusual? Not if you’re looking to fill a position for “The Best Job in the World.”

The job profile called for an island caretaker whose responsibilities would involve menial jobs like cleaning the pool and feeding the fish. The chosen employee would also be expected to blog weekly about their adventures on the island. Throw in a rent-free three-bedroom villa, a roughly $8,800/month salary and… BAM! One fan-freakin-tastic job.

Now, in an economic recession when thousands are looking for gainful employment… who wouldn’t love a 6-month paying gig feeding fishies on a tropical island, right?

This simple idea sparked an international movement. News and media sources picked up on the incredible job offer, millions of people flocked to the campaign’s website — islandreefjob.com — and by the end of it, over 34,000 people from 200 countries had submitted 60-second videos about why they should have the best job in the world.

Cummins Nitro put the Islands of the Great Barrier Reef back on the map. And if that wasn’t enough — they have racked up in Cannes this week, picking up three Grand Prix awards in the PR, Direct and Cyber categories thus far.

And the lucky bloke who got the job…?

A Brit by the name of Ben Southall, who reports for duty next Wednesday, July 1st. You can read more about Ben’s adventures at bestjobben.com.

Deanna Lazzaroni is a self-professed sponge of creative advertising, armed with enthusiastic vigor to tackle the challenges of the mighty marketer’s world. She’s ripe for the picking at deannalazzaroni.com.


USA Today Dinner in Cannes: A Who’s Who of the US Ad Scene

newsImg_20090108145230I attended the USA Today dinner honoring all the US judges participating in the Cannes festival. As it is every year, the dinner was at famed restaurant, Le Moulin de Mougins just outside of Cannes.

At the event were many of our country’s leading advertising and marketing professionals, including the following: Bob Greenberg, Gerry Graph (jury), Michael Roth, David Lubars (head juror), Tom Bernadin, Ty Montegue, Howard Draft, Tom Bedecarre’ and dozens of others whose names and faces you’d recognize. Other jurors invited were Rich Silverstein, Nick Brien and David Droga. In addition, I was able to identify various marketing big wigs from Kraft, P&G and McDonalds.

You get the idea. If someone dropped the proverbial bomb on Le Moulin the US ad industry would be decimated. Which got me to thinking…

What if someone did, God forbid, drop a bomb on the place? After the dust cleared, would our much-maligned industry suffer even further or, as many cynics have suggested, would the elimination of so many big shots suddenly the decks for a faster, brighter and sharper version of…them?

I know this sounds morbid. Terribly so. But it’s what I thought about as I exited the restaurant into a parking lot full of waiting Mercedes sedans. The drivers were all lined up like West Point Cadets. Upon seeing a colleague exit and me they descended upon us. Seriously, folks, it was like Night of the Living Limo Drivers.

Conversely (and less morbidly), what would happen if Le Moulin somehow became transported to the proverbial desert island? None of us very good at actually making things, could we survive? If so, would we form a huge holding company, give each other untold shares, and go about bamboozling the indigenous people into hiring us?

Hey, I’m only kidding!

USA Today threw a lovely soiree and I felt privileged to have been there, let alone invited. One of the most fun things about coming to Cannes is the opportunity to meet so many VIPs of our industry, and not just from the creative ranks. At any given moment you might bump into your mentor, idol, future or former boss. Pretty scary. Pretty cool.

Steffan Postaer, Chairman and CCO of Euro RSCG Worldwide Chicago. He just completed a novel about God and Advertising and posts regularly on his blog, Gods of Advertising.


Vanity and Pride on Full Display at Cannes (if You’re Lucky!)

newsImg_20090108145230“We’ve created a system that rewards work that is increasingly unknown to anyone outside the business. We have become connoisseurs of esoterica. And in the process, we’re becoming more about us, and less about changing the world.

“We are becoming irrelevant award-chasers.” -Jeff Goodby, in AdAge

There was a comment on my blog, Gods of Advertising, from an anonymous person that said, “awards shows (such as Cannes) are for people who like the smell of their own farts.”

A revolting notion but is it a criticism? First off, I believe people do secretly marvel at the odor they are capable of emitting! That’s the lesser point, however. What’s interesting about the comment is whether or not the idea of celebrating one’s own work is bad or not. Religious persons consider pride and vanity sins. But are they?

Here are my definitions of the two. Pride is regarding one’s self in high esteem. Vanity is hoping that others do. By this measure, then, it seems vanity has more potential for causing trouble –both to one’s self and to others. Vanity seems closer to the uglier sins of greed, lust and envy.

Advertising awards shows, particularly Cannes, are ripe with both pride and envy. By definition, all awards shows are. Something is being touted above all others in its category. Therefore there are losers. And losing breeds envy, which begets vanity. In order for we losers to avoid the sin of vanity we must process losing with humility, which is difficult, maybe even saintly. Most of us cannot help but feel humiliated when we lose. Sad but true. In theory, and sometimes practice, better men than I say, “there are lessons in this. I will take heed and be better for it next time around.” Unfortunately, my first reaction is usually more akin to this: “What do they know? The whole thing is rigged anyway!”

Winners, however, experience pride. And depending on how one handles his or her pride this can be a good quality. Obviously, boasting is pigheaded and most winners are rightfully careful about coming across as braggarts. But I venture we all hoot and holler a little bit among our peers, behind closed doors. Yet when we display our trophies back at the agency they instill a sense of pride within the company: We are good at our craft. We have value! This cannot be a bad thing, right? Yes, as long as it doesn’t go to our heads. Even the best-awarded agencies make their fare share (the Lion’s share!) of mediocre advertising. Often it is these accounts that pay the bills, allowing the agency to pursue sexier but less financially lucrative clients.

Pause for caution, then, especially during times of recession and layoffs. Perhaps the better comment, equally telling, would be to advise certain winners that their shit does, in fact, stink. Consider the Cannes trophy –the Gold Lion. Was not the Golden Calf a pagan symbol of man’s false pride?

The theme for my blog is “We make you want what you don’t need.” The tension of trying to do the next right thing (be it for agency, client and even oneself) is hugely important. I fail as much as I succeed. And I suspect I am not alone. Especially at Cannes. Here pride and vanity are on full display, both from creations and creator.

Steffan Postaer, Chairman and CCO of Euro RSCG Worldwide Chicago. He just completed a novel about God and Advertising and posts regularly on his blog, Gods of Advertising.

Cannes Lions ‘09 | O Futuro da Propaganda

steve-ballmer.jpg

Steve Ballmer, presidente da Microsoft, disse ontem, em Cannes, que “o desafio da propaganda é fazer as pessoas pagarem por conteúdo no mundo digital”.
Ballmer reforça a afirmativa de que, em um futuro não muito distante, o mundo será completamente digital, e a tarefa da propaganda será encontrar formas mais relevantes para conseguir fazer com que os consumidores sejam impactados de forma efetiva.
O poder de decisão das pessoas é cada vez maior, e isso reflete diretamente na propaganda. “O modelo não será mais pautado pela propaganda patrocinando conteúdos, mas os conteúdos oferecidos é que terão de ser relevantes para que o público pague por aquilo”.
Além de suas reflexões sobre o futuro da comunicação e do conteúdo, Ballmer também aproveitou o seu momento para promover o Bing, o novo serviço de busca da Microsoft, e alfinetou o sistema “menos inteligente” oferecido pelo Google.

Cannes Lions ‘09 | Cyber Lions

cyber.jpg
Para surpresa de muitos, fontes afirmam que “The Best Job of the World” levou o maior GP da categoria Cyber. O Grand Prix de Campaign para a campanha que tinha o objetivo de alavancar o turismo em Queensland, na Austrália, talvez tenha sido um pouco exagerado, como disse o Merigo. No entanto, foi tão bem amarrada, tendo em vista a enorme repercussão e mídia espontânea alcançada por ser uma iniciativa tão surpreendente, que um Titanium & Integrated talvez fosse até mais justo. Reflexões de lado, o projeto da CumminsNitro já estava entre os favoritos desta categoria Cyber, que também contemplou outros dois premiados: GP de Viral para “Why So Serious” (merecidíssimo) e GP de Interactive Tools para “Fiat eco:drive“.
Confesso que fiquei um pouco chateado por não ver a “primeira corrida de balões da internet“, realizada pela Orange, e o “concerto musical em banners” da Axion, nem entre as finalistas de Cyber. Mas como nem tudo nesse mundo é do jeito que a gente quer ou espera, então temos que aceitar.
Já o Brasil levou 2 Leões em Cyber: “Estação Bem-Estar – House” da SunMRM ficou com Prata, e a “Cia. Athletica | Jump Higher, Feel Better” da DM9DDB, com Bronze. Apesar da boa notícia, se comparado a anos anteriores, este foi um dos piores resultados do Brasil nesta categoria.

:: Via CCSP e Brain#9

Cannes Lions ‘09 | T-Shirt Grand Prix

uniqlot-shirt.jpg

No final do ano passado, designers de todo mundo foram convocados para bolar uma camiseta exclusiva para o Cannes Lions 2009. A competição, que agora está em fase final, é organizada pela japonesa Uniqlo, ganhadora dos GPs de Titanium e Cyber do ano passado (relembre aqui).
A exigência, este ano, é que os layouts girem em torno de um “leão”, símbolo do Festival. Dentre as mais de mil propostas enviadas, de 51 países diferentes, dez idéias formam o shortlist, e têm brasileiro nessa final. A camisa é do diretor de arte Jack Ronc, que já trabalhou na Publicis e na MPM.
Assim que eu conseguir as peças, eu posto aqui no blog.
A entrega do T-shirt Grand Prix Award será nessa sexta-feira, dia 26 de junho.

:: Via CCSP e Digesting Design

Um Titanium chamado Barack Obama

obamatitanium.jpg

Mesmo com a queda no número e na qualidade das peças inscritas para o Cannes Lions 2009, alguns cases ainda me inspiram e me fazem torcer. Um deles se chama “Barack Obama“. Quer queira ou não, B.O. é um case, não só por ter revolucionado a política norte-americana, mas principalmente o marketing político no mundo todo. David Axelrod, seu principal assessor de campanha, até já foi comparado com Joseph Goebbles, em um polêmico post meu feito há quase 1 ano (aqui).
Esta semana, o case “Obama for America” entra para a lista dos favoritos que podem levar um leão de ouro na maior e mais desejada categoria do Festival de publicidade de Cannes, a categoria Titanium, capitaneada pelo criativo australiano, David Droga, sócio-fundador da premiada agência Droga5.

Confesso que, entre os demais candidatos da categoria, é o meu case predileto. Apesar de eu também ser do fã-clube de Whopper Virgins e da CP+B, nada conseguiu me chamar tanta atenção em 2008, como essa campanha integrada que fez motivar novamente os jovens norte-americanos, que estavam desinteressados em contribuir com o futuro da política de um país afundado em um mar de inimizades.

A qualidade de um candidato negro, com poucas chances de subir no “trono” da Casa Branca, foi impulsionada por um forte investimento em inovação. Utilizaram todos os meios disponíveis para formar vários canais de comunicação direta com o público, reescrevendo, ao longo do caminho, a nova era do marketing político.

obamacampaign.jpg

Uma rica vitrine do engajamento, a utilização de sites, blogs, redes sociais, aplicativos móveis, e até publicidade em games, fez da campanha de Obama uma grande janela da plataforma 2.0 para o mundo. Obama já foi condecorado por outros grandes prêmios da publicidade e do marketing global. Levou ouro no Clio Awards com o clipe musical criado pelo Black Eyed Peas. Ainda por cima, foi nomeado “Anunciante do Ano” pelo AdAge, ano passado. A vitória em Titanium, este ano, deve ser anunciada na próxima sexta ou sábado, e consagraria todo o reconhecimento da ambiciosa e destemida campanha “Obama for America”. Se não levar um leão, pouca ou quase nenhuma coisa vai mudar. O que importa é que Barack Obama e sua campanha continuará sempre nos inspirando.

We Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Awards

awards

It’s that time of year again – Cannes is coming. Does the lure of hardware, sunshine, and glamour call you like a siren song? Are you dying to add a trophy to your office or brag to clients that you were nominated the umpteenth time for an award? If so, perhaps you’re in the wrong business.

Don’t get me wrong – I love awards. I have a box in my basement, full of old trophies and ribbons from high school standing as a monument to a time in my life when I lived for my work (at the time, my work was drill team, but you get the idea). There is nothing I like more than being singled out for being the best. Now that I’m a lot older and, hopefully, a little wiser, I’ve finally gained some perspective and would like to bring you back to reality, even if for just a moment:

  1. Is the client happy? We must never forget that this business is always about “them” and never about “us.” What good does it do your client if the critics like your creative, but the client is not seeing much of a return on his/her investment? Clever is good. Profitable is better.
  2. Are you doing good work on all of your campaigns, or on just one spot? It’s so easy to focus on only one commercial or campaign and pull out all the stops. Are all of the clients in your portfolio receiving the same consideration? If not, then it’s time to stop playing favorites and get back to work.
  3. When pitching clients, how often do awards come up? Be honest. Do you spend more time talking about yourself than about what you can do for the client?
  4. Define good work. I’ll bet if you ask 20 different ad professionals what good work is, you’ll get 20 different answers. Yet, we let a panel of, say, 10, determine what the best work is? No thanks.
  5. Awards don’t always equal good work. I believe that for every award-winning agency, there are at least 10 non-winning ones that are doing as good, if not better, work. I had the great fortune to work for a small shop that routinely churned out great work. We never won awards for it, though. Why? We never entered. We knew that we turned out kick-ass work that got results for our clients, and that was all we needed to know.

Sara Barton is a copywriter, social media strategist, and avid blogger who is in search of her next opportunity. Contact her via twitter, LinkedIn, or her blog.


Youtube | Cannes 48 Hour Ad Contest

ytcontest.jpg

Este ano, o festival de Cannes inventou um concurso em parceria com o Youtube. É o Youtube Cannes 48 Hour Ad Contest.

Eles anunciaram que só liberariam o briefing às 24h (GMT) do dia 15 maio, sexta.  E o prazo pra upload seria 24h de domingo, dia 17. Por ser “Young”, então vale a regra de até 28 anos pra participar.

Após liberarem o briefing, que era sobre a OxFam, uma ONG que luta pra acabar com a pobreza, milhares de jovens criativos começaram a desenvolver seus vídeos. O objetivo do brief é pra falar às pessoas que este ano acontece em Copenhagen o Climate Change Summit 09, a última chance de ser feito um acordo justo e ambicioso pra parar com o processo de Global warming.

Em outras palavras, o objetivo é convocar as pessoas pra assinarem uma petição pressionando líderes globais a irem lá em Copenhagen e resolverem de vez o problema de mudanças climáticas. Recebi o vídeo da minha amiga Daniele Marques, que também concorre na competição, e de um leitor, o Robert Costa. A seguir você pode assistir aos dois vídeos:

:: Daniele Marques (Exhaust System Experiment)

:: Robert Costa (Match)

:: www.youtube.com/canneslions

Getty Images: Cannes prepares for the onslaught of creativity’s finest

Getty Images: Cannes prepares for the onslaught of creativity's finest

Advertising Agency: Touch DDB, UK
Creative Director: Guy Bradbury
Art Director: Dean Pinnington
Copywriter: Luke Ashton
Illustrator: Andy Hunt
Other additional credits: Frank Freeman
Aired: March 2008