Last week, the advertising industry descended on the south of France to network, party and listen to luminaries such as Kim Kardashian and Marilyn Manson drip pearls of wisdom about their respective “brands” at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.
The focus switched to the main business of handing out awards on Saturday night when the film jury revealed the fruits of its deliberations and handed out its Gold, Silver and Bronze Lions as well as the coveted Grand Prix.
As has become normal in recent years, the work most praised at Cannes came from the digital realm. This is mainly because no one has figured out how to persuade people to watch advertising on the internet and anything that looks like it might get the job done is instantly identified as the “answer to everything”.
The 12 films we’ve compiled are – in theory – the best work that the advertising industry produced in the last year. Being honest, it might not be. There is some great work here but the Cannes juries’ obsession with innovation led to some very questionable decisions.
Geico: ‘Dog’ (starts at 00:06) – US
The first of this year’s two Grand Prix winners was this clever solution to the online problem of internet users skipping pre-roll adverts at the earliest possible moment.
Leica: ‘100 Years’ (starts at 01:13) – Brazil
The other Grand Prix went to this portentous film from Brazil celebrating Leica’s role in democratising photography. A claim that sounds great until you realise that it led directly to the selfie.
Honda: ‘The Other Side’ (starts at 03:17) – UK
To properly enjoy this advert, you have to watch it on YouTube, where you can interact with it by switching between two very different journeys. If you can’t be bothered, then just watch the representation in our compilation and pretend you’re the one flipping it between day and night.
Ikea: ‘Beds’ (starts at 06:16) – UK
Wow, an actual TV advert and a dreamy one at that. Focus is drawn to the comfort of Ikea’s beds by showing a woman and her dog tumbling from the sky before dropping gently on to a soft mattress, while Prunella Scales recites an appropriate bit of Shakespeare.
Guinness: ‘Made of Black’ (starts at 07:50) – Pan-Africa
Made to be shown in a number of African countries, this high-octane, supercharged film asks the question “what is black?” before implying it’s an attitude rather than a state of being. Much as Rachel Dolezal did recently.
Magnum: ‘Be True To Your Pleasure’ (starts at 09:45) – Spain
This is a celebration of love, differentness and ice cream on a stick … and it’s rather lovely. It certainly won the prize for most zeitgeisty advert at this year’s festival which, of course, coincided with the US supreme court’s positive decision on gay marriage.
Nike: ‘Ripple’ (starts at 10:49) – US
Not so long ago, Tiger Woods was Nike’s most marketable poster boy and – it turns out – he was also Rory McIlroy’s poster boy. This superb piece of advertising charts McIlroy’s rise and shows how he’s still trying to emulate his hero. (Though probably not the bit where he drove into a tree while being pursued by an angry spouse wielding a nine iron.)
Old Spice: ‘Dadsong’ (starts at 12:53) – US
There always seems to be room in the market for a cheap men’s grooming product which uses comically exaggerated claims to make it attractive to young men. In the US, this slot is currently occupied by Old Spice but we suspect America’s youth has a message for Old Spice: “you had us at ‘cheap’”.
Gatorade: ‘Derek Jeter’ (starts at 13:57) – US
This sentimental farewell to one of baseball’s greats has Derek Jeter communing with the fans in a fashion that could make you believe a sportsman with a net worth of $185m still relates to the man in the street. Hey, come on, maybe he does.
Always: ‘Like A Girl’ (starts at 15:31) – US
This widely admired film tackles the pejorative phrase ‘like a girl’ by asking people what they think it means and then challenging their stereotypical views. Probably in the hope that young women will be so impressed by this empowering notion, they’ll feel they’re making a feminist statement whenever they purchase the advertised sanitary protection.
Beats: ‘The Game Before The Game’ (starts at 18:42) – US
This lengthy film, which was shown ahead of last year’s World Cup, focuses on Brazilian Neymar and what it refers to as the “game before the game” – the psychological preparation for a big match. Presumably, the ‘game’ before the 7-1 semi-final defeat to Germany went slightly better than the game itself.
Funny or Die: ‘Between Two Ferns’ (starts at 23:49) – US
This is last piece on our compilation because (a) it’s very long and (b) it’s not really a piece of advertising. Despite this, it was awarded a Gold Lion so maybe anything goes now and if you have a particularly amusing video of your cat, you should think about entering it next year. The awards that is … not the cat.
Jason Stone is the editor of David Reviews
