The predictions for Cannes Lions have already begun. Did you know there’s even a website where you can bet on the ads you think will win? At the end of the festival, if your creative flair is correct and if you’re among the gamblers with the most successful bets, then your winnings will be donated to finance campaigns for NGOs such as Action Against Hunger, Amnesty International, UNICEF and others.
My initial dollar bet is going on one of the smartest concepts I’ve ever witnessed: Honda’s The Other Side campaign for its Civic and the Type R version. Wieden+Kennedy London produced a “double-sided” video that lets you flip between two tales of the same dad leading a double life on Halloween, achieved by holding down the R key on a keyboard (literally “Type R”). The video is beautifully crafted and it’s a unique concept.
I’m also going to have a flutter on Burger King’s Angry Tweets campaign, simply because it’s a brave ad professional who joins in a conversation with angry, sweary twitter users. In France, Buzzman – the agency behind the campaign – not only engaged with its anger, it even printed the tweets abusing Burger King for not opening more outlets, complete with suitable responses, and displayed them on the construction panels of their soon-to-be-opened restaurants.
This is a great example of using boring outdoor sites and turning them into a brave demonstration of brand self-mockery. The result was 80,000 retweets, reaching 17 million people at a cost of just €5,000 (£3,570). It generated the fast food chain more than €5m in earned media.
I’m also a huge fan of Adam&EveDDB’s Monty the Penguin campaign for John Lewis. Not only is the ad a marvellous use of the emotion attached to the season and a great tribute to Christmas, but Monty became an icon for the store.
He was synonymous with the campaign, present at all experiential, content and digital activations, not forgetting the penguin toy, which sold out within a week. I love the idea that a penguin drove all communications for the campaign, from the store windows to the website to the TV ad. It was so powerful.
Finally, my sure-fire bet is for Always #LikeAGirl, by Leo Burnett, Canada. New to the Cannes festival for 2015 is the Glass Lion, rewarding work that addresses issues of gender, inequality or prejudice.
This three-minute film analysing what it means to “run like a girl” and “kick like a girl” is certainly, in my opinion, the front-runner to collect this award for change.
If you disagree with my predictions (or even if you agree) swing by the #HavasCafe at the Grand Hotel on La Croisette and let’s talk it over.
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