Cannes Lions 2015① Year of Convergence

The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, now a festival transcending the boundaries of an advertising awards show, was held in Cannes, France, from June 21 to 27, with 13,500 participants from 94 countries and regions. Following last year's creation of "Lions Health," held prior to the festival, this year saw the new "Lions Innovation" co-hosted during the event. Total entries across these three festivals exceeded 40,000, breaking last year's record.

Notable Startups Emerge with New "Lions Innovation"

The Innovation category, born in 2013, has now become an independent festival dedicated to technology and data reshaping the communication landscape, accompanied by the newly established Creative Data category. Notable startups were introduced at R/GA's "Start-up Academy" and Unilever's "Foundry 50." The Innovation Grand Prix went to the new address system "what3words." The British startup of the same name divides the world into 57 trillion 3-meter squares, creating new addresses composed of three words. This allows simple and precise identification of any point on Earth, addressing the social issue that approximately 4 billion people lack a valid address.

Human-like robot receives warm welcome at Cannes, a first in festival history

A humanoid robot made its first appearance in Cannes, capturing the hearts of many. SoftBank's "Pepper" took the seminar stage to thunderous applause and also hosted visitors at a booth in front of the venue. Its endearing expressions and gestures drew people regardless of nationality, age, or gender, demonstrating its universal appeal. The life-sized android "Matsukoroid," familiar from Nippon TV's "Matsuko to Matsuko," also appeared on the iconic Cannes red carpet and at seminars. Its striking visuals and intricate craftsmanship captivated even those unfamiliar with Matsuko Deluxe herself.

Heineken Named Creative Marketer of the Year

Heineken was selected as "Creative Marketer of the Year," an award honoring advertisers who believe in the power of creativity and challenge its limits. "Creativity is in our DNA. It's our competitive advantage and means more than just a marketing strategy," the company stated. Heineken was recognized for its organizational commitment to fully unleashing creativity while protecting the brand's core values. Notable campaigns include "If We Made It" for Newcastle Brown Ale.

 

Full-Scale Launch to Realize a World Where Women Shine

Following the launch of the "See It Be It" program last year to support female creators and address gender imbalance in the creative industry, a new "Glass" category was introduced. This category honors advertising work that challenges deeply rooted discrimination and prejudice across cultures. At the awards ceremony, Cindy Gallop, founder and CEO of "If We Ran The World" and former BBH executive who served as jury president, stated, "Creativity has the power to change cultures and societies." She urged the industry to embrace this power responsibly and create work that improves the world. The inaugural Grand Prix went to P&G India's "Touch the Pickle" campaign for its Whisper sanitary products. It challenged taboos rooted in prejudice and brought about a shift in societal norms.

 

Evaluating diverse works from advertising fundamentals to new challenges

Unlike previous years where a few works dominated the awards, diverse entries were evaluated based on each category's specific criteria. The only work to win Grand Prix in multiple categories was Volvo's "Life Paint," recognized in both Promo & Activation and Design. This special spray, designed for cyclists, reflects only off car headlights, helping prevent collisions between bicycles and vehicles. This is part of the company's "VISION 2020" safety initiative, aiming for "zero fatalities or serious injuries in new Volvo cars by 2020." In the traditional film category, Leica Camera's 100th-anniversary ad "100" won in the TV category, while U.S. auto insurer Geico's pre-roll ad (an ad forced to be viewed before video playback) "Unskippable" won the Grand Prix in the non-TV category. The former was praised for its storytelling through flawless visual beauty, while the latter was recognized for delivering its message within the first five seconds before viewers could skip it, overturning conventional film wisdom and bringing a rediscovery in how media is perceived.

"Lions Health": Entries concentrated in Health & Wellness,
First Grand Prix for Pharma

Lions Health, targeting the medical and healthcare sectors. Now in its second year, entries in the heavily regulated Pharma category decreased, but the Health & Wellness category saw a significant 58% year-on-year increase to 1,430 entries, accounting for 77% of all submissions. AstraZeneca's campaign "Take It From a Fish," which humorously explains the dangers of triglycerides through a dialogue between two fish, was selected as the first-ever Grand Prix winner in the Pharma category, which had no winner last year. Dentsu Inc. held a seminar titled "FUTURE HEALTHCARE-2020," where Shinya Shimizu, Planning Director at the Business Creation Center, introduced new partnership models for the healthcare market looking ahead to 2020, using case studies.

Back Issues
#01 Year of Convergence
♯02Dentsu Inc. Employee Special Report ~ Yumiko Ota & Nitta
#03"Wake up with The Economist" – Getting to the CMO's True Thoughts
#04Pioneering Jim Stengel Shares Methodology for Cannes Lions Success
#05Why Heineken is Chosen by Creative Marketers