Greetings, With the International Advertising Festival just a few weeks away, Leo Burnett proudly presents its 23 nd Cannes Predictions reel, a glimpse into what to expect at the industryʼs most prestigious annual event. The reel brings together 50 contenders likely to earn a coveted Lion. A team led by Leo Burnett Worldwide Chief Creative Officer Mark Tutssel viewed thousands of campaigns, monitored global and local award shows and followed the general industry buzz to select the work for this yearʼs collection. Besides including the most honored work, the reel is designed to reflect an international mix and a balance across multiple product categories. This yearʼs reel features work from more than 14 countries. So what can you expect at this yearʼs festival? Well, letʼs first address the question on everyoneʼs mind: “Has creativit y suffered in the face of the global recession?” With only a cursory glance, one could argue it has. After all, award shows entries across the board are down, and the Film category has produced no clear front runners for the Grand Prix. (Please see the Film section below for a caveat here.) But rumors of creativityʼs demise have been greatly exaggerated. In fact, creativit y is thriving. Creativity is the primary asset of business today, and itʼs never been important as it is now, which is why weʼre thrilled to report that we saw more innovative, fresh and altogether dazzling communication solutions than ever. As a result, youʼll find this yearʼs reel includes far fewer Film entries, but more out-of-the-box, genre-defying and altogether brilliant future-facing efforts. Following in the industryʼs footsteps, weʼre proud to debut the first fully-integrated Cannes Predictions, a collection that incorporates the most likely Lion winners in multiple categories including Cyber, Titanium & Integrated and even Outdoor. So, what can we expect at Cannes 2009? What general observations can we make about the year? -
Integration Sure, weʼve certainly heard this before, though weʼre not referring to efforts merely executed across a handful of media. Rather, weʼre talking about ideas that harnessed a confluence of technologies to produce truly engaging experiences. Many of this yearʼs entries did just this, though Doritos “Hotel 626” was one standout, linking mobile, Twitter, Facebook and a faux documentary to a rich, terrifying, three-dimensional web universe. And Fiatʼs “eco:Drive” provided a detailed peek into motoristsʼ driving habits courtesy of a USB flash drive that connected their cars and computers.
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Politics Personal beliefs aside, nearly all of us marveled at Barack Obamaʼs groundbreaking netroots movement that ultimately won him the 2008 U.S. Presidential election. Could a political campaign land a Titanium Lion? Meanwhile “The Great Schlep”– also on behalf of Obama via the Jewish Council for Education Research – served up a side-splitting and unique appeal to voters that broke a few barriers (and taboos) of political advertising.
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Online is Flourishing Weʼve come a long way from the simple banner ad. Burger Kingʼs “Whopper Sacrifice” leveraged Facebook so boldly that even the social networking site wasnʼt sure what to make of it. Sprintʼs “Plug Into Now” transformed PC desktops into a stunning real-time data dashboard. And the Mentos “Kiss Cam” gave anyone with a webcam the opportunity to share a virtual, interactive ʻkissʼ with his or her choice of a hunk or babe.
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Taking It To the Streets Pampero Rumʼs “Ephemeral Museum” turned an entire district of Lisbon into a bona fide art gallery, while Oasis gave New York City residents a sneak preview of their new album by means of street musicians with the “Dig Out Your Soul” effort. And itʼs hard to resist TMobileʼs “Dance,” which employed the impromptu joy of a flash mob to amuse passersby at a Liverpool railway station. Finally, the one-of-a-kind James Ready “Share Our Billboards” invited beer enthusiasts to collaborate on their media plan, resulting in a campaign that was created for the people, by the people, and raised co-authorship to levels unseen in the outdoor medium.
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Leveraging the Press Some of our favorites wove their way into the cultural fabric, effectively using the media to add traction to their stories. In what many public relations mavens declared to be the best effort of its kind, Tourism Queensland invited jobseekers from around the world to apply for “The Best Job In the World.” And the very essence of the NBAʼs “There Can Only Be One” campaign wound up gracing the cover of Time magazine and spoofed by Saturday Night Live.
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Film – A Mixed Bag Unlike most years, there were few blockbusters in the lot, though we should add a quick caveat: as history tells us, many in this category make their first appearance in Cannes, so itʼs almost certain weʼll be delighted and surprised by a few stellar debuts. Still, we saw some outstanding work, including “Go On Lad,” a throwback to a classic with a trip through time for Hovis, and “House of Cards,” a gorgeously rendered visual metaphor with a Radiohead soundtrack for housing charity Shelter. We also caught plenty of ads employing those two perennially Cannes-approved themes: Sex and humor. Spots like Leviʼs “Secrets and Lies” and Diesel “SFW XXX” deliver a little raciness, while Pepto-Bismol “Empanada” and Esthe Wam Hair Removal “Beaut y Bowling” provide a few laughs. Also keep your eye on Canal+ “Versailles,” an extension of a campaign thatʼs historically performed well yet still remains fresh. And weʼd be remiss not to mention JCPenne y “Doghouse,” the hilarious instructional short for wayward men everywhere.
Finally, weʼd like to invite you to join our Cannes Predictions conversation. Weʼve set up the Twitter hashtag #cannespredictions, and weʼll be tweeting via @LeoBurnettBlog. Follow us and join the debate – weʼre eager to hear your thoughts!
LEO BURNETT USA | 35 WEST WACKER DRIVE CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 60601 t: 312.220.5959 f: 312.220.5299 w: www.leoburnett.com