The Media Lions were unleashed at the 53rd annual International Advertising Festival tonight in Cannes, and the Media Grand Prix was bagged by Unilever’s teen boy fantasy brand for a Lynxjet Bodyspray effort out of Universal McCann in Australia. Universal McCann, Sydney is also the 2006 Media Agency of the Year, based on its Lion tally. The Media Agency of the Year is a new feature at Cannes this year. Tied for second is Ogilvy and Mather out of Santiago, Dentsu Tokyo and Switzerland’s Jung von Matt. Canada’s lone media winner is Leo Burnett Toronto’s ‘Lipstick Tube’ work for the Assaulted Women’s Help Line, which took a Bronze Lion.
Renatta McCann, CEO of Starcom Mediavest Group and jury chair, described the best work as that which ‘marries content with contact, not only in our category, but in all categories.’ And said that after judging 1,466 entries, she ‘came away with the reconfirmation that great ideas are magic, they come from everywhere,’ and gain power when a great insight is connected to a solid strategy – and get results. Media jurors stressed the importance of new media knowledge, and consensus was that they had yet to see the groundbreaking case that all-encompassingly harnessed new techonolgy effectively.
There was a big surge in the media competition this year (last year there were 1,076 entries), and Alain Desormiers, media juror and president of Touché Montreal, believes Canada is not participating in Cannes enough, especially since there is a lot of ‘very cool’ work coming out of Canada that has a shot, given our dynamic media landscape, and the innovative technology opps in our market. There were 31 media entries from Canada, as opposed to 177 from the U.S.
Canada fared better in radio, scoring six Bronze Lions. DDB Vancouver took half of those with its BMW Cabriolet effort, its Richmond Shopping Centre’s ‘Vacuum’ work, and its ‘Auto Crime Enforcement Awareness Police’ program. The Canadian Film Centre work nabbed two Lions for Taxi Toronto, and Cadbury Schweppes’ Mott’s Clamato Caesar Ready Mixed Cocktail warranted a Lion for DDB Toronto.
The radio Grand Prix went to Anheuser-Busch and DDB Chicago for a Bud Light campaign.
In outdoor, DDB Toronto got a Silver Lion for ‘Nose Cup’ for Toronto Plastic Surgery. And Canada got two Bronzes: Taxi nabbed one for its ‘Barge Resistance’ work for Nike, while Rethink’s ‘Button Wall’ scored for Vancouver’s Contemporary Art Gallery.
Overall, senior ad execs at Cannes are focused on retooling and energizing their organizations around engaging the consumer, and recognizing the pivotal role of channel planning therein. Efforts include Starcom Mediavest Group’s WOM research project begun in April with WOM research company Keller Fay, designed to statistically recognize influencer targets and measure and track word of mouth. Meanwhile general agencies are putting a focus on developing consumer insights that inform engagement, delivered via integrated creative platforms. JWT’s worldwide president Michael Maedel says: ‘Communications planning is something we need to bring back into the agency,’ an effort that has already begun with media embedded in creative in Germany.
It is definitely the year of consumer insight, and communications delivered via integrated campaigns that are more platforms than advertising. Like Dove.
