Our Man in Cannes

Cannes Wrap-up 

It’s all over - time for this festival hamster to get off the wheel. A good Cannes you ask? - YES! Emap have finally got to grips with the beast that is “the Lions” and have really taken it forward. Great seminars, big name speakers, and smooth running made it a Cannes to remember.

So to the Winners - no favorites were discussed as we waited in the press room for the awards list and not many people mentioned the eventual Grand Prix Dove Evolution.

The reasons behind its victory were best summed up by jury Chairman Bob Scarpelli (Chairman, CCO DDB Worldwide):  “All the Gold winning ads were considered for the grand prix - this one had the most power, the most emotion.”

He went on to say that “it spoke of the time and reflected current issues in an original way.” The Reginald Pike spot out of Ogilvy & Mather/Toronto, originally part of a viral campaign, was a real favorite amongst the jury and reflected the trend towards advertising with responsibility.  Anther spot singled out for praise was Coca Cola's Videogame from W&K/Portland & Nexus London. Again it scored highly for the subject and style so current with today.

On the agency and production company front the league tables are below.

Ad Agency of the year 2007

1. SAATCHI & SAATCHI New York
2. DDB London
3. OGILVY & MATHER Singapore

Palme d’or

Network of the Year 2007

1. BBDO
2. DDB
3. SAATCHI & SAATHCI

So I guess I was wrong about the world turning upside down. Once again the Lions were dominated by the UK and USA, but things are changing.  Maybe soon the winner will be from Mumbai or Santiago.

Please check out all the winners in our grouping from Cannes 2007.

See you next year.

~Simon

And so the end is near…

Just a quick catch up from Cannes: thanks to Stillking for a fabulous pool party - it was brilliant (they had people there to give pedicures, although after the blister flip flop incident not for me). Also congrats to Hakuhodo whose ‘wow’ party certainly wowed me although I must admit I am starting to suffer with party blindness and could not get up this morning for my usual 10-mile beach run (for those of you that know me that last statement was truly great creative).

As for the seminars a great debate on re-inventing the agency was presented. With the increase in viral and Gorilla marketing how does an agency pitch its self to clients or more importantly, how does it charge for things that are free?  The solution from the minds of Droga, Goodby, and BBDO’s Andrew Robertson: “Partner with your client, charge for the hours and the creative, but ask to be paid on performance.  If it’s a viral campaign with a website and hits increase, charge for that increase. It you get TV and press coverage, take into consideration what that would cost to buy and work back.” A simple answer to a question that has been a hot topic this Cannes. With more campaigns, being created and executed outside of traditional media how do we get paid…?  Who would have guessed that would the main topic!

To the work……the Shortlist.  If anything, it always makes me laugh as it is anything but short!  This year the films are excellent and incredibly diverse. Of course we have the usual power houses (USA/UK) leading, but an increased presence from both the Far East and South America could make for an interesting winners list. Could this finally be the year that the two old ladies of the ad world are surpassed by the emerging markets we used just to think of as cheap locations?  I hope so!  I have been predicting it for the last three years (check back to last year’s blogs) as I would love to be right (of course, I would never be smug about it).

But don’t worry about sorting the wheat from the chaff.  Just check the site next week when a full list of winners will be available online here at SourceEcreative.

~Simon


Parties...and Saatchi & Saatchi Young Directors
Simon Furse
21 June 2007

Paulo Gatti from Filmaster

Robert Arakelian from UTA

The week is now flying by and we are all feeling the pace, thanks to the guys at Kodak and Sub urban for laying on a great party and food (they had the most amazing mini éclairs - I had 4).

It was then straight on to the annual madness that is Massive Music’s beach party. I won’t go in to much detail but suffice to say there was the usual drunk dancing and power failures (what is it with French wiring - does it know when parties are in full swing?) with the usual ending of the gutter bar and a handful of receipts.  Needless to say, it was a good night.

Therefore, I wish I could say the same about the morning.  Wow what a headache! (and note to self: dancing in flip flops may seem cool but blisters are the one inevitable result).  So what better to clear my foggy head than the Saatchi & Saatchi New Directors’ Showcase.  This year’s theme of “having the guts” reflects the effort and hard work that new directors need to break through.

As usual Saatchi wowed us at the start with a spectacular  puppet show, the characters playing out the story of a young up-and-coming director getting his chance in this industry we call ‘ad.’

The show was performed in bunraku, a form of traditional Japanese puppetry. This style allowed the performers to carry out body defying stunts, with limbs being ripped from bodies and performers flying through the air in slow motion. All of which showed our young hero director finally being given the chance to shoot his first spot. With an original music written and produced by Malcolm Maclaren ( former manager of the Sex Pistols) this  was a great opening to what has become one of the ‘must see’ events in Cannes.

Saatchi & Saatchi Worldwide creative director Bob Isherwood, who hosted the Showcase, said: “It’s probably getting tougher to make it as a director. Today’s climate favors established talent who are getting the pick of the scripts. But, as our Showcase reveals, there are outstanding new directors around who have both the talent and the guts and determination to get noticed.”

As for the reel, it was smaller than previous years, but with some outstanding work. My tips for the top being Nando Cohen, Josh Raskin and Jonas & Francois. Check out the showcase at www.heresanidea.com.

That’s about it from me today. Just to say if you see us out and about in Cannes, I will be the one with the elastoplasts and flip flops.

~Simon


Manchester United
Simon Furse
20 June 2007

A great seminar form Manchester United “Creating the Future of a Legendary Brand.” Lee Daily opened the event with a short film showing some of the greatest goals scored by the clubs players (or course the three from Eric Cantona got the most cheers!)

Cannes Festival Photo by Francois Durand - Getty Images

Delegate at seminar Photo by Francois Durand - Getty Images

Bobby Charlton with the press Photo by Francois Durand - Getty Images

Bobby Charlton speaks Photo by Francois Durand - Getty Images

We were then blown away by some amazing statistics - the most impressive being ‘one hundred million people see Manchester United on television each week.’  Daily also elaborated: “the website has a data base of 4 million fans and attracts 50 million impressions a month. I am sure you will agree an that it’s an impressive audience to which to promote your brand.”

Daily then went on to inform us of Man United plans to not to have just one great sponsor -  but to become strategic partners with heavy weights such as Nike, AIG, Audi, and Anheuser Busch.

Then the highlight, Sir Bobby - A legend in his own lifetime. With stories and anecdotes from his playing time, to his work as an ambassador of football, he entertained us with much the same style as he played.

The most important thing Sir Bobby stressed was that the brand Man Utd is founded on passion and entertainment. These 2 things made the team and the club so well respected and loved that the brand continues to go from strength to strength.

I am sure that there are many creatives and copywriters that could learn from this ethos -make a product consistently of a high quality, throw in some danger and excitement to get great results (I know its not that easy before you write and demand my blood), but its worth remembering that 11 men walking on a pitch get 100 million people tuning in each week with no guarantee of a result - that truly is customer loyalty we can all be jealous of.

Still to come this week SA Exposed Party, MassiveMusic, Shots, Kodak, Saatchi’s Young Directors……

~Simon


Our Man In Cannes
Simon Furse 
19 June 2007

“Well, here we go again,” I thought as I registered for the annual Cannes festivities. It’s my tenth year covering the show and I wondered how it would be celebrated.  A small parade, maybe an award or lunch with a selected guest list of industry bigwigs. No, not a thing.

What is obvious this years show is weight - from the caliber of speakers, Dan Wieden, Bobby Charlton (Manchester UTD and English football legend), Jeff Goodby, Jim Stengel (P&G) and of course lets not forget former VP/Eco-warrior Al Gore...  A record 11,000 visitors and 25,600 entries -- and last and not least the Cannes bag. It must be the heaviest show bag I have ever come across with more paper and card & plastic promotional material than ever (I hope they do not give Al Gore one, it may push him over the edge. Not so much a carbon footprint as a carbon crater!).

Seriously, this year’s show is all about creativity and learning from our peers. “The object of the week ahead is not just to applaud great work and clever concepts. More important is to walk away with our imaginations recharged, our ideas and thoughts refreshed - and with the conscience of creativity in everything we do," was the war cry from Terry Savage (chairman Cannes Lions). A nice way to start the week. I, for one, cannot wait.

We will, of course, be bringing you our usual mix of news and info plus all the winners and losers. Keep checking in everyday. 

However, I cannot sign off today without a quick word about “The Fireflies.”

What is that I hear you cry?  A hot new party or club in Cannes, a cool new restaurant in Antibes…… in a word, non!  It is much more important.  Each year the Fireflies riders travel 1,000 km across the French Alps from Geneva to Cannes raising money for Leuka. This year's ride is now under way and arrives at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival on June 20.

Check out the Fireflies website.  You can also make donations and watch video of their journey. 

Hey -- we work in advertising so the good karma can only help with those Gold awards later in the week.

Back soon,
Simon

News from the South of France
Deb Mayo 
18 June 2007
 
That's right, the 54th International Advertising Festival has begun with all the fabulous sights, sounds and beauty that can only be found in the south of France. The juries arrived last week - and now the onslaught of competitors join the fray as well.  

Our intrepid team of reporters/directors, namely Simon Furse and Andrew Sweeney, will be making the rounds this week -- gathering video snippets along with the latest event happenings.  Simon will certainly find out the best gossip as well as provide us with information about the competition, the seminars, and of course, the parties!

Check back daily as we bring you Simonulls daily blog and video diary.  There's nothing better than having Our Man in Cannes!