Cannes Lions 2017: Campaigns that stood out in each category

The recently concluded Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity honoured the outstanding advertising and communication works done across the globe. While India put up its best ever performance by winning 40 Lions, including a Grand Prix for Good in Lion Health, 10 Gold, 16 Silver and 13 Bronze Lions, it failed to impress the jurors in many categories. What goes through the minds of jury members and heads of who decide the best entries in any category and award the coveted Grand Prix? Although it is difficult even to guess what makes a campaign win a Grand Prix over the other, BestMediaInfo.com brings to you the Grand Prix winners in every category with the reasons given by the respective jury heads.

The one work that won Grand Prix in four categories – Titanium, PR, Outdoor and Glass – was 'Fearless Girl' by McCann New York, for State Street Global Advisors.

The jurors from PR, Outdoor and Glass championed gender equality, each awarding 'Fearless Girl' by McCann New York, for State Street Global Advisors, a Grand Prix.

Glass Lion Jury President, Wendy Clark, President & Chief Executive Officer, DDB Worldwide, North America, said that the work had both “inspired the world and transformed the world,” adding that it “transcended both geography and culture and would inspire the world for years to come.”

Karen van Bergen, Chief Executive Officer, Omnicom Public Relations Group, led the PR Lions jury and said her jury had found their Grand Prix winner, 'Fearless Girl' to be a “perfect example of doing well by doing good.”

The fourth Grand Prix for ‘Fearless Girl’ was in Titanium category. Titanium Jury President Tham Khai Meng said the work was “disruptive, irreverent and broke the mould. It’s beyond anything we’ve ever done. The bronze statue stands defiantly as a permanent icon.” Adds Khai Meng, “It’s the zeitgeist and culture is ready to embrace it. The Titanium jury loved it wholeheartedly.”

Health and Wellness

'Meet Graham' by Clemenger BBDO Melbourne, Australia, for Transport Accident Commission Victoria claimed the Grand Prix.

Health & Wellness Jury President, Mike Rogers, Creative Partner, Serviceplan Health & Life, Germany, said, “Since the introduction of Lions Health in 2014, it’s been fascinating to witness the incredible impact the Health & Wellness Lion has had on the industry perception of healthcare creativity. We’ve seen the work flourish and this year’s shortlist showed a range and depth of work, crossing technology and the creative use of data.”

Pharma Lion

There were no Grand Prix in the Pharma category.

The Lions Health Grand Prix for Good, open to Gold Lion winning entries ineligible for a Grand Prix in their section, was also awarded to 'Immunity Charm' by McCann Health, New Delhi / McCann Worldgroup India, Mumbai, for Ministry of Public Health, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. The award was judged by Caleb Tiller, Executive Director of Communications & Public Affairs, the United Nations Foundation, and members of the Pharma and Health & Wellness Juries: Mike Rodgers, June Laffey, Christine Abbott and R. John Fidelino.

Tiller commented, “The Lions Health Grand Prix for Good award sits at the cross-section of creativity and social impact. It’s an exciting time for our community, as cross-pollination between sectors is creating new opportunities to engage people in driving social change and improving lives.”

Outdoor

Outdoor Grand Prix Winner at Cannes Lions 2017 - PUTIN

Outdoor Grand Prix Winner at Cannes Lions 2017 - GUNS

Outdoor Grand Prix Winner at Cannes Lions 2017 - GLORIA STEINEM & DOROTHY PITMAN HUGHES

Outdoor Grand Prix Winner at Cannes Lions 2017 - EYES- HILLARY CLINTON & DONALD TRUMP.jpg

Besides ‘Fearless Girl’, the second Grand Prix was also awarded in Outdoor to Twitter, San Francisco, for their campaign comprising 10 executions: 'Cannabis', 'Gloria Steinem & Dorothy Pitman Hughes', 'Guns', 'Muhammad Ali', 'Putin', 'Sonogram', 'Prince', 'Saturday Night Live', 'Hands Up', 'Eyes: Hillary Clinton & Donald Trump'.

Jury President, Bruno Bertelli, Global Chief Creative Officer, Publicis, said, “It was a beautiful campaign that was both simple and engaging.”

Print and Publishing

Print & Publishing Grand Prix Winner at Cannes Lions 2017 - PENSYLVANNIA

Print & Publishing Grand Prix Winner at Cannes Lions 2017 - AVIANO

Print & Publishing Grand Prix Winner at Cannes Lions 2017 - OREGON

Print & Publishing Grand Prix winner: 'Oregon', 'Pensylvannia', 'Aviano', DAVID, Miami, for Burger King, was selected for Burger King’s brave, playful, tongue-in-cheek humour. Jury President, Fran Luckin, Chief Creative Officer, Grey Africa, South Africa, also highlighted a trend towards work that uses details of physical making, from sculpture to drawing, even against the backdrop of our highly digitised world.

Promo & Activation

The Grand Prix went to 'Boost Your Voice', 180LA, Santa Monica, for Boost Mobile.

Jury President, Stéphane Xiberras, President & Chief Creative Officer, BETC, France, explained, “The campaign took a brand, already at the heart of communities, and gave it a way to get involved in the US election campaign. It didn’t just create an audience, but involved an audience in the democratic process.”

Creative Data

The Grand Prix went to ‘Care Counts’ by DigitasLBi, Chicago for Whirlpool. Lauded as a special piece of work, it exemplified a brand “moving from storytelling, to story doing,” said Jury President Eric Salama, Chief Executive Officer of Kantar.

Cyber Lion

Three Grand Prix were honoured in this category. ‘Åland Index/Baltic Sea Projects’ by RBK Communication, Stockholm for The Bank of Åland; ‘Meet Graham’ by Clemenger BBDO Melbourne for Transport Accident Commission Victoria; and Did you Mean Mailchimp? by Droga5, New York and Mailchimp, Atlanta, which had bold originality at its heart.

Jury President Colleen DeCourcy, Global Chief Creative Officer, Wieden + Kennedy, explained that the jury selected work that embodied where technology has moved ideas forward.

Direct Lion

‘Google Home of the Whopper’ by DAVID Miami for Burger King, took the Grand Prix.

Jury President Ted Lim, Chief Creative Officer, Dentsu Brand Agencies, APAC, described it as “Outstanding, outrageous and simply incredible”.

Innovation

Grand Prix went to ‘The Humanium Metal Initiative’ by Åkestam Holst, Stockholm/Great Works, Stockholm for IM Swedish Development Partner.

Jury President Susan Lyne, President and Managing Partner at BBG Ventures, praised the work for demonstrating innovation at every stage from concept to the business model, to support communities affected by gun violence.

Mobile

The Mobile Lions celebrate device-driven creativity. ‘The Family Way’ by Dentsu Y&R, Tokyo for Recruit Lifestyle Co., Ltd. took the Grand Prix.

Jury President Andy Hood, Head of Emerging Technologies, AKQA, explained that the best work has seen creatives offering solutions to some of the world’s biggest problems and the Grand Prix did just that. “It’s not just an award, it’s a statement of how we want the winning work to be and how technology can have a direct impact on people’s lives.”

Entertainment

The Entertainment Lions recognise creativity that turns content into culture.

‘Beyond Money’ by MRM//McCann Spain, Madrid for Santander Bank took the Grand Prix.

Jury President, PJ Pereira, Co-Founder & Chief Creative Officer Pereira & O'Dell, said, “The work was a perfect example of how a brand can make a statement, but also conquer and earn precious consumer time.”

Entertainment for music

Grand Prix went to ‘Original is Never Finished’ by Johannes Leonardo, New York for adidas Originals. Jury President, Olivier Robert-Murphy, Global Head of New Business for Universal Music Group, and his jury chose the work, which reinvented the classic hit, Frank Sinatra’s My Way, with the sound of a new generation of artists. The work cleverly reinvents the past to create meaning for young audiences and form authentic connections with today’s consumers.

Design

The Design Lions recognise visual craftsmanship, demonstrating how design defines a brand or communicates its key messages. The Grand Prix went to ‘The Unusual Football Field’ by AP Thailand, Bangkok / CJ Worx, Bangkok for AP (Thailand) Public Company Limited.

Jury President Sandra Planeta, Founder & Creative Director, Planeta Design, Sweden, said, “It’s clever, smart, simple, purposeful and useful design. And the best part is that I’d love to try it myself.”

Media

‘Innovating Saving’ by R/GA, New York for jet.com took the Grand Prix.

President Mike Cooper, Worldwide Chief Executive Officer, PHD, led the jury that chose the work by a then start-up retailer for its highly sustainable communication strategy. Driven by price and consumer data, it utilised social media and search insight to produce the commercial results of big brands.

Product Design

The Product Design Lions recognise creativity that fuses form and function.

The Product Design jurors, led by Ruth Berktold, Owner, YES architecture, Germany, selected ‘Payphone Bank’ by Grey Colombia, Bogotá for TigoUNE for the Grand Prix. A purposeful, useful and ultimately world-changing work, it transformed the interface of a payphone into micro savings accounts to support Colombian communities.

Creative Effectiveness

Creative Effectiveness is the only global award to recognise the link between award-winning creativity and business results. The Grand Prix went to ‘Van Gogh’s Bedrooms: Let Yourself In’ by Leo Burnett Chicago for the Art Institute of Chicago.

Jury President, Jonathan Mildenhall, Chief Marketing Officer of Airbnb, stated that the best Creative Effectiveness work impacts audiences, business, culture and the creative community at large. The Grand Prix winning work used creativity to breathe new life into an organisation, introducing it to a younger, broader audience and creating a huge global conversation. Mildenhall said, “It clearly understood how to live in the uncomfortable space necessary for the work to be truly remarkable.”

Digital Craft

The Grand Prix was picked up by ‘Real-Time Virtual Reality Experience for Björk’s Notget VR’ by Analog, London / W&N Studio, London for Björk.

Jury President, Henry Cowling, Creative Director, UNIT9, UK, said, “The work combines all the facets of digital craft to the highest possible level. It’s breaking new ground in media storytelling and experience design and is doing it in a way that’s absolutely virtuous.”

Radio

The Grand Prix went to three executions for KFC by Ogilvy & Mather Johannesburg: ‘Repeat the Punchline,' 'Long Red Thin Shape,' 'No One Cheerses’. Funny, moving and expertly crafted, Jury President Mario D'Andrea, President & Chief Creative Officer, Dentsu, Brazil, described the work as “a very traditional brand with a very traditional way of doing copywriting."

Film Craft

The Grand Prix went to ‘The Blaze - Territory’ by Iconoclast, Culver City for musician The Blaze.

Jury President Robert Galluzzo, Founder/Executive Producer, FINCH, Australia, said, “The work was more than an award-winner, it’s “a gift to the festival audience.” He further said, “It’s a stunning example of what vulnerability and poetry can look like on screen. The casting is stunning, the cinematography is stunning, the editing is superb – it’s a piece of film that has an ambiguous yet important narrative that you can watch over and over again.”

Film

The Grand Prix went to ‘We’re the Superhumans’ by Blink Productions, London / 4creative, London for Channel 4.

Jury President Pete Favat, Chief Creative Officer, Deutsch North America, USA, said his jury looked for work that was bold, provocative and moving and pushed the industry forward. Favat described the winning work as a piece that started a new conversation on the representation of disability and confronted diversity. “It makes us feel a range of emotions; it makes us happy, it makes us think and it’s extremely provocative. It pushes humanity forwards,” he added.

Integrated

Grand Prix was won by ‘Boost Your Voice’ 180LA, Santa Monica for Boost Mobile, which also took the top award in Promo & Activation. Jury President Tham Khai Meng, Worldwide Co-Chairman & Chief Creative Officer at Ogilvy, said he and his jury “felt strongly that true integration is about work that cuts through, transcends media and integrates into culture and society,” and described ‘Boost Your Voice’ as an “incredible piece of work.”

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