WARC report reveals insights from Cannes Creative Effectiveness Lions 2019

WARC, the global authority on advertising and media effectiveness, has released a report identifying trends and themes that are common to the successful campaigns of this year's Cannes Creative Effectiveness Lions, which celebrate the measurable impact of creativity.

The 'Insights from the Cannes Creative Effectiveness Lions 2019' report is based on interviews with all of the judges and the winners of the Grand Prix and Gold Lions, as well as an analysis of the metadata around all 227 entries submitted to the category with WARC examining factors such as the media mix, creative strategy, metrics and results.

WARC highlights three major themes in the report:

Creative 'catalysts' pay off

This year's winners highlighted the trends for brands to invest in highly creative short-term initiatives alongside their everyday marketing activity.

However, marketing consultant Peter Field advises exercising caution to ensure that these "flashes of creative brilliance" drive long-term strategy as opposed to derailing it.

PR and social underpin participation

Fifty per cent of shortlisted papers cited participation as a creative strategy constructed to be executed via PR and social channels.

Jury member Joanne Lao, CEO, TBWA\Greater China, said, "Participation was undoubtedly a key theme in the shortlist work. The best campaigns allowed people to take deeper action beyond likes."

Enduring power of the real

Successful brands have a more holistic interpretation of customer experience that isn't confined to digital channels.

Jury president John Seifert, Chief Executive, Worldwide, Ogilvy, commented, "Brands have to live in the digital reality but they can't be defined by it; they need to have some kind of connection to a physical space."

Summing up, Lucy Aitken, Managing Editor, Case Studies, WARC, said, "This year's winners show the potential return of risk-taking for brands of all sizes. Marketing that plays it safe is finding it harder to cut through with audiences.

"The fantastic set of case studies included in the report will provide inspiration for marketers seeking to use creative power for greater effectiveness."

WARC's 'Insights from the Cannes Creative Effectiveness Lions 2019' report includes:

*In-depth exploration of the themes, including expert commentary and what each theme means for brands, media owners and agencies.

*A review of the winning work, objectives, insight and strategy as well as judges' comments.

*Data analysis covering media budget, lead media, media mix and hard and soft metrics.

A sample of the report can be downloaded here:

 The full report is available to WARC subscribers.

This latest study follows the recently published report 'Strategy and effectiveness lessons from Cannes Lions 2019', providing a bite-sized summary of the industry trends picked up on by WARC at the 2019 Cannes Lions Festival. A sample of the report is available here:

WARC also recently launched the ultimate guide to marketing effectiveness. 'Anatomy of Effectiveness' is a white paper highlighting five key priorities for brands seeking to drive better consumer engagement. 'Anatomy of Effectiveness' can be downloaded here:

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