FRANCE – I went to Cannes with a great deal of trepidation this year. I was to sit on the Promo and Activation jury. I had judged the Print and Direct categories before, but had heard that the promo and activation was the cruelest category. “It’s video hell”, I was told over and over again. Someone else said it was “Death by Case Studies”. The truth turned out to be anything but.
It’s true that we sat for days watching over 5,000 2-minute videos in little dark rooms while outside the sun, sand and rose beckoned. It’s true that my European jury friends looked as pasty as when they had just landed in Cannes from London or Sweden. They weren’t going to see any of that famous French Riviera sunshine for the next seven days.
But Matt Eastwood, our Jury President, said that Promo and Activation was the ‘sharp end of our business’. And rightly so. Unlike many of the other categories, this was work that had to persuade people into taking action right away. And we would see the bulk of the work before any of the other jury. And the world would see the fruits of our labors before they were exposed to some of the same pieces in other categories.
The 25 jury members from as many countries were amiable, friendly and funny. Over the next seven days we would become friends in spite, or perhaps because of, heated arguments and fights over the merits of a piece of work of the lack of it.
After four days, the weaker pieces fell by the wayside and the stronger pieces rose. Life Paint, Nazis Against Nazis, Security Moms, Hologram Protest, the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge – these are some of the pieces of work that left me inspired and jealous.
As the judging progressed and we looked at the hundreds of pieces of shortlisted work, a few themes emerged.
The wisest brands were moving from products to purpose. Some brands were genuinely trying to use their products to help lift societies and make genuine connections. Instead of selling, soap brands were getting up on the soapbox to air their point of view.
When I judged the Direct category in 2012, the industry seemed to be tripping over itself trying to use and bring together as much disparate technology as possible. But in 2015, our tech-fervor had climbed a notch or two down. Instead, human stories and connection had come to the forefront. Nazis Against Nazis and Security Moms were two such pieces of work. And even Samsung Trucks used old world technology in a new way to make roads a safer place.
On the final day, the best work lined up neatly and, in my opinion, correctly into positions of Gold, Silver and Bronze. And then two top contenders vied against each other for the Grand Prix. Both pieces had strong fans. In the first round of voting, they emerged with equal votes. We talked and debated and argued some more. And voted again. And the fans of Life Paint had swayed enough members of the other camp to make it the Grand Prix winner.
It was 2am. We drank some champagne and left for our hotels, tired but happy in the knowledge that we had had the privilege of looking at, discussing and voting on some of the best work in the world.
Joji Jacob is the Group Executive Creative Director of DDB Singapore and was a member of the Cannes Lions 2015 Promo and Activations jury.
