One week before the Young Kidlat competition in Boracay, David Guerrero, chairman of BBDO/Proximity Philippines and president of The Creative Guild of the Philippines, announced that the Cannes Lions extended its invitation to a third Team Philippines. This would allow the country to vie in the Young Lion shootouts for Film, Cyber as well as Press—an incredible opportunity, by any measure.
He also revealed that The Creative Guild needed Php 500,000 to send a third team to Cannes. It was already concerned about funding even two teams, until the Ayala Foundation stepped in to help with the second one. However with the Young Kidlat competition only a week away and just two months to go till the Young Lions, a third team might as well be a pipe dream.
Guerrero called on Philippine ad agencies to help raise the money for its young creatives.
“Now we have an opportunity to boost the careers of another young team and improve the country’s creative profile abroad,” said Guerrero.
In previous years, the Philippine Daily Inquirer, the country’s official representative to the Cannes International Advertising Festival, paid for the travel expenses of Young Lion bets. But after 2008, the Creative Guild was forced to look for other benefactors. Following the global economic crisis of 2009, the Philippine Ad Congress and Brand Aid, the usual sponsors began to suffer from donor fatigue.
Leo Burnett ECD Raoul Panes, Kidlat competition chairman, urged his colleagues to heed Guerrero’s call.
“We must grab the opportunity to expose young talents to competitions abroad. We were able to prove [the value of doing so] two years ago when Nonie Tobias and Mela Advincula won Silver [in the Young Lions Print Competition]. Hopefully, we can duplicate that. Or do better.”
