Bob Garfield about Cannes: "It will be a year of breathtaking inventiveness and understood the absurd"

Bob Garfield, the famous American advertising analyst and columnist, collaborating with the publication AdAge, gives his predictions about the winners of the Cannes Lions and those who can get the Grand Prix in the category of Film.





- If Leo Burnett Cannes forecast is some indication, but it always is they, the 55th International Advertising Festival will be a performance decay of a limited recklessness. Of the 50 candidates bernettovskih at least 11 represent a category that we call "criminal pereprodakshn weak or non-existent ideas." The category is always present in Cannes, but rarely in such a painful variety.

Herringbone, an Australian manufacturer of clothes, (the agency M & C Saatchi, Sydney) tells us the tedious drama about a man with tiny handles. The Madrid Metro (McCann-Erickson, Spain) imagines the subway in the Philippine village. FedEx (BBDO, New York) announces its support for the ideal of giant pigeons. Brylcreem (WCRS, London) digitizes magical Man in the comfortable apartment because Brylcreem - hold your breath - easy to use. Skoda Fabia (Fallon, London) is building a machine from the test.












It's all so grotesque, but it is difficult to understood. Bernettovskie "predictors" of Cannes and all the advertising battle with the dominance of the Internet. But not only does online marketing advertising industry is outdated, it's really boring to look at the audience. The festival has always been primarily an apologist for the cult television commercials. For lip-service and formal knowledge of the digital reality, he still is. Please note that the highlight of the festival again, Saatchi & Saatchi New Directors' Showcase. And there will be no program New Code Writers' Showcase.


However, do not be alarmed. It Sunset Boulevard, there are devious driveways. Cannes is still different patterns breathtaking inventiveness.

Shreddies (Ogilvy, Toronto) turned their squares at 45 degrees, and "reset" them as Diamond Shreddies. Brilliant and amazing. Coke Zero (Crispin Porter & Bogusky, Miami) have invited real lawyers dealing with intellectual property in its headquarters in Atlanta to meet with (fake) examples, branded as a Coke, so they filed a lawsuit against Coke Zero for "assault on taste ". Even more original move using a hidden camera suggested the same agency for Burger King. Crispin has offered Burger King said its customers that the Whopper, iconic sandwich network will no longer be produced and sold. And then, the agency has removed an angry reaction from visitors. Then there was another campaign that CP + B linked the VC and «The Simpsons Movie», using online components pozvoyalyuschih users' simpsonizirovat "themselves. The ideal mechanism for viral spread.













JWT, Sydney gave us isteryaschego and jumping teenage joy that the ancestors showed her shiny new hatchback with a large bow on the roof. The girl does not know that this office rental Thrifty. In order to demonstrate the fact that drivers do not notice what they did not expect to see, Transport for London (WCRS, London) makes the audience focus on the athletes pass the ball around the fact that we have not noticed. In the middle of the players bear depicts the moonwalk. There followed a standing ovation.







For the Grand Prix of these candidates is not enough merely superiority. Three other missing.

For us, the campaign - a Microsoft Xbox «Halo 3» (McCann-Erickson TAG, San Francisco). The center of this multi-platform campaign - 3 clips, each of which is a "documentary interview", held 500 years of our time, after an epic battle between humans and aliens. These reminiscences of the final battle - masterly performance from everyone who participated in their creation. Then, with the help of online and offline, indoor and outdoor advertising is a narrative "hanged" to the audience. And the audience responded to it that made Halo 3, the most successful in the history of the game Launch.
But you will appreciate the members of the jury and expansive campaign or experience information overload? We fear the latter.






No such risk in the case of "Gorilla", a charming and unexpected roll / virus for Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate (Fallon, London). This close-up of a primate, reacting to an old song by Phil Collins. Why is that? Unclear. Then begins the drum solo; Departure back, and we see that the gorilla playing the drums - quite sincerely, we should add. The strategy was - to change the perception of the brand. And it worked. But adding to the above: gorilla drummer for chocolates? This is one of those movies that leave you in awe.





But no matter how amazing and fun «Gorilla», it lacks weight. Therefore, we think that the Grand Prix will get another: BBDO, New York for a campaign for Monster.

As we said in February, animated spot "Stork" is based on a simple, powerful idea that only expertly implemented. The video is very poetic, as he silently tells us the saga of the stork, to overcome the distance and difficulties on the way, to bring the boy to his new home. At the end of the journey we see a close-up, like a baby yawning. The story takes place many years later.
Young man yawns in the late evening he sits in his office surrounded by clutter, and makes his deadly boring and endless work. This is the baby, is now quite mature. Stork sitting at the window and looking inside, his face disappointment. Tagline: «Are you reaching your potential?» (~ Did you achieve your potential?)
This is - a piece of art, masterfully giving to understand that a child and an adult - the same people. We are sure that all the members of the jury are familiar with this work, and there is no confusion and misunderstandings arise. These works of art are rare.



via # image696855