W+K's "Write The Future" A Big Winner; Droga5 Registers With Bing/Jay-Z Initiative and Puma Spot; Smuggler Wins Palme d'Or
By A SHOOT Staff Report
CANNES, France --Wieden+Kennedy won the coveted Film Grand Prix at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity for the second consecutive year–except this time it was W+K Amsterdam and London that scored with its Nike “Write The Future” commercial directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu of Independent, London, and bicoastal Anonymous Content. Last year, W+K’s Portland, Ore. office took the Grand Prix for Old Spice’s “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” directed by Tom Kuntz of MJZ.
“Write The Future” is a soccer-star laden spot in which the world’s greatest players envision their future if they and their teams perform well at the World Cup. Unfortunately the flip side reveals a future of disgrace and ridicule if they perform poorly. The cause and effect, though, goes much deeper than that as nations’ economies and mindsets–like the fans who live vicariously through their favorite teams and players–flourish or suffer accordingly depending on the World Cup outcome.
While W+K continued its pattern of Grand Prix success during tonight’s awards ceremony at Cannes, Droga5 soared to new Grand Prix heights with three such honors this year–two for Bing/Jay Z’s “Decode Jay-Z with Bing” initiative. The out-of-home experience had people on a scavenger hunt to find pages of Jay-Z’s autobiography hidden outdoors in 13 cities. Those folks who first found a page and checed in on a Bing-sponsored website got the chance to win tickets to Jay-Z concerts for life. Tonight the campaign won the Integrated Grand Prix, just a few days after earning the Outdoor Grand Prix.
Droga5 also won tonight’s Film Craft Grand Prix for Puma’s “After Hours Athlete” commercial depicting night-time casual athletes such as bowlers, billiards and darts players. The spot was directed by Ringan Ledwidge of Smuggler.
No Titanium Grand Prix was bestowed this year as judges concluded that no work merited the honor.
Film Gold
Nike’s “Write The Future” wasn’t the only favorite going into Cannes that came out a winner. Two lauded spots from this year’s Super Bowl also scored Film Gold Lions–Volkswagen’s “The Force” directed by Lance Acord of Park Pictures for Deutsch LA; and Chrysler’s “Born of Fire” directed by Samuel Bayer of Serial Pictures for Wieden+Kennedy, Portland.
“Write The Future,” “The Force” and “Born of Fire” each also scored two Film Craft Gold Lions.
For a full rundown of Grand Prix and Gold Lion winners, check here.
Palme d’Or
Puma’s “After Hours Athlete” was one element in a body of work that earned Smuggler the Palme d’Or. In fact four of the top five production houses in the Palme d’Or derby were from the U.S.
Smuggler was followed by O Positive with MJZ finishing third. Taking fourth place was the U.K.’s Stink. And earning fifth place distinction was Hungry Man.
Crisp Grand Prix
Taking the inaugural Creative Effectiveness Grand Prix was Abbott Mead Vickers/BBDO London for a Walkers Crisps initiative which brought excitement to the town of Sandwich, Kent, underscoring Walkers’ complimentary snack prowess to a lunch sandwich.
Bringing excitment to Sandwich and the sandwich were a series of celeb-featured events in the small town. The transformation of the sleepy Sandwich into a vibrant, buzz-generating town fueled web chatter, PR and the like, bringing Walkers crisps to a more top-of-mind status when it comes to lunch planning. Brown bagging took on a new crispy dimension.
Park Pictures Signs Director Rachel Morrison
Park Pictures now represents director Rachel Morrison for commercial filmmaking. Morrison first came into prominence as a cinematographer, working on indie features, television, and blockbuster hits, which put her on the path toward her directing career. Her feature film directorial debut, “The Fire Inside,” is set for wide theatrical release by MGM on Christmas Day 2024.
Morrison has a background in photojournalism and a master’s degree from the American Film Institute. She made history as the first woman nominated for an Academy Award for Best Cinematography for her work on “Mudbound,” directed by Dee Rees. Morrison was also the first woman to lens a Marvel film, “Black Panther.” She also served as cinematographer for hit movies like “Dope,” “Fruitvale Station,” and the Emmy-nominated Netflix documentary “What Happened Miss Simone?”
As a director, Morrison has helmed many campaigns for brands like IKEA, Netflix, Gap, Michelob Ultra, Ford, a spot for Nissan starring Brie Larson, and a Coach ad starring Michael B. Jordan. She also directed many episodes of television for shows like “The Mandalorian,” “The Morning Show,” “American Crime Story: Impeachment,” “Hightown,” and “American Crime.”
“I believe in humanity above all else,” remarked Morrison. “Park Pictures similarly puts emotional and relatable storytelling first. Everyone I’ve met there is driven to push the envelope forward and create memorable and visual films. I’m excited to sign with Park and look forward to furthering my commercial career with them.”
Jackie Kelman Bisbee, founding partner of Park Pictures, added, “Her work is at once grounded and elegant. She deeply understands everyone’s process both behind the... Read More