The first round of winners was unveiled today (6/17) at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, among the headliners being Ikea’s “ThisAbles” initiative from McCann, Tel Aviv, whereby the furniture retailer created add-ons for existing products to make them more accessible for people with disabilities.
Custom special-needs furniture is generally twice as expensive as regular furniture. Ikea Israel launched a line of add-ons free of charge that are available in-store and downloadable via 3D printer.–like larger sized couch legs that help people to more easily lift themselves off the couch, and a special handle that allows a wardrobe closet to be more easily opened and closed.
Health & Wellness Lions jury president Shaheed Peera, executive creative director of Publicis LifeBrands, Publicis Resolute and Real Science, global, said, “The world can be a cruel and heartless place at times. The Grand Prix demonstrated how brands can help normalize the everyday for the most marginalized in society.”
“ThisAbles” additionally won two of the five Gold Lions awarded in the Health & Wellness competition. Also earning Gold Lions were: Viva La Vulva for Essity’s Libresse and Body Form women’s health products out of AMVBBDO in London; Huawei’s campaign for its Storysign app, which helps deaf children read, from FCB Inferno, London; and the Street-Vet campaign for Purina veterinary diets by Craft Paris and Eddy in Paris.
Street-Vet also landed two Silver Lions while Viva La Vulva won one. Among other notable Silver Lion winners were the Monica Lewinsky anti-bullying #DefyTheName initiative from BBDO New York, and the documentary feature 5B for Johnson and Johnson from UM Studios in NY, directed by Dan Krauss via Saville Productions. The documentary tells the story of San Francisco General Hospital’s ward 5B, the first hospital division dedicated to treating people with AIDs. The 5B ward opened in 1983 and then transitioned to treating a broader spectrum of patients in the late 1990s.
The Health & Wellness Lions competition drew 1,186 entries from 52 countries. A total of 33 Lions were awarded: 1 Grand Prix, 5 Gold, 10 Silver and 17 Bronze.
On Track
On day one of the 2019 Cannes Lions, the Health Track–including the Health & Wellness Lions–and Communication Track competition results were revealed.
Topping the Pharma Lions Health Track was McCann Health, Shanghai, which picked up the Grand Prix for “Breath of Life,” a diagnostic tool for COPD for pharmaceutical company Glaxosmithkline (GSK).
Pharma Lions jury president Robin Shapiro of TBWAWorldHealth, global, commented: “COPD is one of the top three causes of death in China and it’s terribly underdiagnosed and undertreated. ‘Breath of Life’ combines Chinese blow art, creative data visualization, and mobile technology into one irresistibly engaging diagnostic tool. This is highly personalized health engagement with scalable human impact and is the essence of life changing creativity which is what Cannes Lions Health is all about.”
The Pharma Lions generated 363 entries from 23 countries. Eleven received Lions–1 Grand Prix, 2 Gold, 3 Silver and 5 Bronze Lions.
Meanwhile, no Lions Health Grand Prix for Good was awarded. Rajesh Mirchandani, chief communications officer, United Nations, explained: “This tells us that doing good is not the preserve of charities or the public sector anymore; companies are embracing the Sustainable Development Goals, and it’s time to think about maybe recalibrating this award so charities and brands embracing social responsibility alike are eligible.”
Communication Track
The Communication Track competitions–Design, Outdoor, and Print & Publishing Lions–were also bestowed this evening.
Google Creative Lab, New York, won the Design Grand Prix for Google’s “Creatability,” which explores how creative tools–drawing, music, and more–can be made more accessible using web and AI technology.
There were 1,469 entries from 65 countries for the Design Lions, with 47 Lions awarded: 1 Grand Prix, 6 Gold, 16 Silver and 24 Bronze Lions.
Meanwhile Wieden+Kennedy, Portland, ore., picked up the Outdoor Lions Grand Prix for Nike’s “Dream Crazy” starring Colin Kaepernick, an extension to the “Just Do It” campaign featuring high-profile athlete Kaepernick.
Outdoor Lions jury president John Patroulis, worldwide chief creative officer of Grey, said: “This particular category comes to life in so many different ways. A lot of the entries are using lots of new innovation and are creating new things. But we kept coming back to this campaign when we thought about the absolute single best piece of work in the show. Nothing lived up to the power of this image at this moment in time, culturally and in society.”
There were 2,389 Outdoor Lions entries from 66 countries with 65 campaigns winning Lions. The jury awarded 1 Grand Prix, 10 Gold, 20 Silver and 34 Bronze Lions.
Taking home the Print & Publishing Grand Prix was Impact BBDO, Dubai, for “The Blank Edition” for leading Lebanese daily newspaper, An-Nahar, issued as a form of protest of the political situation in Lebanon.
Print & Publishing drew 1,252 entries from 62 countries, with 32 Lions awarded: 1 Grand Prix, 6 Gold, 7 Silver and 18 Bronze.
Special awards
McCann Health was the Cannes Lions Healthcare Network of the Year, ahead of second place finisher FCB Health, and Havas Health & You, which took third place.
Cannes Lions Healthcare Agency of the Year was McCann Health, Shanghai. Area 23, an FCB Health Network company in NY, finished second, with third place going to Havas Lynx, Manchester.
Eleanor Adds Director Candice Vernon To Its Roster For Spots and Branded Content
Director Candice Vernon has joined production house Eleanor for U.S. representation spanning commercials and branded content. She has already wrapped several jobs at Eleanor, which waited to announce her until they had a body of work together.
Via Eleanor, Vernon made history as the first Black director on a Febreze commercial. The “Small Spaces” campaign marks a major departure from Febreze’s typical blue-and-white world. The home of the “Revolving Door” commercial is a beautiful array of bold sunset hues, African prints, and African art.
Vernon said, “I asked myself, what feels right to me? What feels new? I wanted to bring an essence of not just Black Americans but the full diaspora. I wanted to make a statement that we’re not a monolith.”
Following the success of the “Small Spaces” campaign, Febreze brought Vernon back for a comedy-infused trifecta exploring the hilarious situations that call for an air freshening hero.
Febreze Brand VP Angelica Matthews said, “About two years ago, we realized the consumers that were the most loyal to Febreze were the African American consumers. And the more we learned, the more we realized the richness that we were really missing. So we said we have to go beyond just Black casting, we need to get Black directors that truly understand the culture that truly understand how to bring authentic performances out on screen. We really looked around the industry and noticed there’s actually a shortage of African American directors who have experience doing commercials. When we all saw Candice’s reel, we could all tell the passion for the craft, passion for really trying to help us from where we are to where we’re trying to go.”
Vernon brings a unique lens to... Read More