Regarding his approach to the upcoming Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival (June 21-27) for which he is a Titanium & Integrated Lions judge, Rich Silverstein, co-chairman/creative director of Goodby, Silverstein & Partners (GSP), San Francisco, said he has opted to keep his “head in the sand.” And he’s not referring to the famed beaches in the South of France.
Silverstein explained, “I’ve made it a point not to look at anything before I get to Cannes. You shouldn’t look at the work in isolation. You should see it up against its peers.”
This month will mark Silverstein’s first tour of duty as a Cannes judge–and for that matter his first time attending the Festival. Up until this year, he limited his annual attendance to this part of the world to cycling’s Tour de France. An avid cyclist, Silverstein said he finally relented when it came to turning out for the Cannes Fest.
“I had put it off long enough. Cannes has become so important in the zeitgeist of advertising. Though I must admit that spending a week in a dark room in the South of France seems like torture.”
For some relief from the darkened screening room, Silverstein will bring his bicycle. “At the end of each day of judging, I’m clearing my head and heading for the mountains.”
Clearly Silverstein is looking forward to a view that goes beyond that of a higher altitude. “When [his GSP partner] Jeff [Goodby] came back from judging, he affirmed to me that “you just have to experience Cannes to understand why it’s so powerful,” related “Silverstein. “I’m looking forward to seeing the world’s work. Sure we see North America and some things in Europe during the course of the year. But to see how the whole world comes together and competes–to see that entire year’s body of worthwhile work–has got to be inspiring.”
The economy Yet while Silverstein will be at Cannes for the first time, many other regular attendees won’t make be making the trip as the global recession has impacted their travel plans.
Also impacted is the number of submissions to the competition as this year’s tally of 22,652 entries represents a nearly 20 percent drop as compared to the field of entries during a record breaking 2008.
For example, entries for Film Lions are down a whopping 25.4 percent. Cyber Lion entries plummeted 20 percent as compared to the total in ’08. Press Lions decreased by 32 percent, Direct Lions by nearly 20 percent, Titanium & Integrated Lions by a touch under seven percent.
Design Lions went up a tick over one percent while a new component of the Fest, the PR Lions, scored 431 entries in its first go-around.
On the attendance front, no figures had yet been released but some estimates pegged a decline in ’09 of as much as 40 percent as compared to last year.
Still, the troubled economy has a silver lining according to several Cannes judges. Lars Bastholm, president of the Cyber Lions jury and chief digital creative officer for Ogilvy North America, had recently wrapped some pre-judging, weeding out certain entries, as SHOOT went to press. “There was a lot of good stuff submitted and based on that I don’t think the economy has negatively impacted Cannes in terms of the quality of the work,” Bastholm assessed. “In some respects, in the digital arena, challenging economic times are conducive to more creativity and inventiveness emerging. And our cut-off point for this year’s work was March 30, meaning you might see even more of that creativity reflected in next year competition.”
Bastholm added, “Digital is coming of age. Production value has increased to Hollywood quality. Years ago we might have thought, ‘wouldn’t it be awesome of we could do this or that.’ Well now you can. Capabilities have grown to where if you can dream it, you can do it in digital.”
David Lubars, president of the Film and Press juries, and chairman/chief creative officer of BBDO North America, related, “The economy means we have to do a lot more with a lot less. Clients have had to cut their budgets. So creativity becomes all the more important–it’s the great equalizer. The power of creativity can be an economic multiplier. There’s no scientific way to measure how much sizzle you have in your work. It’s very subjective. It’s all about the inspiration and creativity that the human mind can come up with to delight other minds. The closest thing we have to determining if one has been successful in this are shows like Cannes. The power and emotion your work has is an important metric. Shoestring budgets force you to come up with great ideas.”
Lisa Bennett, chief creative officer of DDB West (San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle), is serving as a judge on the Cannes Film jury. “I’m looking forward to seeing fresh approaches to film. You have to be fresh and unique not only with challenged budgets but also with the challenge of how to break through in a marketplace with so many different platforms vying for consumers’ attention.”
Bennett said the 20 percent reduction in Cannes entries is “understandable” in light of the recession. But she doesn’t think the drop in quantity will translate into a decrease in quality. “If anything, agencies are probably being much more selective about work they enter. They are only submitting their very best work, which I think will make for a strong show.”
Susan Bonds, president/CEO of 42 Entertainment, Pasadena, Calif., is a Cyber Lions juror, her first stint as a Cannes Lions judge, but she is certainly no stranger to the competition. 42 Entertainment won the Cyber Grand Prix at the ’08 Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival on the strength of Nine Inch Nails’ “Year Zero,” a unique concept album combining music with multimedia and interactive storytelling.
Acknowledging that attendance at the Cannes Fest next week “may not be what it has been in years past with people counting their pennies,” Bonds nonetheless sees significant value in being on hand for the proceedings, particularly as a judge. “Cannes is a showcase of the best of the best. You get to meet with and compare notes with people who face the same challenges as you do. Being able to interact with people at Cannes and see great work can help you come up with some answers to such questions as: How can we be more creative in our approach? How can we break through to reach consumers? How do we best cope with the economic challenges we all face? I think the bottom line is that you can find inspiration at Cannes.”
Predictions reel Relative to the economy, Mark Tutssel, chief creative officer of Leo Burnett USA, affirmed, “Creativity is your primary business asset. Creativity will be the compass that points the way out of deep recession.”
Tutssel presides over Burnett’s annual Cannes Predictions reel, showcasing 50 contenders likely to earn a coveted Lion. “Based on the work we went through and selected for the reel, we’re seeing far more innovation, far more imagination, experimentation and creativity,” he assessed.
“The crippling economy we find ourselves operating in is forcing agencies and communication companies to think in a far more inventive way. People now have to find newer ways to connect in surprising, engaging and rewarding ways. You’re seeing different types of work, a huge migration to innovation, to Titanium thinking, category-defying thinking.”
Tutssel cited Burger King’s “Whopper Sacrifice” out of Crispin Porter+Bogusky, as leveraging Facebook in a way so new that even the social networking site wasn’t sure what to make of it.
The Burnett chief creative officer also pointed to the BBH New York launch of Oasis “Dig Out Your Soul” album, a campaign in which street musicians performed their interpretations of the Oasis songs at Manhattan venues well before the actual release of the album/CD.
“This was a very innovative new way of launching an album and weaving it into the fabric of New York City and appealing to Oasis fans,” said Tutssel. “It’s a great example of creating interactions between people and brands. People are now experiencing interaction with brands across different contact points.”
The state of the economy, continued Tutssel, has also translated into a reduction of blockbuster big budget spots in the Film category as compared to years past at Cannes. Still, that doesn’t mean there isn’t a place for some big production value. Tutssel cited as examples the Hovis bread’s “Go On Lad,” a brand retrospective spot showcasing an epic journey through history, out of London agency Miles Calcraft Briginshaw Duffy; Sony’s “Foam City” via Fallon London; and T-Mobile’s “Dance” from Saatchi & Saatchi, London.
Among the other work on Burnett’s Cannes Predictions reel was: Doritos “Hotel 626” (an integrated campaign linking mobile, Twitter, Facebook and a faux documentary to a rich yet terrifying web universe) out of GSP; the NBA’s “There Can Only Be One” campaign, also from GSP; Skittles’ “Tailor” TV commercial from TBWAChiatDay, New York; and the Shelter PSA “House of Cards” (deploying music from Radiohead), created by Leo Burnett, London.
