The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity has held the first of four awards ceremonies to honor the winners of the Promo & Activation, PR and Direct Lions categories.
The Promo & Activation Grand Prix and the Direct Grand Prix were awarded to Crispin Porter + Bogusky‘s “Small Business Gets an Official Day” for American Express. In the PR category JWT San Juan took home Puerto Rico’s first ever Grand Prix for “The Most Popular Song” for Banco Popular de Puerto Rico.
Of the 2,667 entries submitted in the Promo & Activation category, a 26% increase versus last year, 251 were shortlisted from which 86 were selected as winners by the international jury led by Nick Worthington, creative chairman, Colenso BBDO New Zealand. Along with the Grand Prix a further 17 Gold, 26 Silver and 42 Bronze Lions were also awarded.
Meanwhile, 2,357 entries were submitted into the Direct Lions category, an increase of 27% compared to 2011. 227 went on to make the shortlist of which 15 Gold, 25 Silver and 44 Bronze Lions were awarded. Gideon Amichay, former chief creative officer, joint managing partner of Shalmor Avnon Amichay/Y&R Interactive Tel Aviv, presided over the Direct Lions jury.
The PR category received 1,130 entries, up 38% from last year. The jury, chaired by Gail Heimann, vice chair of Weber Shandwick, shortlisted 134 and went on to award 20 Gold, 22 Silver and 26 Bronze Lions bringing the total number of winners in the category to 69.
The prestigious Direct Agency of the Year award was won by Serviceplan Munich with Wieden+Kennedy Portland coming in second and DDB Brasil São Paulo taking third.
All of the Promo & Activation, PR and Direct Lions winners along with their credits can be viewed online at www.canneslions.com/work.
Delegates attending the Festival have already experienced an exceptional content program with seminars coming from, amongst others, GroupM & Renren, The Globe and Mail, PARTY, Visa & TBWA and Cheil Worldwide. This year has also seen the introduction of The Forum, a new stream of content offering in-depth insight into the key industry issues, which saw six sessions taking place today including PMK*BNC and Kraft Foods.
The three Academies have also kicked off. The Roger Hatchuel Academy allows students a week of unrivalled learning and experiences, while the Creative Academy for Young Marketers provides intensive insight and training for young professionals working for client marketers, and the newly launched Creative Academy with Bob Isherwood gives Young Creatives already working in the industry the space to develop their talent and expand their personal creativity.
Trump Asks Supreme Court To Delay TikTok Ban
President-elect Donald Trump asked the Supreme Court on Friday to pause the potential TikTok ban from going into effect until his administration can pursue a "political resolution" to the issue.
The request came as TikTok and the Biden administration filed opposing briefs to the court, in which the company argued the court should strike down a law that could ban the platform by Jan. 19 while the government emphasized its position that the statute is needed to eliminate a national security risk.
"President Trump takes no position on the underlying merits of this dispute. Instead, he respectfully requests that the Court consider staying the Act's deadline for divestment of January 19, 2025, while it considers the merits of this case," said Trump's amicus brief, which supported neither party in the case and was written by D. John Sauer, Trump's choice for solicitor general.
The argument submitted to the court is the latest example of Trump inserting himself in national issues before he takes office. The Republican president-elect has already begun negotiating with other countries over his plans to impose tariffs, and he intervened earlier this month in a plan to fund the federal government, calling for a bipartisan plan to be rejected and sending Republicans back to the negotiating table.
He has been holding meetings with foreign leaders and business officials at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida while he assembles his administration, including a meeting last week with TikTok CEO Shou Chew.
Trump has reversed his position on the popular app, having tried to ban it during his first term in office over national security concerns. He joined the TikTok during his 2024 presidential campaign and his team used it to connect with younger... Read More