Among the latest group of Grand Prix agency winners at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity were: R/GA New York and Volontaire, Stockholm, which each earned Cyber Grand Prix honors; Serviceplan, Munich, which copped the Design Grand Prix; and 72andSunny, Amsterdam, which earned the Press Grand Prix.
The latter came for United Colors of Benetton’s controversial “Unhate” campaign, specifically the spots “Paslestine & Israel,” “U.S. & Venezuela,” and “Germany & France,” each showing the leaders of those countries kissing one another on the lips. “U.S. & Venezuela,” for example, showed Presidents Barack Obama and Hugo Chavez locking lips.
Meanwhile R/GA garnered its Cyber Grand Prix for “Nike+ Fuel Band.” The genesis came two y ears ago when Nike presented R/GA with the idea of a device that tracks your daily activity and a common, universal metric called Fuel for every active body out there. They asked R/GA to design the entire user experience. The agency ensured ease of use: set your goal, and get from red to green. If you meet your goal, animations celebrate your performance. Hit a streak and Fuelie shows up to cheer you on. Data visualizations show where you were most active daily, weekly, monthly, and beyond. R/GA created Bluetooth synch technology so when you finish your day, your Fuel is wireless synced to the platform. NikeFuel levels the playing field, and fits into your life.
As for Volontaire’s Cyber Grand Prix recipient, the honor went to Swedish Institute/Visit Sweden’s “Curators of Sweden.”
The concept called for Sweden to become the first country to let go of an official communication channel and hand it over to its citizens. Ordinary Swedes are @sweden one week at a time. Tweet by tweet, the image of Sweden is built: dynamic, innovative and deeply human. The initiative drew 26,000 followers from 120 countries in six weeks. Real interaction, thousands of conversations. The project inspired 21 countries and cities to do the same and was featured in major media globally for a PR value of more than $19.8 million.
And winning the Design Grand Prix was Munich agency Serviceplan for Austria Solar’s “The Solar Annual Report 2011.” The entry was a printed annual report that could only be read under sunlight. Therefore, the most challenging part was to determine the right mixing ratio of the photochromatic colors, in order to render the report all white under artificial light. After much experimentation, the right amount of environmentally friendly photochromatic colors were deployed so that nothing could be seen without UV exposure. The remarkable presentation underscored Austria Solar as an innovative organization.
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt Reach Divorce Settlement After 8 Years
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have reached a divorce settlement, ending one of the longest and most contentious divorces in Hollywood history but not every legal issue between the two.
Jolie and Pitt signed off on a default declaration filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Monday, saying they have entered into a written agreement on their marital and property rights. The settlement was first reported by People magazine.
"More than eight years ago, Angelina filed for divorce from Mr. Pitt," Jolie's attorney, James Simon, said in a statement. "She and the children left all of the properties they had shared with Mr. Pitt, and since that time she has focused on finding peace and healing for their family. This is just one part of a long ongoing process that started eight years ago. Frankly, Angelina is exhausted, but she is relieved this one part is over."
The filing says they give up the right to any future spousal financial support, but gives no other details. A judge will need to sign off on the agreement. An email late Monday night to Pitt's attorney seeking comment was not immediately answered.
Jolie, 49, and Pitt, 61, were among Hollywood's most prominent pairings for 12 years, two of them as a married couple. The Oscar winners have six children together.
Jolie filed for divorce in 2016, after a private jet flight from Europe during which she said Pitt physically abused her and their children. The FBI and child services officials investigated Pitt's actions on the flight. Two months later, the FBI released a statement saying it would not investigate further, and the U.S. attorney did not bring charges.
A heavily redacted FBI report obtained by The Associated Press in 2022 said that an agent provided a probable cause... Read More