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.
AD&Co. Launches Studio A; Davida Hall To Head New Venture As Sr. Director of Creative Content
Female-founded and led creative marketing agency AD&Co. has opened Studio A. The new venture will serve as AD&Co.’s in-house social brand content division, focused on developing and producing digital programming for advertising, social media, and influencer marketing campaigns designed to reach today’s audiences on the most popular and pivotal platforms. Davida Hall has been named to head Studio A as sr. director of creative content. She shifts over from AD&Co. where she held the same title since December 2023. Hall’s affiliations prior to AD&Co. include PopSugar and Studio71.
Amy Demas, founder and chief creative officer of AD&Co., said, “We understand content is king-—or queen—and that our clients need to engage their customer communities where they live. That inspired the logical expansion of AD&Co with Studio A, which is committed to producing only the most engaging and authentic brand stories.”
Studio A will harness both AD&Co’s and Hall’s deep expertise in the lifestyle sector, as content creators and avid consumers. Specializing in reaching audiences where they spend their time, the studio is immersed in social media, pop culture, and current trends, expertly crafting visuals, language, and storytelling to reinforce client brand identities and cut through the noise.
Studio A debuts with the “This Is Me” campaign for Love + Craft + Beauty, a brand dedicated to embracing and promoting diversity within the beauty space. “This Is Me” highlights Gen Z’s affinity for radical self-expression that allows individuals to tell their own stories, free from labels, using beauty and fashion as tools of authenticity. The campaign showcases models celebrating their unique qualities to present... Read More