Wieden+Kennedy, Portland, Ore., chalked up three Grand Prix honors at the 2010 Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival–two on the strength of its Nike Livestrong “Chalkbot” initiative which took the Integrated Grand Prix last night (6/26) after earlier in the week earning the Cyber Grand Prix (tying with Volkswagen’s “Fun Theory” out of DDB Stockholm). Also during the closing Saturday evening proceedings, W+K’s Old Spice commercial, “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like,” won the Film Grand Prix. “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” was directed by Tom Kuntz of MJZ, which earned the Palme d’Or as top production house.
RSA Films too made a bit of production company history as its Philips short film The Gift, directed by Carl Erik Rinsch for DDB London, won the Grand Prix in Cannes’ inaugural Film Craft competition. The Gift was one of the films in Philips’ “Parallel Lines” series of shorts.
Getting back to the double Grand Prix honoree “Chalkbot”–a prime campaign which helped W+K earn SHOOT 2009 Agency of the Year distinction last December–creatives came up with an inspired take on the Tour de France tradition of spectators writing chalk messages of encouragement along the course roads, exhorting their favorite cyclists onto victory.
W+K’s idea called for Livestrong and the Lance Armstrong Foundation to use the roads as a canvas for heartfelt feelings, encouraging people to chalk messages of hope to those battling cancer, and tributes to survivors as well as to the memories of those who have passed on.
The street writing means toward that end was what became known as the Nike “Chalkbot,” a robot on wheels meshing hardware and software, effectively bringing the roads of France to everyone. By sending a message to the Chalkbot through SMS, web banners, Twitter or Wearyellow.com, people around the world made their mark in yellow. Over the course of a month during the Tour de France, the “Chalkbot” gained thousands of followers on Twitter, received tens of thousands of messages and printed thousands of them over 13 stages of the Tour de France while driving several thousand miles during the 25-day event.
The messages of hope and inspiration brought together a community of cancer patients, survivors and loved ones. More than 5,400 messages were printed on Tour de France roads. Messages also appeared in videos, online and during the coverage of the Tour de France on the Versus television network. There was no paid media for Livestrong on Versus–just coverage during the stages of the race. Satellite feed from French helicopters provided a breathtaking, inspiring bird’s-eye view of messages of encouragement and in memoriam.
Film Grand Prix
Meanwhile, the Old Spice brand has been invigorated by W+K’s humorous brand of ad humor, perhaps most notably in “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” in which a good looking, somewhat self-absorbed man tells the ladies watching to look at their man and then at him. While they cannot have him, they can have a man who smells like him if their significant other used Old Spice instead of a female-scented body wash.
“The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” beat out two other main contenders for the Film Grand Prix: Gatorade’s “Replay” branded content from TBWAChiatDay, Los Angeles; and the Johnnie Walker online film The Man Who Walked Around The World, directed by Jamie Rafn of HLA, London, for agency BBH London.
Grand time
Directed by the duo of Kris Belman and Scott Balcerek from production house Caviar, Gatorade’s “Replay” earlier in the week won the Cannes PR and Promo Grand Prix honors.
Meanwhile, Crispin Porter+Bogusky, Boulder, Colo., had a grand time as well, scoring the Titanium Grand Prix on the basis of Best Buy’s Twelpforce which introduced us to a workforce of Best Buy tech-savvy professionals who are available via Twitter to address questions from and to help solve problems for consumers.
Earning the inaugural Grand Good kudo was AMV BBDO, London, for its Metropolitan Police anti-crime campaign “Choose Your Own Ending.”
As for the other aforementioned inaugural Grand Prix–which was in the Film Craft competition–the winner was the Rinsch-directed short entitled The Gift. This sci-fi thriller introduces us to a dystopian future. It’s a winter’s day in Moscow, but the familiar landscape is not all it seems. A KGB agent is on his way to deliver a special gift. Expressionless and giving off the aura of emptiness, the lone man makes his way across the city. As the secret of the gift is unveiled to the recipient, the desire for the object becomes evident. The agent must have it–even at the cost of a man’s life. A high octane chase through Moscow ensues as the dead man’s robotic butler tries to rescue the precious gift, which must not be left in the wrong hands.
Film Craft Gold Lions
The Gift additionally earned a Film Craft Gold Lion in the Special Effects & Computer Graphics category. Big Lazy Robot (JJ Palonol/Jeff Julian) handled effects and computer graphics, with MPC London serving as post house.
Taking Film Craft Gold Lions in the Direction and Copywriting categories was Yasmin Ahmad for the Ministry of Community Development, Youth & Sports’ “Funeral” out of Leo Burnett/Arc Worldwide, Singapore.
The Film Craft Gold Lion for Cinematography was bestowed upon DP Greig Fraser for his work on Xbox Halo 3: ODST’s “The Life” directed by Rupert Sanders of MJZ for T.A.G. (now Agency215), San Francisco.
Film Craft Gold Lions for Animation spanned three pieces of work: BBC’s “Winter Olympics” produced by Studio AKA, London (directed by Marc Craste of AKA who co-designed with Jon Klassen), for Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe/Y&R, London; SOS Atlantic Forest Foundation’s “Invocation” directed by Fernando Sanches of Prodigo Films, Sao Paulo, Brazil, for F/Nazca Saatchi & Saatchi, Sao Paulo; and the New Zealand Book Council’s “Going West” directed by Line and Martin Andersen of Andersen M. Studio, Auckland, N.Z., for Colenso BBDO, Auckland. Line Andersen handled the animation.
The latter spot also garnered a Film Craft Gold Lion in Sound Design for Mikkel H. Ericksen of Instrument Studio, London. “Going West” helmers Line and Martin Andersen earlier this year gained inclusion into SHOOT‘s 2010 New Directors Showcase.
Rounding out the Film Craft Gold Lions were two honorees in the Best Use of Music category: Match.com’s “Piano” directed by Si & Ad of Academy Films, London, for Mother, London, with music from Squeak E Clean; and Deutschen Tierschutzbund Anti-Animal Testing Appeal’s “A Piece of Mind” for Grey Worldwide, Dusseldorf, with Bluwi Music & Sound Design handling music and sound.
Agency kudos
Other prime 2010 Cannes honors include Agency of the Year distinction being bestowed upon AlmapBBDO in Brazil, BBDO being named Agency Network of the Year, Crispin Porter+Bogusky, Boulder, Colo., earning Interactive Agency of the Year, Leo Burnett, Sydney copping Media Agency of the Year, and Jung Von Matt, Hamburg, winning the inaugural mantle of Independent Agency of the Year.
For a full rundown of winners at Cannes, including Gold, Silver and Bronze Lion recipients, click here.
