The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity has received a total of 26,992 entries for this year’s awards, an increase of 6% from 2022.
Lions CEO Simon Cook said, “The shifts in the work that’s been entered provides us with a powerful insight into the industry landscape and the emerging trends. A high increase in submissions made directly from consumer product brand companies demonstrates the value being placed on creativity that drives business. The strong engagement across a breadth of Lions including emerging areas like B2B, Gaming, Commerce and Business Transformation shows us that there is a growing confidence and investment in non-traditional channels. Over the next week, our Juries will curate a body of Lion-worthy work and set the global benchmark that will propel us into the year ahead, supporting those using creativity to drive progress.”
In its inaugural year, the Entertainment Lions for Gaming received 609 submissions, demonstrating the increase of collaboration between brands and the growing gaming industry. Lions chairman Philip Thomas commented, “The number of submissions received in its first year shows a really strong engagement with the Gaming Lion and is testament to the relevance and opportunity that gaming now holds within the creative marketing community. We’re excited to see the body of work that emerges from this Lion, and I’d like to thank the jury in advance for setting the very first benchmark in creativity in Gaming and showing what is possible in this hugely exciting area.”
Some of the Lions with increased engagement include the Brand Experience & Activation Lions which have seen an increase of 16%, compared to 2022, reflecting brands’ renewed focus on enhancing customer experience and brand building. The Creative Strategy Lions have increased by 35%, recognizing the application of creative solutions that allow brands to unlock sustainable growth and measure impact effectively. Now in its third year, the Creative Business Transformation Lions have seen a 59% increase, demonstrating how creativity is a driving force behind successful businesses going through a time of change. The Creative Commerce Lions have increased 25% year over year (YOY), demonstrating an area of high innovation in creative customer journeys and paths to purchase. Outdoor Lions have seen an increase of 7% in submissions; partly driven by the FMCG sector where entries grew by 30% YOY and also from the travel sector which saw an 84% increase YOY. The Entertainment Lions–which sit at the intersection of branded content and culture–have increased 18% YOY and saw a 78% jump in submissions from the consumer services sector.
Additional growth includes: Glass: The Lion for Change up 30% YOY, as well as Innovation Lions with a 30% YOY increase.
Jury members from across the world have now convened in Cannes to judge and award world-class creativity. The winners of the Lions will be announced at the Award Shows taking place each evening throughout the Festival, from June 19-23.
Sony reports healthy profits on strong sales of sensors and games
Sony's profit rose 69% in July-September from a year earlier on the back of strong sales of its image sensors, games, music and network services, the Japanese electronics and entertainment company said on Friday.
Quarterly profit was 338.5 billion yen ($2.2 billion), up from 200 billion yen in the year-earlier period, while consolidated quarterly sales edged up 3% year-on-year to 2.9 trillion yen ($19 billion).
Tokyo-based Sony's latest quarterly results were boosted by healthy demand around the world for image sensors used in mobile products.
Sales also held up in its video games division. During the latest quarter, 3.8 million PlayStation 5 game consoles were sold globally, compared with 4.9 million units sold the same period a year ago.
Demand remained strong for PS5 game software, according to Sony.
The top-selling music releases from Sony for the quarter included "SOS" by SZA, David Gilmour's "Luck and Strange" and Kenshi Yonezu's "Lost Corner."
One area where Sony's business suffered was its pictures division, including TV shows and movies, which was impacted by production delays caused by the strikes in Hollywood.
Among the recent hit films from Sony was "It Ends With Us," a romantic drama based on a novel.
Sony, which also makes digital cameras and TVs, maintained its 980-billion yen ($6.4 billion) profit forecast for the fiscal year through March 2025, up 1% from the previous fiscal year.
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