22 July 2010

Cannes Lions: Stories Matter.... Ici!


Here's one of my favourite Gold Lion winners from the Cannes 2010 Advertising Festival held last month.

Months ago I'd received this video by viral email: a sign of popular consecration that eludes many award winning spots.

We know America's AMC for its tagline "Story Matters Here."  When France's Canal+ Pay TV channel launched an original series of films, docs & series, it's agency explored the same creative headspace.

Age of Persuasion followers will know we have long lauded the power of storytelling as a means of planting an idea or brand in people's heads. It was as true for Sheherazade as it is for today's Ad Agencies.

The joy of this wonderful short film is its transition from 'big' to 'small'- from epic adventure to bedroom farce- quicker than you can say "GĂ©rard Depardieu."

And how much humour it leverages from that gloriously abrupt 90-degree turn.




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ADENDUM:

Here's the spot recommended by Stupid in Regina, below:











19 July 2010

The 2010 Cannes Lions for Advertising



For a few short weeks each summer, the Cannes Advertising Lions winners are posted for all to see.

Then- poof! They're gone. Unless you're willing to shell out some serious Euros to see them.

Click here for a boo at the ads that won this year's film category- that includes online ads, and ads for TV and cinema.

Click here for the Radio Lion winners- the world's best radio ads of the past year.

Then let's meet back here in coming days.  I'll feature some of these ads, and we'll talk about why the caught the well-honed imaginations of the Cannes juries.