Cannes or Bust » Cannes Lions

Mofilm and Paper from Portugal offer trip to Cannes Lions 2012

Cannes or Bust — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 16:15:18 +0000

A little news to possibly cheer up filmmakers. Mofilm and Paper From Portugal are running a contest to send a film or video about Portuguese paper to the Cannes Lions 2012. The winner will spend three days at the world’s foremost advertising trade fair with the guest of their choice (let me check my diary).

Apart from the fun of being in Cannes, the prospect of making some serious contacts is very high. Through the medium of film, Paper from Portugal wants you to help them raise online awareness of the fact that their high quality brands are creating more forests and a better future.

Needless to say, a brief is available on the Mofilm site which you will find here. Deadline, May 28 2012.

Check for accommodation during

Cannes Lion 2012 now

Cannes Lions busts Moma Propaganda

Cannes or Bust — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 09:12:06 +0000

Ghost ads are the bane of Cannes Lions. The event specifies that all entries must be able to prove that work submitted was actually carried out for a “fee-paying client”. Yet every year, awards are withdrawn when it is found that this is not the case.

The latest agency to be busted by Cannes Lions is Brazilian agency Moma Propaganda, who lost their Silver Lion in the Press category and the Bronze Lion in Outdoor for the Kia Motors air conditioning dual zone campaign ‘Teacher’ and ‘Princess’.

The ads proved controversial in Cannes itself, due to their portrayal of a man with young girls, and wre immediately dubbed the “paedophile” ads. They also proved too much for car manufacturer Kia, which pointed out that they had never commissioned them, had never worked with Moma and found them “very inappropriate”.

The agency is now banned from submitting work next year. This will doubtless fuel discussions again about how to eliminate ghosts before they reach the finals.

IKEA to be advertiser of year at Cannes

Cannes or Bust — Fri, 27 May 2011 10:25:32 +0000

Big news from Cannes is that the prestigious Advertiser of the Year Award at the Cannes Lions will go to the Swedish home furnishing retail company IKEA. The award is given to advertisers who “have distinguished themselves for inspiring innovative marketing of their products and who embrace and encourage the creative work produced by their agencies”.

According to the release, IKEA encourages creative, unconventional and humorous advertising to raise awareness of their brand and drive people to enter their stores. The marketing strategy is based around their idea of offering a wide range of well designed, functional home furnishing products at prices so low that as many people as possible can afford them. IKEA localises its global target market and creates campaigns that vary significantly across territories and adapt to the marketing conditions and cultural sensibilities of each country.

Strong relationships
IKEA won their first Cannes Lion in 1991, and have gone on to win 50 Lions across all categories since then, including the Film Grand Prix in 2003 for ‘Lamp’ and a Titanium Lion in 2010 for ‘Facebook Showroom’.

“IKEA’s approach to its marketing and communications, with its decentralised structure and strong relationships with many different kinds of agencies, has been hugely successful over many years,” says Philip Thomas, Cannes Lions CEO. “The company’s superb track record at Cannes reveals a clarity of vision and an enviable willingness to allow its agencies to truly flex their creative muscles. We congratulate both IKEA and its many agencies across many countries on this well-deserved honour.”

The Advertiser of the Year trophy will be presented in Cannes to Noel Wijsmans, Global Retail Manager and Vice President of IKEA Group, during the Film, Film Craft, Titanium & Integrated and Creative Effectiveness Lions on Saturday 25 June 2011.

The only question left is: will the trophy be presented as a kit?

Visit Cannes for free for the festival

Cannes or Bust — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 08:33:20 +0000

Headline news: most people would like to visit Cannes for free for the Cannes Film Festival . Who would have thunk? Luckily, many brands like to associate themselves with the festival and organise competitions with a range of prizes that include hotels, red carpet events and the glamour of being in Cannes for the world’s foremost movie event.

We’ll be announcing competitions at they come up, so expect regular updates here. Remember, this is a worldwide event, so some of the competitions might be restricted to specific countries. Read the rules and regulations before taking part. If you hear of any competitions in your country, please drop a note in the comments section. You could be giving someone the journey of a lifetime!

First up is the Stella Artois competition based on the fictional character Jacques d’Azur (photo). They are running an online casting call for someone to play his role in a short to be shown at the festival. Details here. Deadline March 31.
French singer Jean Roch (“My Love is Over”) is organising a competition for a weekend in Cannes through his Facebook page (in French).
Delhi Duty Free is running a competition with Chivas until March 31. If you buy a certain number of bottles, you are entered into a draw for a 24-hour luxury VIP experience with red carpet treatment, a helicopter shuttle and a night at the Martinez. See Delhi Duty Free (not many details, though!)
Young advertising creatives might be interested in The Guardian’s competition that will see one person attend the Cannes Lions event and mix with the great and creative of the advertising world See The Guardian.
Another Cannes Lions competition, this one from YouTube. Details on Good Work. I can’t see a deadline.
If you’re between 18 and 25 and live in France, you might want to try and become a member of the jury for the Prix de la Jeunesse (Youth Prize). Details in French.
Australian bloggers can try their luck with Blockbuster SuperBlogger‘s prize of 5 VIP days in Cannes reporting on the event. The idea is that you create a film-related blog and get lots of people to read it. Hang on, that’s competition for me! Good luck anyway. Details here.
German visitors might want to try and win two nights in a four-star hotel with flights, courtesy of women’s magazine Laviva. As far I can see, you just have to send a postcard! Try it here.
Electrolux in the UK are running a competition with three nights of VIP treatment and a red carpet premiere (plus other goodies). Check here before April 12.
Condé Nast has a weekend at the Marriott (formerly the Palais Stéphanie) for two people from the UK. Nice prize. Try your luck here.
UK visitors can enter the Cinémoi/Air France/Hotel Martinez competition. All you have to do is spot the stars that were there last year. Easy? Then start here.
Armenians might want to try their luck with Orange Armenia. Voice subscribers who will use the Orange Kino service until May 8, will get the chance to win a VIP guest package. Details here.
Italian readers should head over to Vanity Fair Italia for a competition that finishes of May 3. Details here.

Find some tips about attending Cannes.

Germanwings wins Cannes award with cheeky ad

Cannes or Bust — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 07:35:27 +0000

German low-cost airline Germanwings won an award at the 2010 Cannes Lions advertising festival with a cheeky guerilla marketing clip that shows comments supposedly being made on the rival airline Easyjet. It’s a cheeky but brilliant idea that is very simple and very effective.

Germanwings fly to many airports in Germany and Greece from Nice airport.

Last-minute hotel deals for Cannes Lions 2010

Cannes or Bust — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 08:31:36 +0000

The countdown really is on, and with figures up on last year, accommodation has become an issue again. But we have a selection of hotels – from the insanely expensive to cheap and (hopefully) cheerful.

Inside Cannes itself, there is still room at the 5-star Palais Stéphanie (renovated only recently). You’re on the Croisette in total luxury, so expect to pay for that. There’s also a cheap new arrival, the Cannes Gallia. Great prices, but if I read the reviews properly, you’d be well advised to bring ear plugs (which if you think of it, are cheaper than staying at the Stéphanie).

Just outside town, the Avangani Resort is about a 20 minute-walk from the Palais. Walk along the seafront, it’s very invigorating in the morning. There are also regular buses for just €1.

To see the selection, visit our booking engine.

For groups, you might be better served in an apartment. Drop a message below and I’ll get back to you with ideas.

Who is creating and delivering new content?

Cannes or Bust — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 08:00:17 +0000

Jimmy Maymann, appearing at Cannes Lions 2010

Although it only has a short slot in the seminar programme, our Cannes Lions tip is to put the Go Viral talk on your agenda. The internet puts existing business models on the rack. The newspaper and music businesses in particular have suffered. This seminar explains why the advertising industry could be the next.

Endemol and Simon Cowell have reinvented the music industry by turning it into entertainment. The same is happening in advertising. With the 30-second spot under threat, what options do desperate advertisers have to reach their audience? Online content like Endemol’s Sony-sponsored KateModern, Red Bull’s branded entertainment and Apple product ‘how-to-videos’ are what engage consumers today. The focus has shifted away from ‘me’ on to ‘you’ – the consumer.

The Big Question is who is the best at creating and delivering this content? Advertising agencies? Media agencies? Interactive agencies? Production companies? Hollywood is again the king of audiovisual engagement. It is already creating 360-degree launches for its major blockbuster productions – Avatar being the latest example of this.

Come and learn from them and other branded content innovators about the ‘marketing play-book’ in order to be ready to face the new consumer reality. Jimmy Maymann, chairman of Go Viral, and Daniel Goodall, planning manager at Nokia, will be on stage.

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MassiveMusic celebrates 10th anniversary at Cannes Lions

Cannes or Bust — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 07:17:51 +0000

In the summer of 2000, MassiveMusic heralded its birth with a party on a beach in Cannes during the annual International Advertising Festival, Cannes Lions. On the 23rd of June, MassiveMusic will host its 10th party with clients and friends on that same beach in Cannes.

A lot has happened since 2000. The seed that was planted in Amsterdam, still home to MassiveMusic’s headquarters, started to branch out in 2004 when, again under the starry nights in Cannes: “We had business intercourse with some Americans,” jokes founder and CEO Hans Brouwer. As a result, MassiveMusic NewYork became a fact in 2005. LA quickly followed, opening its doors in 2008 and was soon working on tracks for high-profile clients. A year later, ex-MassiveMusic Amsterdam creative director Diederik van Middelkoop set up a Shanghai studio, becoming the first international music production company in China.

Earlier this year the company reached its ultimate highpoint when they were asked to do the music for Nike’s already famous football campaign ‘Write The Future’. Brouwer: “When we were selected to take part in this advertising saga, we realized this was the perfect crown on our 10 year anniversary.” MassiveMusic, being a music agency, specializes in writing and sourcing music for brands and their advertising campaigns, and for broadcast design and film.

The company chose a 10 year-old guitar virtuoso to star in their Cannes party teaser film. Brouwer: “Working in an industry that is focused on what’s new all the time, becoming 10 might be considered getting old. But when we see kids at the age of 10 master an instrument, we get excited. We thought this was a good way of saying: “Hey, we’re only 10. See what we can do in another 10 years from now.” Some 2,500 people are expected at the party.

MassiveMusic

If you’re on the Croisette, you have to stand out

Cannes or Bust — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 09:43:16 +0000

I’ve seen some pretty cool delegate bags in Cannes. I’ve also seen some bags that fall apart after a few weeks. But in either case, who wants to walk around town with the same bag as everyone else? Come on, you’ve come this far to melt into the masses? I thought not.

The Cannes or Bust messenger bag ensures you stroll the Croisette with the brightest bag in town. It has a large and a smaller compartment and a discreet Cannes or Bust logo (in American typewriter no less). All this for €23.90 plus shipping. Check it here. Not only does it look good, it’s made for delegates with plenty of room for folders, brochures or – why not – swimming trunks.

Cannes Lions freezes 2010 prices

Cannes or Bust — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 13:42:02 +0000

Cannes Lions has announced that its prices for 2010 will be frozen at 2009 levels. Like every trade fair, Cannes Lions saw a drop in attendance last year. But there are already questions as to whether a price freeze will be enough to win back participants. When the effects of music “sharing” hit the music industry, Midem froze prices and has continued nonetheless to improve the quantity and quality of conferences and services (MidemNet is included in this year’s event rather than being a separate off-shoot). But even so, numbers fell last year. It wasn’t so much that people didn’t want to come, it was simply that the industries have far less people to send.

The advertising industries is facing similar effects although with a time lag. I’d like to think that a price freeze could turn the situation around, but as a 3-day pass still costs €1,499 (not incl. VAT) I feel there will be many people making a very quick choice. Participants can invite one guest at €300, which is something. But these prices don’t include the costs of entering material for consideration, nor travel and food. I’m still surprised there doesn’t seem to be an early bird rate.

On the positive side, Cannes Lions has teamed up with the Berlin School of Creative Leadership to launch a brand-new venture called The Cannes Creative Leaders Programme, a two-week training initiative taking place in Berlin and Cannes in June for industry executives.

View prices and details on the Cannes Lions site.