Last night was the Cannes Lions awards event for Design, Press and Cyber efforts. As always, for the full list of winners, go hithery-dithery. But here are the Grand Prix winners for each category:
For DESIGN: “Paper Battlefield” for Nike Hong Kong by McCann Worldgroup/Causeway Bay.
For PRESS: “We Are Animals,” that creepy bejeaned-human-meets-carnal-instinct campaign by FRED & FARID/Paris for Wrangler.
For CYBER: “Best Job in the World” — which is seriously cleaning up this year — by Cumminsnitro/Brisbane for Tourism Queensland.
“Eco:Drive” by AKQA/London for Fiat also scored a Cyber Grand Prix, as did “Why So Serious?” for Warner Bros.’ The Dark Knight. The latter campaign is a typical piece of elaborate genius by the folks at 42 Entertainment/Pasadena, whose every project is not so much advertising as it is grand oeuvre.
This isn’t hapless gushing; see what the agency did for Nine Inch Nails and Halo 2. It tanks a coupla hours digging through all this material, but you’ll be glad you did. 42 will inspire you in ways you didn’t know you could be.
But the real story of the week is Cumminsnitro, the “little agency that could” operating out of Brisbane. “Best Job in the World” also won Grands Prix for Direct and PR.
The notion of turning one lucky winner into the king of a chain of islands was a simple idea that stems from the fantastic and also contributes to an eco-friendly cause.
What sensitive outcast kid hasn’t fantasized about being pulled out of school by two black-suited mystery men that reveal he’s royalty? Better still, this wasn’t just a decadent tiara giveaway; “Best Job” ties a lofty title, Caretaker of the Barrier Reefs, to lofty responsibility. Little wonder the effort sparked a global feel-good current whose impact was infinitely bigger than its seeds.
