A little boy showing his privates to a curious little girl, and two kids spitting from a building onto passersby took the Grand Prix in the Press competition at the 55th annual International Advertising Festival in Cannes today.
The campaign for Energizer batteries by DDB South Africa showed the trouble kids can get into when the batteries for their toys die.
“It speaks to an absolutely universal truth for all of us [with kids],” said jury president Craig Davis, chief creative officer worldwide for JWT. “It is equally powerful and equally resonant everywhere.”
Despite having 18 entries on the Press short list, Canada was again shut out.
After eight competitions, Canada has six Lions: one Gold and two Bronze in Radio, one Gold and one Silver in Design and a Cyber Gold. Only the Film and Titanium and Integrated remain for Canada to win more.
Canadian Press juror Paulette Arsenault, partner, creative at Montreal agency Palm Arnold, said the problem for a lot of the Canadian work is that it is “small visually.”
When it came time to look at all the entries up on the wall, not much jumped out for the judges.
“I think we need to be more powerful visually,” she said. “Don’t send ads [to Cannes] that are too complicated. It is a waste of money.”
Canadian Press advertising isn’t keeping up with European efforts, for example, because Canada doesn’t have “a tradition of great graphic arts.”
And while Canada had a disappointing showing, the U.S. and the U.K. were also absent from the Gold winners list. The U.S. won three Bronze and the U.K. was also shut out.
“I don’t know what is going on there,” said Davis. “But there is no work good enough.” The U.K. had 293 entries and the U.S. 615. Canada had 155.
And overall there were fewer Press Lions handed out in 2008, but Davis bristled when asked about it. “No one came steaming into this with an agenda saying let’s give less Lions,” he said. “I don’t think we were stingy about it. I think we were just.”
