It’s time to retire the navel-gazing and moaning about why PR can’t win steel in its personal Cannes Lions class – the business has lastly cracked the code on La Croisette and is profitable throughout the board.
Golin registered its second Grand Prix of the week for thought creation, in PR, following its related success within the Audio & Radio Lions on Monday. It additionally gained a Silver in PR, so as to add to its Silver in Well being & Wellness.
One other marketing campaign that has been killing it this week, Michael CeraVe by Ogilvy PR, gained the Social & Influencer Grand Prix, plus Gold and Silver Lions in that class, in addition to a Gold Media Lion, so as to add to its present Gold and Silver in Well being & Wellness and Bronze in Leisure. It additionally gained Bronze within the PR Lions.
It’s probably that The Misheard Model and Michael CeraVe will each win extra Lions this week.
Elsewhere within the PR Lions, Edelman London in partnership with LePub Milan gained Gold for its Bar Expertise marketing campaign for Heineken. Weber Shandwick teamed up with McCann Detroit to win Gold and Silver for its U.S. Financial institution Translators activation.
Edelman additionally gained Silver within the PR Lions for Code My Crown for Unilever’s Dove model and its Toronto workplace gained Silver for SHT second-hand tax for Ikea Canada.
It’s notable that the PR corporations which have lastly made a breakthrough of their eponymous PR Lions class are the larger, well-established companies which have discovered the way to produce the identical high quality of movies for entries as their promoting, inventive and media rivals and siblings. It’s troublesome to underestimate how a lot this has held the PR business again in prior years at Cannes.
Chair of jury Kat Thomas’ company, One Inexperienced Bean, gained Bronze for its Domino’s Warmth Go well with marketing campaign (humorous how usually that occurs, although Thomas instructed me she was out of the room for the entire of that a part of the judging course of.)
So, PR has definitely damaged by in Cannes in 2024. Let’s hope that Richard Edelman’s prediction final evening on the Web page drinks isn’t just a one-hit marvel and that the business will construct on this crossing of the edge in achievement.
After all, there have been nonetheless many inventive companies acknowledged within the PR Lions, simply as PR corporations now compete nicely within the different classes on this annual celebration of creativity. Most concepts begin from an earned-first mindset these days, no matter kind of company you’re employed for.
PR succeeded in a contest that attracted 1,528 entries from 61 nations; 156 shortlisted from 31 nations; and 50 Lions winners from 19 nations, 9 of which had been concepts created by PR corporations – 30% of entries had been from the CPG sector, solely 5% from journey and three% from automotive.
The jury was in search of campaigns that had been earned at coronary heart and moved nicely above and past paid media. They sought out activations that demonstrated cultural relevance for the model, viewers and the world we stay in. Additionally they wanted to go above and past attain and conventional metrics.
AI has not been the ever-present subject of dialog in Cannes this week because it was at related gatherings over the previous 12 months. There’s a way that folks need to see actual motion now and are executed with speaking and experimentation. AI did present up within the PR Lions, particularly Orange’s Ladies’s Soccer [soccer] marketing campaign produced by Publicis’ Marcel Paris.
Different AI activations elsewhere embody the AI President of Lebanon marketing campaign by newspaper Annahar, supported by Influence BBDO Dubai and Addition New York, and Pepsico Meals’ Doritos Silent: The World’s First AI Augmented Snack.
As Kat Thomas stated, “AI hasn’t dominated, nevertheless it confirmed up in fascinating methods,” reminiscent of messages from the longer term, individuals introduced again from the previous, and bringing individuals collectively.
Different traits Thomas famous had been the rise of audio, together with music, podcasts and AI; nonetheless a deal with inclusion, together with transgender and ethnic inclusion and constructive tales about immigrants; gamification; expertise and security and function, regardless that the main focus has fallen away from its ubiquitous presence just a few years in the past.
However effectiveness is as vital as creativity at Cannes, which wasn’t at all times the case. And Thomas was eager to advertise the idea of commercially led inventive that delivered enterprise influence. Specsavers’ The Misheard Model achieved 20 million performs within the first eight hours after it went stay, a 138% improve in listening to loss searches and a 1,220% rise in check bookings from the over 50 goal market of the marketing campaign.
It tackled a troublesome class on condition that Specsavers was principally recognized for eyesight and eyewear and now needed to interrupt into the listening to area. It broke an entire new class for the model and leant closely on humor.
In the end, the model noticed a 66% improve in listening to check bookings by earned-led media; a 15% improve in reserving calls following an look on the This Morning TV present and made an influence past the noise of the marketing campaign.
With campaigns reminiscent of this one and Michael Cerave main the best way, PR can construct on this 12 months’s breakthrough at Cannes and at last get the credit score it deserves throughout the board.