Adweek’s Brian Morrissey and Eleftheria Parpis note the difficulty ad pros in Cannes had distinguishing between “the idea” and the myriad executions for a given idea.
The awards are not keeping pace with the infinite ways in which brands reach customers in today’s fractured media landscape. Rather than honor holistic systems built for brands to reach consumers in many places, Lions are given to objects created within those systems. This is a situation that many complain is untenable.
On another front, “scam ads or “ghosts” are more plentiful than exposed breasts on the French Coast,” says Steffan Postaer, President and Chief Creative Officer of Euro RSCG/Chicago.
Could the ad pros’ difficulties be rooted in their cluelessness about engaging consumers in any medium besides print and TV? Perhaps it’s time to question the qualifications and credibility of ad pros serving as jurors in contemporary award shows.