Cannes Contenders: Non-Network Creativity from the EMEA Region
In the run up to the Cannes Lions Festival and Award show, LBB has been speaking to the network agencies about the pieces of work they believe are in contention for a win this year. Now, we're speaking to the non-network agencies in the EMEA (Europe, Middle East & Africa) to hear from them about their best bets.
Below are the choices from Ace, ‿ and us, AnalogFolk, Fitzroy, Grabarz & Partner, Herezie, Innocean Berlin, Joe Public, Kurio, neverland creative, The Brill Building, The Public House, Twenty Agency and Uncommon.
Agency: ACE
Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands
TEDxAmsterdamWomen - Missjourney
Lisa Klop, brand director at ACE: "Missjourney brings culture and technology together in a unique way. Where AI influences culture for the most part, by changing the way people behave, work, gain information and create, Missjourney shows how culture can, in turn, influence Ai. By bringing a fresh and diverse female perspective to this evolving technology, it allows users to experience the blind spots of Ai and equips them with the tool to change the conversation."
Agency: ‿ and us
Location: Dubai, UAE
Anghami - Sole Music
Deliveroo - One Star Cookbook
Agency: AnalogFolk
Location: London, UK
Canesten - The Truth, Undressed
Agency: Fitzroy
Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Cordaid - Qatar rouwband
LaVie - Haarlem
Agency: Grabarz & Partner
Location: Hamburg, Germany
audibene / hear.com - Jump ’n’ Hear – A Roblox Hearing Game
Ralf Heuel, chief creative officer at Grabarz & Partner: "Around 500,000 children with impaired hearing live in Germany. The problem is that the children are usually unaware of this. And neither do the parents. Because they don't go to a hearing test. So we brought a scientifically based test to them. As the first hearing test, it was packaged in a Roblox game. In a playful way, every young user can check their hearing, make progress in the game and get an individual evaluation of their auditory skills at the end. (And turn on the moon!)"
Burger King - Charles III – The Burger King
Ralf: "King Charles III visits Germany for the first time as the new king. The government was prepared. The press was prepared. And Burger King was prepared. With 1,500 specially produced Burger King cardboard crowns that we smuggled onto the event... The result: a photo that literally went around the world. In social media as well as in news, newspapers and magazines. Timing is everything. Or as Andrew Peterson said: Luck favours the well prepared."
Agency: Herezie
Location: Paris, France
Prime Video - The Human Puzzle
Agency: Innocean
Location: Berlin, Germany
Dyslexia Scotland - There's Nothing Comic About Dyslexia
If there's one thing all designers can agree on, it’s their hate for Comic Sans. Yet the font holds a superpower: its irregularity helps 780 million dyslexic people read better. It's ugly, but it works. In the light of Dyslexia Awareness Month, Dyslexia Scotland went on a true crusade for more inclusive design and targeted the world's top designers with their arch-enemy, challenging them to create fonts that are both pretty and functional at the same time.
Kia Europe - Extraordinary People
Gabriel Mattar, chief creative officer at Innocean Berlin: "Although our brief was an awareness campaign at its core, it was key to deliver a smart take on the topic. That's why we went after those who actually hold the power to shape information and can create change: designers. Simply because, without the right education, dyslexic individuals can often lose their creative power and self-confidence. And we can’t afford that. Because these are the brilliant minds who help move the world forward. People like Einstein, Jobs and Ali."
Agency: Joe Public
Location: Johannesburg, South Africa
Chicken Licken - Big John Ya’hunga Forever
Amnesty International South Africa - Real Maternity
Agency: Kurio
Location: Helsinki, Finland
Wärtsilä Energy - #Leapfrogging4Africa
Jari Lähdevuori, creative director at Kurio: “Fingers crossed for this one in the Creative B2B category! With all the burden of history, it is not easy for a European company to try and tell African markets what to do. In this case, related to their energy future. By taking a very grassroots approach with a rather unconventional campaign in the industry, we managed to get the attention of our key markets – and even sit down with the president of one of them. But most importantly, we managed to show how Nigeria can cut electricity costs by 74% on its path to net zero by 2060, how South Africa can solve its load-shedding dilemma and save $26 billion by 2032, and how Mozambique can reduce emissions and save $84M by 2032.”
Agency: neverland creative
Location: London, UK
Ladbrokes - Rocky
Noel Bunting, executive creative director at neverland creative: "This film is easily one of the most ambitious adverts made in the last year. Seamlessly replacing all the background cast on Rocky’s iconic run with hundreds of new characters pushed the boundaries VFX. It required the development of new technology and filming techniques to make it happen."
what3words - Neighbours
Noel" "This film shows the power of a simple idea brilliantly made. It still makes me laugh every time I watch it."
Agency: The Brill Building
Location: Dublin, Ireland
Paddy Irishman Project - Paddy Irishman
Marie Keating Foundation - Lung Cancer Poster
Agency: The Public House
Location: Dublin, Ireland
Dublin Gazette x Bionic Reading - The Bionic Edition
Mikey Curran, associate creative director at The Public House: “Hot off the heels of receiving merit at The One Show, we're hoping that our innovative print solution for Dublin Gazette has what it takes to bring home some metal at Cannes Lions. On World Literacy Day (September 8th) 2022, we helped the Dublin Gazette team change their printing process to output their entire newspaper in Bionic Reading-enabled text, making the paper easier to read that day for the 1 in 6 Irish adults who experience literacy issues.”
V-Face Vegan Burgers - Give Animals a Break
Mikey: "Vegan brands veer towards typical shock tactics in advertising to dissuade meat consumption. This launch campaign for V-Face took a more light-hearted approach, imagining what animals might get up to with their newfound freedom when you give them a break and go for a vegan alternative to a hot dog, burger, or nugget. This work was entered in the Challenger Brand category, competing against the big players in fast food, but also the healthier vegan crowd. We hope the slightly less guilty pleasure and very humorous approach will resonate with jurors and foodies alike."
Agency: Twenty Agency
Location: Copenhagen, Denmark
Nilens Jord - Look Beyond Beauty
Farah Dib, co-founder and creative director at Twenty Agency: "87% of girls think women are being judged on their looks, rather than their achievements. This is perpetuated by the way women are stereotypically typecast in media and advertising, and 64% agree it is important for women leaders not to be judged by their appearance. It's time we took some responsibility for that. Look Beyond Beauty is the first stepping stone towards challenging these attitudes in the beauty industry.
“I think most women can recognise themselves in the absurdity of questions thrown our way time and time again – whether we’re asked to smile more, or pre-emptively think about what outfit we wear to increase our chances of being taken seriously in business meetings. It has been incredibly eye opening to speak to women and unearth their uniform experience of objectification and lack of empowerment. It has been equally rewarding to work with a legacy brand like Nilens Jord that is willing to tackle these difficult questions head-on. I’m immensely proud of the whole team at Twenty, Nilens Jord and our production partner Holy Ravioli for making this work and the contribution it makes to a debate about female empowerment, possible.”
Sunlolly - Don't Be Perfect, Be Present
Farah: “If we believed what we saw on social media, the perfect parent lives in a furniture showroom, bakes beautifully decorated sourdough cupcakes for every birthday, and never tires of making elaborate Halloween costumes. With this campaign, we wanted to highlight the dangers of this homogenous portrayal of successful parenting.
Working with a brand that has this much heritage and iconic status is always both exciting and daunting. It’s been a privilege to create a campaign that speaks to the heart of some of the most universal truths about parenthood, and rallies against the unbelievable pressure and expectations parents are up against today. The most exciting aspect of this work has been finding the strategic space and cultural tension where Sun Lolly has permission to speak, and where the brand can connect to a deeper emotional meaning. This is just the first step towards building a strong brand that can continue to inspire Nordic families for many years to come, and we’re really excited to see the impact it will have over time.”
