Production company returns lions for J.C. Penny spot
Last week, the American department store chain J.C. Penny distanced itself from a Cannes award-winning commercial, exposing it as a fake. Now the production company behind it, Epoch Films, has lost the lion.
The American department store chain J.C. Penny publicly distanced itself from a commercial that won bronze in Cannes. It declared that the commercial had been made without its knowledge and had never been shown on television (see ). Now the production company behind it, Epoch Films, has lost the Lion. It has offered to withdraw the competition entry of its own accord, reports Adage.com. Cannes Festival director Philip Thomas told the American industry magazine that he was very happy with this solution. The J.C. Penny spot will now be removed from the list of winners. It had caused a stir - not only because the client says he knew nothing about it and thus exposed the work as fake. But also because the commercial could suggest that J.C. Penny approves of teenage sex, which is apparently not at all what the department store chain wants. J.C. Penny's in-house agency Saatchi & Saatchi explained that they were not responsible for the clip, but Epoch was.
