Form before content
Awards In the battle for the Cannes Lions, how the projects are presented is becoming increasingly important.
Awards In Cannes, how an entry presents itself is becoming increasingly important. 55th Cannes Advertising Festival is in full swing. Around 190 jurors are separating the wheat from the chaff and deciding who can take home one of the coveted Lions. Danielle Lanz, Christof Kaufmann and René Eugster served as jury members for Switzerland. All three confirmed that a trend is continuing: The presentation of the work submitted is becoming increasingly important. "A good idea alone no longer seems to be enough: It's best to create a documentary that shows the development of the idea and the campaign. This increases your chances of winning a Lion," says Danielle Lanz from Ruf Lanz, who judged in the "Promo" category in Cannes. She regrets this development, even though she assumes that the industry experts on the jury appreciate the idea and not just the submission. Christof Kaufmann confirms the importance of the presentation. "A submission without a film had almost no chance. And the films have to show the jury what they are about within 10 seconds," says the CEO of OMD Switzerland, who judged in the "Media" category. Kaufmann regrets that the presentation of some of the Swiss entries was not sufficiently well thought out and that opportunities were missed as a result.
René Eugster agrees that the Swiss still need to improve their submissions. The founder of Agentur am Flughafen judged the entries in the "Direct" category: "How a piece of work is submitted makes a huge difference. The jury president can emphasize for a long time that you shouldn't be impressed by the elaborate submission video - the presentation has an impact somewhere." However, putting oneself in the best light when submitting a video is perhaps not in keeping with the Swiss understatement. For small agencies in particular, it's also a question of budget: "We don't have the resources to make a cinematic film for the submission, it's simply not possible."
But in the forest of glossy submissions, the judges saw the trees of good ideas. "The standard is very broad," says Eugster. "I came across some incredibly beautiful works. There were also some that wouldn't even be submitted here because they didn't have a stitch." Perhaps the Swiss should be less reticent when submitting entries, says Christof Kaufmann. The creative achievement was the deciding factor in the distribution of the precious metal: "The idea has to be new and surprising," explains Danielle Lanz. The "Big Ideas" are also what make Cannes so appealing. "It's very rewarding to be part of the world championships in my field," says Christof Kaufmann. He also finds it gratifying that big names such as Procter & Gamble and Unilever were also present with numerous works: "It's not just the non-profit organizations that show off with creative advertising. That's encouraging for the future."
Carole Scheidegger
René Eugster agrees that the Swiss still need to improve their submissions. The founder of Agentur am Flughafen judged the entries in the "Direct" category: "How a piece of work is submitted makes a huge difference. The jury president can emphasize for a long time that you shouldn't be impressed by the elaborate submission video - the presentation has an impact somewhere." However, putting oneself in the best light when submitting a video is perhaps not in keeping with the Swiss understatement. For small agencies in particular, it's also a question of budget: "We don't have the resources to make a cinematic film for the submission, it's simply not possible."
But in the forest of glossy submissions, the judges saw the trees of good ideas. "The standard is very broad," says Eugster. "I came across some incredibly beautiful works. There were also some that wouldn't even be submitted here because they didn't have a stitch." Perhaps the Swiss should be less reticent when submitting entries, says Christof Kaufmann. The creative achievement was the deciding factor in the distribution of the precious metal: "The idea has to be new and surprising," explains Danielle Lanz. The "Big Ideas" are also what make Cannes so appealing. "It's very rewarding to be part of the world championships in my field," says Christof Kaufmann. He also finds it gratifying that big names such as Procter & Gamble and Unilever were also present with numerous works: "It's not just the non-profit organizations that show off with creative advertising. That's encouraging for the future."
Carole Scheidegger
