Respect, please!
Guest commentary Claude Catsky, the Swiss Lion winner in Cannes, defends his colleagues.
Guest commentary Claude Catsky, the Swiss Lion winner in Cannes, defends his colleagues Last week, a colleague from the writing guild gave a sober assessment of Switzerland's once again so-called poor performance at the Cannes International Advertising Festival. I would like to vigorously contradict this. And I would like to take up the cudgels for the numerous shortlist nominations that Swiss agencies achieve year after year: a shortlist at this most difficult of all competitions, which with over 18,000 entries is rightly regarded as the world championship of advertising, is not just nothing. Anyone who disdainfully and almost disrespectfully ignores these placings and even interprets them as a failure should perhaps get up from their deckchair on the hotel beach, put aside their flip-flops and sherpa sunscreen and wander through the wonderful Press&Poster exhibition in the festival building without sunglasses, but with their eyes wide open. Or, in the air-conditioned cinemas, indulge in an in-depth study of the film shortlist, which features incredibly imaginative and surprising TV spots that demonstrate the high standard of this competition.
Then the scales will fall from the Gucci-glittered eyes of many a notorious pessimist, and they will immediately be inspired by the profound realization that anyone who achieves a shortlist here can be proud to be one of the world's best in their field. Because that's what a Cannes shortlist means. And every advertiser who achieves this ranking has a right to at least receive from the local trade press what has become as rare in this country as Cannes lions: respect.
With this in mind, I would like to sincerely congratulate all agencies and their creatives who have reached a shortlist this year. Especially those who are able to repeat this small miracle year after year. It is a great achievement to have left countless Swiss agencies and graphic design offices behind at the advertising world championship, whose mediocre to poor work is light years away from a shortlist.
And: those who regularly achieve shortlist placements in Cannes also have nothing to hide internationally. Because even abroad, people only boil with water. And if you want to win a Lion, you don't need a huge lobby, but simply a breathtakingly good idea and sometimes just a bit of competitive luck.
> Claude Catsky is the owner of the advertising agency Catsky & Partner.
Then the scales will fall from the Gucci-glittered eyes of many a notorious pessimist, and they will immediately be inspired by the profound realization that anyone who achieves a shortlist here can be proud to be one of the world's best in their field. Because that's what a Cannes shortlist means. And every advertiser who achieves this ranking has a right to at least receive from the local trade press what has become as rare in this country as Cannes lions: respect.
With this in mind, I would like to sincerely congratulate all agencies and their creatives who have reached a shortlist this year. Especially those who are able to repeat this small miracle year after year. It is a great achievement to have left countless Swiss agencies and graphic design offices behind at the advertising world championship, whose mediocre to poor work is light years away from a shortlist.
And: those who regularly achieve shortlist placements in Cannes also have nothing to hide internationally. Because even abroad, people only boil with water. And if you want to win a Lion, you don't need a huge lobby, but simply a breathtakingly good idea and sometimes just a bit of competitive luck.
> Claude Catsky is the owner of the advertising agency Catsky & Partner.
