The National Museum of the Royal Navy’s Post

Cannes Ad Awards may have its detractors. I belong to the skeptical group, taking the award-winning work with a fistful of salt. Among the many ‘made for awards’ projects, which aren’t ads or never ran, there are a few genuine efforts for real brands. Even among the ‘made for awards’ work there is some really creative thinking and great execution. Pity that the same is not seen consistently for real brands, real business problems. Nevertheless, facts: - Cannes is business. It makes tonnes of money (£100m revenue when I checked last) and must be hugely profitable.  - It’s a a treadmill that agencies & clients cannot get off. They keep coming back every year.  - Agencies see ROI in some form; be it ‘reputation’ or new business (am not sure)  - A few big advertisers and those seeking brand fame see the badge of ‘Cannes winning agency’ as some sort of filter to select. Never mind if the work produced later is regular stuff - Detractors of the event will be ignored as the attraction of the event far outweighs the ‘utility’ factor  - It really doesn’t matter to the industry if the work is genuine or not - they have taken that aspect out of the equation  - Much like Oscars, it has become *the* award that matters for the industry  #advertising

“20 pieces of work out of 200 entries made the category’s shortlist. The Titanium Lions list is a coveted prize at the festival because it recognizes provocative and boundary-pushing work that progresses the industry.” -Brittaney Kiefer 🔹 #marketing #womeninmarketing #womenofmontereycounty #montereycounty #marketinginmonterey #monterey #montereybay #celebratewomen #supportwomen #womensupportingwomen #passionformarketing #ilovemarketing #marketinginspo #marketinginspiration #learnaboutmarketing #marketingtips #marketingtipsandtricks

While I agree with everything in this article, I would argue that little of it is new, but rather a pendulum swing. For instance: RULE 1: make 'product stories' rather than 'people stories'. Prior to the trend of telling people stories, the industry told amazing product stories - it was one of the things that made great creativity stand out because it wasn't easy. RULE 2: Favor product/brand differentiation over emotional connection. In my college ad classes, the thing drilled into our head over all else was to find the USP (Unique Selling Proposition). It was the golden rule of advertising. Throughout my career, one of the most common critiques was "the competition could say that." Rule 3 is indeed a new thing, given the advertising media ecosystem. Rule 4 (repeatability trumps scalability) is also mostly new, for the same reasons as Rule 3, but aspects of it are as old as advertising. There have alway been brands that favor repeatability over scalability whether it be for budgetary (or niche) reasons, or because they value more intimate connections with their audience. #advertising #marketing #creativity #advertisinghistory #cannes

WHY CREATIVE SUCCESS CAN LEAD TO BRAND FAILURE On the road to becoming a strategic branding and communications adviser, one of my earliest lessons came from tracking advertising effectiveness in the Australian hair-care market way back in the late 80's (yes, I am that old). An affordably priced family shampoo brand mainly favoured by mums to adequately meet the grime-removing needs of their large families came up with a creatively brilliant ad campaign. It featured a gorgeous family, including a very yummy mummy and daddy, singing in the shower about the amazingly positive experience they had using the shampoo to the tune of the old Gene Chandler hit 'Duke of Earl'. (SEE https://lnkd.in/gWxP7dSz) Recalibrating our ad awareness tracking charts to reflect unprecedented levels of category prompted ad recall, we saw trial purchase of the brand rocket, with a much wider variety of audience segments attracted by the alluring promise. Then the wheels fell off. Inadequate product pipelines led to out-of-stocks across the country. Annoyed brand loyalists were forced to switch to alternative value brands, many of which actually delivered a superior user experience for the same price. Many new users were appalled by the gap between the amazing promise and the much more disappointing product experience versus their usual premium brand. When stocks finally returned to the shelves, the combination of high new triallist rejection and previously loyal buyer defection saw sales plummet. Four years later the brand was delisted, despite a last minute and probably very expensive attempt to improve the product formulation to more closely match the amazing feeling promise and run an updated version of the campaign. The final chapter of the story for me was many years later meeting the creative director who won a creative award for the campaign, still considered it a highlight of his folio and was immensely proud of his achievement. The point of the story is that a credible and relevant brand proposition is just as important as a strong creative idea. While the creative director might be criticised for not recognising that he actually contributed to killing off a formerly strong consumer brand, the fault lay with the ad briefers and approvers who failed to recognise the huge risk of over-promising and under-delivering. The moral of the story being, get the promise right before you create the engaging execution, and just because you don't have a great value proposition (e.g. affordable grime removal) don't make one up!

Calling All SoCal Social Media Marketers and Advertisers! 🏆 Enter the American Advertising Awards and Showcase Your Social Media Brilliance! 🏆 Do you create 🔥 content for Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Snapchat, or Twitter (X) in eastern Los Angeles County, San Bernardino County, and western Riverside County? The Inland Empire Chapter of the American Advertising Federation (AAF) wants YOU to enter the American Advertising Awards! This is your chance to gain recognition for your outstanding social media campaigns and single executions. Why Enter? * Boost Your Career: Winning an ADDY is a prestigious honor that can open doors to new opportunities. * Gain Exposure: Showcase your work to a local, regional, and national audience. * Network with Professionals: Connect with other talented creatives in the industry. * Support the Industry: Proceeds from the competition support AAF programs that enhance the advertising community. Categories for Social Media Rockstars: * Social Media Single Execution: For individual posts that shine. * Social Media Campaign: This is for impactful campaigns across platforms. * Branded Content & Entertainment for Online/Interactive: For original content that builds brand affinity. * Online & Interactive Campaign: For multi-platform digital campaigns. Need Inspiration? Think campaigns like the "Ice Bucket Challenge" or the "Share a Coke" campaign – these ADDY winners leveraged social media to create a massive impact! Don't Miss Out! 📅 Deadline to Enter: January 24, 2025 ❓ Complete competition details, including dates, fees, and how to enter: https://lnkd.in/gfkGFazK #AmericanAdvertisingAwards #ADDYAwards #SocialMediaMarketing #SoCalMarketing #InlandEmpireAAF

The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity is a prestigious event, celebrating the most innovative campaigns globally. Winning a Cannes Lion is often seen as the pinnacle of an advertising career. However, the essence of advertising lies in effective communication, conveying messages that resonate, influence behavior, and drive positive outcomes. The most impactful campaigns address real-world issues, whether promoting life-improving products, advocating for social change, or raising critical awareness. By prioritizing these objectives, advertisers can create work that stands out creatively and makes a significant difference. A Cannes Lion win and solving real-world problems can coexist, however, an overemphasis on awards can overshadow the true purpose of advertising. We must remember that while awards validate creative excellence, the ultimate goal is to create work that benefits and resonates with the audience. Let’s be brutally honest. Winning all the Cannes awards won't matter if the agency loses any clients, you'll lose your job. Focus on meaningful work. Producing more impactful campaigns and building stronger and more authentic connections with our audiences is the real win!

#ADSPOTLIGHT : While people tend to drink cognac neat or on the rocks, @hennessy wants to shake things up with a playful and stylish campaign that shows the spirit’s versatility. What do you think of “Made for More”, the debut work for Hennessy by agency @wkamsterdam? Let us know in the comment section #PRAgency #PublicRelationsAgency #PublicRelationsFirm #PublicRelationsServices #PRTips #PublicRelationsTips #DigitalPR #Marketing #Communications #Advertising #AdvertisingAgency #Media #MediaRelations #NigeriaPublicRelations #PublicRelationsFirmInNigeria #publicrelationsfirminafrica

🦁 What's the story behind media agencies not winning the 'lion's share' at Cannes? With historical data showing that creative agencies are leading the pack in the overall shortlist and win records at Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity Awards, Campaign UK spoke to industry leaders from across the media landscape to unravel what media agencies might be missing and how they could level up with their creative counterparts. According to our Chief Executive Officer, Kelly Parker, "media and creative are inextricably linked and it is no secret that creative messaging takes the lion’s share of impact on campaign performance". However, Kelly emphasises that "we can always extract the media impact or media story of a successful campaign". A prime example is our recent collaboration with New Commercial Arts. for Nationwide Building Society’s "The Last Branch in Town" campaign, which included a sponsored takeover of a “Welcome to Windsor” road sign. Kelly uses this example to explain an instance where the creative wouldn’t work if it wasn’t in the chosen spaces, and those spaces would be less powerful without that specific creative work. Dive deeper into the article below 👇 https://lnkd.in/eAPPPnFr

You Platforms expands regional reach “We took their feedback to heart, and chose to expand our Yorkshire presence, while developing a new brand in Manchester, where many of our customers operate.” Leeds-based advertising agency and media company You Platforms is expanding its footprint with the launch of two new regional platforms, having introduced Yorkshire-List.com and Manchester-List.com. Find out more here: https://lnkd.in/eTWH4_Dg Dan Murray

🌟 Maximize Your Cannes Lions Investment! 🚀 Hurray, the dust has settled after the intense Cannes Lions submission process. You've invested heavily in creating standout case films and presentation boards. But what happens to these assets now? Their usefulness shouldn't stop there! 📝 I've just shared a new blog post detailing how you can repurpose your Cannes Lions campaign assets to continue gaining value from them throughout the year. From leveraging them for case studies to entering them into upcoming award shows like the The Gerety Awards, The Drum Awards, Festival of Media's M&M Global Awards and more, there are numerous ways to extend their lifespan and effectiveness. 🏆 Plus, a resource that can’t be missed: Our Ultimate, Always Up-to-Date Marketing, Media, and Advertising Awards Show Directory. This comprehensive guide is your gateway to over 40 relevant award shows and preparing your entries to maximize their potential. 🔗 Read the full blog here https://lnkd.in/dFxgk8pz and discover how to keep your campaign assets working hard for you! 💬 Interested in the Awards Show Directory? DM us "Access" for a special introductory offer! Let's ensure your creative work continues to receive the accolades it deserves. #CannesLions #Marketing #Advertising #AwardShows #CreativeIndustry