My Cannes highlights: Erick Rosa
Campaign Brief Asia asked Cannes Lions delegates to nominate their highlights of the week, from both the work and personal experiences. Judging at the Festival this year was Lowe Singapore ECD Erick Rosa. Here he nominates work that impressed him from the Direct Lions judging and his week in Cannes.
My top five picks from the Direct category:
Hands Off (France)
This work was even discussed at the press conference where the Grand Prix (Volvo’s Interception) was unveiled. One of the journalists in the room asked if there was any other work that had put up a fight for the grand prize. And this is the one. I love the Volvo (Interception) work and it deservedly won the Grand Prix, but this was up there. It’s pure genius. It is one of those ideas that makes you laugh, think and envy at the same time. It solves a problem in a very direct and ironic way. A paying porn website that gives you a free trial access to its films with one condition – your hands have to be inconveniently placed over specific letters on the keyboard or the screen goes black.
The Freshest Orange Juice (France)
Intermarché won big with Inglorious Vegetables last year. This year they did this. Again, simple, straight forward, minimalistic and very successful. An orange juice brand that has as its name the actual time that the oranges got squeezed (“The 9:31 am Orange Juice”, “The 9:47 am Orange Juice” and so on.) So, when it came time to fight with the big brands – the consumers had a choice: the big branded juice in the cardboard box or this one – that screamed freshness without having to say a word.
Nazis against Nazis (Germany)
This won big this year. Probably one of the top three most awarded campaigns in Cannes. The title speaks for itself. Nazis against Nazis. It is one of those campaigns, ideas, that is unanimously admired at any round table. At a bar or in a jury room. Watch the video case and look at the reaction from the neo-Nazis as they find out what’s happening – that itself is worth a gold, golds, plural.
In a time with overload in anything related to fitness/health tracking – Apple watch, Fitbit, Jawbone, just to name a few – this idea goes the other way. What if you just sat around on you couch, motionless and didn’t really care about any of your activity reading (heart, steps, pressure…)? And got rewarded for that. I think this struck a chord with the jury and the audience precisely for going against the grain. In a very funny and well-crafted way. This is idea really stood out. One of those ideas that had everything right: timing, integration (the long video on YouTube is hilarious) and most importantly, results.
Ashes from Campofrio (Spain)
Case studies are tear jerkers by nature. Or at least that is the trend. You add Sigur Ros/Coldplay, slow motion, life altering outcomes, world changing results and suddenly you have a knot on your throat. Yet with this one, you could strip away the soundtrack, the slow motion – and it still makes you stop. A heart breaking fire consumed one of Campofrio’s factories in Crisis affected Spain. With the fire went hundreds of jobs of people who had that as their only means of living for decades. Campofrio mailed to each and every employee of the factory – a brick. But one that had in its making, the ashes from the fire. Based on historic accounts that the Romans did this to rebuild parts of the Roman Empire – because ash made the bricks and constructions stronger. The factory was rebuilt using these bricks as its base. Each brick was numbered and had the employee’s name on it. In the Direct Marketing category, there isn’t something more direct than that.
My top 5 highlights from the Cannes festival were:
• Being part of the Direct jury was an amazing experience. We were 26 jury members. Different backgrounds, different agencies, networks, nationalities. But all with the same goal of getting the best work recognized and celebrated.
• The Film Grand Prix. It is the first ever for my native Brazil. And one that was created by some very good friends. The 100th anniversary of Leica is probably one of those films that makes you go back to it repeatedly to spot each reference, each detail. The craft is superb, soundtrack, voice over, photography, everything.
• While on that subject, meeting my Brazilian comrades at Cannes was one of the highlights. I have been in Singapore for a little over a year. And it was great to meet, share stories and tell in first person how amazing, interesting and fascinating life in Asia can be.
• Seeing campaigns and ideas such as Love has no Labels, Nazis against Nazis, Like a Girl, The Gun Shop and Proud Whopper winning big. It was great to see, in the Direct jury and outside of it – these campaigns being awarded in practically every category.
• Having a great time-travel moment with two of my best friends. When I started out back in 2000 in São Paulo, I sat in a cubicle next to a brilliant Art Director called Renato Lopes and on the other side, there was also an equally brilliant copywriter, Marco Giannelli. So, fifteen years later we spent a whole day reminiscing the old days, catching up on the present and sharing hundreds of kids photos.
Erick Rosa is Executive Creative Director at Lowe Singapore.