Were the Cannes Lions' print and outdoor winners actually effective ads? Here's the answer
The Drum has extensively covered the winners of the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity. Jon Evans, chief marketing officer at ad ranking database System1, discusses how the Print and Outdoor winners may score in the prestigious eye of the jury, but not always in the public eye.
Historically, adverts that win awards are more profitable than the ones that don’t. But in recent years, the link between awards and effectiveness has weakened. This can be even more challenging with static ads, for they need to make a rapid impact in a brief visibility window, while potentially withstanding repeat viewings.
System1 tested this year’s winners at Cannes – measuring the emotional response to creativity – to see how they performed with the general public. We found that agencies took advantage of viewers’ ad literacy of other brands’ assets to promote their own. The result is simple: elegant, brilliantly executed ideas.
To win on both fronts, brands and agencies must learn how to get their work to resonate with the public in the long term. The below are ads that work both at a quick glance and on multiple encounters—exactly what’s needed for outdoor and print.