Arriving in Cannes I was told that this year more than 16,000 delegates had registered for the 2013 Cannes Lions and entries were continuing to sky rocket. It’s hard not to be impressed by the job that Terry Savage and his team have done, particularly in the last few years.
Since I started coming to Cannes more than a few things have changed. Most notably, there are a bunch of new categories. I remember back in 1999 when the Media category was added, much to the disgust of many in the creative world. Media awards at a creative festival by some was not welcomed, however, a few years later Media is a well-accepted and respected part of the program with few detractors.
Digital, Titanium, Integrated, Promotion, PR, Branded Content, Creative Effectiveness, Innovation and the list goes on. With so many new categories there seems to be more and more chances to pick up awards bumping up the profile of your agency and your own paycheck.
But is a Cannes Lion worth what it used to be? Is a Gold Lion a Gold Lion? Is a Lion won in Film in 1996 far more prestigious than a PR Lion from 2011?
I remember a journo one year commenting that a piece of work was awarded but “only in Promo” (it was an early year for Promo) which of course illustrates a widely held belief that some awards are not worth nearly the same as others.
A good mate of mine is an Aussie CD now based in Asia. He reckons that all these new categories are devaluing the prize. On his last trip to Oz we spoke about it at length and I have to say I agree with a lot of what he says.
However you have to say that there are more categories for a reason. They represent the stuff we do. Sure more categories means more bucks for the festival - spot on. These guys are running a business after all but in my view the festival is getting it right. It’s more relevant, in touch and sophisticated than any time in its history.
In terms of your chances of winning, this year there will be more competition than ever before. Sure there are many more categories to win from but there is also much more competition. And tougher competition. More and more entries now come in from places like India, Eastern Europe and Africa that typically have not been well represented.
My two cents worth: if you’re good enough to be awarded at the Cannes Lions then you’ve done something pretty bloody good. If you pick up anything in 2013 you’ve earned your money. Good on ya.
Glen Condie
Creative director
Wonder