There were just four winners of the inaugural Innovations Lions category. It was culled “because we think it is important to keep it selective,” said jury chair David Droga. But he thinks the category could become the biggest at Cannes and relishes the prospect of broadening out advertising to technological entrepreneurs.
The category required finalists to demonstrate their products to a live audience. In the future, Droga mooted offering a Dragon's Den-style feedback panel to finalists, and predicted that some of the short-listed entrants that didn't land an Innovation Lion this year would “probably win in other categories”.
The Grand Prix Winner, New York's The Barbarian Group, took home the top prize for an open-source C++ developer platform for creative coding called Cinder. Droga said the tech was integral to “probably twenty or thirty other entries” at Cannes and a lot of the jury panel had used it. “That is the reason this category is extraordinary. It is not just about creating disposable stuff that will gather dust.”
Likewise the other three winners, he said, highlighting the Mastercard display card won by Getin Noble Bank from Poland. It's a debit card that displays the holder's bank balance. “That will probably become an everyday thing now.”
The other winners were Yota Moscow for a phone with two screens, and De-De New York (of which Droga is chairman) for its Thunderclap social media amplifier.
The Jury also coined a new term and created an unofficial rule that it must always have at least one representative from Japan who can say “No, that was done six years ago.” The new term was "Japoned".
See what The Barbarian Group Does here.
Sign up to the AdNews newsletter, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for breaking stories and campaigns throughout the day.
Have something to say? Send us your comments using the form below or contact the writer at brendancoyne@yaffa.com.au
Have something to say on this? Share your views in the comments section below. Or if you have a news story or tip-off, drop us a line at adnews@yaffa.com.au
Sign up to the AdNews newsletter, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for breaking stories and campaigns throughout the day.