The Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival has introduced a creative effectiveness award in response to the growing desire for greater accountability in advertising.
The Cannes Creative Effectiveness Lions will honour creative work, which had a proven measurable impact on a client's business by effecting consumer behaviour, brand equity, sales, and, where measurable, profit.
The new catgeory will be open only to campaigns that were shortlisted or awarded Lions at the 2010 Cannes Advertising Festival, in a bid to "endorse the effectiveness of that creative excellence".
The new category will be judged 50% on results, 25% on strategy and 25% on the idea. The awards will not be spilt into categories and will award only a Grand Prix and Creative Effectiveness Lions.
The award will debut at the 58th Cannes Festival and will be presented alongside the Film, Film Craft, Titanium and Integrated Lions awards in France on Saturday 25 June 2011.
Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival chairman Terry Savage said: "We aim to establish a direct correlation between creativity and effectiveness. Cannes Lions has always been, and always will be, a Festival of Creativity.
"However now more than ever, ROI is paramount to the client and it is important that we acknowledge and reward this but without losing the essence of Cannes Lions."
The data for all entries will be checked by the external auditors PricewaterhouseCoopers.
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