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Australia climbed the Cannes Lions ranking this year to 7th from 11th, taking home two Grand Prix, six gold, eight silver and eleven bronze lions.
This puts Australia back in the same position as the 2023 Cannes Lions.
Tumbleturn’s partner Sarah Baskerville told AdNews that we are seeing an unapologetically Australian approach to creativity.
“This year's Cannes performance represents more than a rankings improvement for the Aussies; it signals a maturation and emerging confidence in the local industry's approach to creativity,” Baskerville said.
“It was fascinating to see how our winning campaigns succeeded by being unapologetically Australian.
“Whether it was humour, heart, or purpose, our campaigns this year leaned into our cultural DNA and felt distinctively "us.”
WPP president, Australia and New Zealand, Rose Herceg, said Australia is great at telling stories, and we should expect bigger ambition in the years to come.
“Our country is great at telling stories, deft at capturing the insight (critical) versus the observation (generic), great at honesty and great at humour," Herceg said.
“Put this recipe together and you make for fantastic campaigns.
"(we should expect) more charm and disarm. Bigger ambition. Australians are exceptional at lateral problem-solving.
"The tyranny of distance forces a level of invention that only comes from being far away and having a small population.
"You’re untethered to mediocrity and free to be wildly crazy. We are genius at taking a little bit of edge and turning into a great big movement."
Telstra’s ‘Better on Better Network’ campaigns took home six Cannes Lions, including a Grand Prix.
The success of the campaign kept Australian creative agency Bear Meets Eagle on Fire and production companies Revolver and Finch in the limelight.
Leo CCO Andy Fergusson said we’re seeing success from individual high-achieving agencies, but there’s room for even more.
“I think there’s some lovely Aussie insights in the work this year. I am a big fan of the Telstra ‘Better on a better network’ campaign.
“The tone and humour feel very authentically Aussie, without leaning into stereotypes. And the craft is superb.”
"The lion's share (pun intended) was won by one high-achieving agency (in this case, Bear Meets Eagle on Fire), as well as stellar showings from the production companies (Revolver and Finch),” Fergusson said.
“It is, however, very impressive that a lot of the big awards were won in the highly competitive film and film craft categories. That’s no small feat given the budget disparity we have with the bigger markets.”
“But next year, we’ll no doubt see another agency rise to the top.”
Australia also came home with an additional 21 lions, spanning across work from DDB Sydney, VML, Supermassive, Clemenger BBDO and more.
Tumbleturn’s Baskerville said there’s a clear intersection across collective work this year that shows the world Australian values.
“These campaigns show us at our best; creative, clever and community minded," Baskerville said.
“Legacy Lager turned a cultural staple ‘a beer’ into a vehicle for meaningful storytelling, showing our ability to mix casual culture with deep purpose.
“Telstra's 'Better on a Better Network' is pure Australian wit with world-class craft.
“1001 Optometry's Hidden Eye Test solved a real problem in a way that was smart, simple, and deeply human.
“And the smart use of technology in 'RooBadge' addresses uniquely Australian environmental challenges.”
Herceg said a good campaign speaks to people and can grow without a budget behind it.
"It speaks to people immediately and their first reaction is, boy oh boy, I wish I had thought of that!
"This means it’s not only original but can grow without any budget behind it. The best work is a wildfire. It takes off despite the competition of all other work.
"It is indefatigable. Because you can’t keep an incredible idea down. It keeps gathering momentum and attention."
To continue a rise in Cannes rankings, Herceg said Australians need to use the past success as a benchmark for the future.
“Make sure we keep looking at what has come before and be honest about the true benchmark,” Herceg said.
“Greatness means doing your market research on where the watermark really is.
“Vacuums are bad. Doing your (creative) homework is good! We need more analysis of what’s gone before.”
Baskerville said that technical innovation in campaigns will support human creativity.
“Looking at this year's winners, the pattern points to great campaigns combining cultural authenticity with technical innovation.
“They use technology to enhance human creativity, not replace it. They address real problems while remaining genuinely entertaining.
“There's growing confidence in our creative voice. We're seeing bolder work that's not afraid to be funny, heartwarming, or provocative.
“I hope we'll continue to see more ambitious, brand-led work from Australia that taps into our distinctive local culture.
“It will be interesting to see how we continue to move the industry forward by tying creativity and effectiveness more tightly together, proving that beautifully crafted work can drive clear business results.”
Fergusson atLeo said Australian agencies will be motivated to win higher next year.
“It may seem like it was a big year for Australia. But only ten Aussie agencies won a Lion,” Fergusson said.
“So, there are dozens of other talented and competitive agencies who went home empty-handed and will be fired up to win next year.
“If there’s one thing you can count on, it’s that Australians like to win.”
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