Cannes Lions 2015 Insights with the Jury: Promo & Activation Recap

What goes on in the mind of Cannes jurors? What do they think of the work? How do they decide what gets awarded?

Tuesday in Cannes, audience members got answers to these questions and more in an Insights with the Jury session. Promo & Activation Jury President Matt Eastwood, Worldwide Chief Creative Officer at J. Walter Thompson Company, participated in the session alongside Grey Group’s Diego Medvedocky, Razorfish’s Natalie Lam and moderator Susan Credle, of Leo Burnett Chicago.

In the 45-minute session, the jurors emphasized, among other things, the evolution of the Promo & Activation category.

“Maybe 7-8 years ago, it was more about the promotional part of it. Now it has moved to the activation part, which is about experiences and about brands offering genuine experiences to people. And now the activation part is even more important,” said Eastwood. This shift now guides how jurors evaluate work in the Promo & Activation category.

When it came down to campaign favorites, Delta’s Innovation Class, which won a Silver Lion in Promo & Activation just two days ago, stood out for Eastwood. Why? First, besides having a strong creative streak, the ad offers the opportunity to “learn and grow as a human being.” Second, Delta didn’t have to make physical changes to its airline in terms of new seats or technology; rather, the airline developed the innovative idea by building on its existing facilities with a creative twist.

Moderator Credle also had a campaign callout of her own: She acknowledged J. Walter Thompson Mexico’s “Bills Only Collection Box” for the Mexican Red Cross as a great example of innovative features integrated in the brand experience. Noticing that the yield for the Mexican Red Cross’ Annual Fundraising Drive had remained relatively stable year after year, J. Walter Thompson Mexico set out to encourage people to donate more money. The goal this year was to raise over 330 million pesos, unattainable using the coin boxes of years past. In order to reach the Red Cross’s goal of raising over 330 million pesos, J. Walter Thompson Mexico changed the donation box’s coin slot to a bill slot, hoping the small but clever change would encourage larger donations.

With the support of Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto, J. Walter Thompson Mexico’s “Bills Only Collection Box,” a simple but innovative idea, resulted in tangible improvements for the Mexican Red Cross and the Mexican people, increasing donation to the Red Cross by 2000%.

The campaign won a Gold Lion in Promo & Activation at Cannes 2014.

Perhaps the biggest highlight of the session came when the jurors outlined what key elements influence their decisions in the jury room:

1. Emotion: An ad that elicits an emotional response from its audience is more impactful than one that neglects the consumer’s heart.
2. Simplicity: A simple ad that has a clearly and directly communicated message is more effective than one that arrives at its key messaging in a more complex (and less accessible) way.
3. Problem–Solution Approach: Do the work for the consumer by creating an ad that points to a problem and offers up a solution.

After the session, Eastwood shared some additional insights with the Cannes Lions team. See his interview below.