Cannes Lions 2024: Fewer wins, more questions
India's performance at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity this year fell short of expectations, with a total tally of 18 Lions: one Grand Prix, two golds, seven silvers and eight bronzes. This marks a significant drop from 2023, when India secured 25 metals at Cannes Lions, and a stark contrast to the 47 metals, including two titanium Lions, achieved in the previous year.
window.googletag = window.googletag || {cmd: []};
googletag.cmd.push(function() {
googletag.defineSlot('/21740140234/e4m_story_page_para3_small_horizontal_banner_3_728x90_normal', [728, 90], 'div-gpt-ad-1595331589677-0').addService(googletag.pubads());
googletag.pubads().enableSingleRequest();
googletag.enableServices();
});
There were 826 entries from India for the contest this year, of which 56 were shortlisted.
window.googletag = window.googletag || {cmd: []};
googletag.cmd.push(function() {
googletag.defineSlot('/21740140234/e4m_story_page_para3_small_horizontal_banner_3_728x90_normal_next', [728, 90], 'div-gpt-ad-1601359261569-0').addService(googletag.pubads());
googletag.pubads().enableSingleRequest();
googletag.enableServices();
});
Over the past six years, India has averaged a 3.08 per cent conversion rate from entries to wins, peaking at 5.12 per cent in 2022 and dipping to 1.7 per cent in 2019. Based on this trend, the Indian contingent was expected to win at least 25 Lions this year. The underwhelming performance of Indian creative agencies on the global stage raises many questions prompting industry leaders to seek answers. Notably, advertising veterans have been pointing out that despite the rise in the number of creative agencies, there’s a noticeable decline in the production of high-quality and impactful advertisements. While the volume of ads has gone up due to the intervention of technology and Generative AI, the standout, memorable campaigns have become rarer. Even the most high-profile media events, such as the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the Cricket World Cup, have lacked compelling advertisements in the past couple of seasons, veterans say. Grand Prix in Creative Effectiveness: Heinz Ketchup, & Rethink Toronto) Intense competition? Experts say several factors may have contributed to this shift such as intense competition on the global stage, with many countries ramping up their creative output. Additionally, the dynamic nature of the advertising industry demands constant innovation and adaptation to new trends, technologies, and consumer behaviours. Indian agencies might be facing challenges in keeping pace with these rapid changes or in presenting their work compellingly to the Cannes jury. Grand Prix-Sustainable Development Goals: Renault & Publicis Conseil, Paris Missing universal perspective? “The criteria and preferences of the Cannes Lions judges can evolve over the time, influencing which campaigns are recognized. It's possible that the recent submissions from India did not align well with the current trends or lacked a universal perspective or missed smart packaging or maybe all three,” says Manish Bhatt, Founder Director, Scarecrow M&C Saatchi. Bhatt observed that a brand's popularity also plays a significant role in global contests. Reflecting on an old palace ad for Happydent created by McCann, Bhatt remarked, “In the past, some ads were so compelling that the entire ad fraternity was certain they would win awards. We are no longer producing such compelling ads.” Grand Prix-Luxury & Lifestyle: 'Loewe x Suna Fujita' campaign Trying too hard? The debate over whether creative advertising agencies are prioritizing awards over impactful work is a longstanding one, and it has recently gained traction amidst underwhelming performances at prestigious competitions like the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. Many agencies invest considerable resources in crafting campaigns specifically designed to catch the eye of award juries. “These efforts often involve pushing creative boundaries, experimenting with innovative formats and pursuing good causes. However, the pursuit of awards can sometimes overshadow the primary objective of advertising: to effectively communicate a brand’s message and drive business results,” shared executives from the ad industry. Glass Lion for Change-Transition Body Lotion (Unilever & Ogilvy, Singapore) Market Pressures Economic constraints and market pressures have limited the creative freedom of agencies, pushing them towards more conservative approaches that prioritize immediate returns over long-term brand building and creativity, industry insiders say. “Reducing commission rates, increasing contract culture and forced integration efforts at larger agencies are among the major factors, which have impacted the creative prowess,” some experts noted. Besides, creative professionals are underpaid, undervalued, and exploited. “The anxiety, depression, unrealistic deadlines, work pressure, extended work hours, and the low pay scale is all a part of the ad world in India, and unfortunately have been normalised to an extent that it feels wrong to speak about it. Juniors are additionally deprived of credit,” young professionals allege. ‘Time to tickle the elephant in the room’ Josy Paul, Chairman, BBDO India, says, “We’ve got to be a bit mindful when we look at the tally and play the number game - the work should not end up just being some unfortunate statistic. Truth is more than 10 unique ideas from India were celebrated at Cannes, across different categories. That's outstanding! Look at the ideas that won – they were human, tech, scale, and connected. Agree that our performance, relative to the past few years, was a bit low. But then every country has a good year or a not-so-good year! That’s the nature of creativity.” “If we were forced to reflect, and think a bit deeper, maybe we should start by asking a few questions. One, is there a sameness creeping into all our work? Two, have we become a bit too serious? Three, is there a shelf life to some of our world saving ideas? Four, should we laugh a bit more?” Paul wonders. He adds that humour is making a comeback at Cannes Lions. “Maybe it’s a reaction to the depressing news all around the world. Maybe the jury wants advertising to be happy. Maybe it’s time to tickle the elephant in the room!” Overhyped ads? Dr Sandeep Goyal, MD of Rediffusion, has a different point of view on the matter. He opines, “These awards are not for India or Indian creativity. A handful of individual agencies participate and compete with each other in the contest. They are not representing the country at Cannes Lions like sportspersons often do at global competitions.” He further says, “The media overhype awards. In reality, except for a handful of people in agencies and clients, most of the ads that participate in Cannes Lions from India are scam ads which are a sham. Has anyone seen the Taj Mahal tea (Santoor ad) hoarding ad? Why did they put it up in a remote corner of the country? Because it really doesn’t work the way it has been hyped,” Goyal claimed. Notably, the Taj Mahal Tea's 'Megh Santoor' musical billboard innovation that was developed by Ogilvy, Mumbai and executed by Rapport Outdoor Advertising in the city of Vijayawada, won a Silver in the 'Outdoor' category of Cannes Lions 2024. Gold-Outdoor: Taj Mahal Tea & Ogilvy Cannes Lions: A ‘for-profit’ enterprise? Ramesh Narayan, Founder of Canco Advertising, says the Cannes Lions are just another commercial "for-profit" enterprise that has been positioned well, and marketed superbly by their Indian agents who are the most formidable English-language media house in the country. “It's time we celebrate our wonderful creative leaders by the results their work achieves in the markets of India and not on the beaches of Nice (France),” the adman pointed out, congratulating Prasoon Joshi, Raj Dipak Das, Harshad and Kainaz, and all those creative people from India who won Cannes Lions this time. “Am I disappointed that the tally for India is 18 as against 25 metals won last year? Of course not! Reasons: firstly, creativity is extremely subjective. Remember, these awards are the result of the opinion of some people. The jury members come with their unique likes, dislikes, biases and understanding. And the winners are a result of all those factors,” says Narayan, who has been Chairman of Awards Governing Council of the Abby Awards for two years, and the first Indian to judge the finals of the Effie Awards in New York. ‘Get real’ Industry observers advise that instead of trying too hard for awards while creating ad campaigns, the focus must be on original and unique work, and awards will follow. Ashish Bhasin, Founder of the Bhasin Consulting Group, says, “There is no need to be disheartened with the lower tally this time. Our focus should not be on awards for the sake of awards. Instead, we must ensure creativity flourishes and our focus remains on great real work for real brands. That will give us glory in the years to come.” “The year 2022 went spectacularly well for India when Dentsu Webchutney won the Titanium and Agency of the Year awards among others. It was a benchmark and we should aspire to surpass this benchmark in future,” Bhasin shared. Grand Prix-The Square Meter: Hornbach & Heimat\TBWA, Berlin, Germany
Tags : Prasoon Joshi Ashish Bhasin Cannes Lions 2024 Manish Bhatt Ramesh Narayan Taj Mahal Tea Sandeep Goyal Ogilvy Josy Paul