10 Cannes Lions ads to learn from

The Cannes Lions, the annual global advertising love-in on the French Riviera, has just wrapped up, with Australian agencies picking up 35 gongs for their work.

The festival showcased the best advertising work to emerge across the world over the past year. But does any of it actually resonate with consumers, and can start-ups glean any lessons from the award winners?

According to a survey of “typical Australians”, research firm Firefly Millward Brown says the public appreciates a certain style of marketing.

“Hopefully it’s not a surprise but it might come as a reality check to some in the industry that the public want a little respect,” says Pamela Ingall, director of Firefly Millward Brown Australia.

“The findings showed that people don’t like to be shouted at, don’t want to be treated like idiots and want ads that capture the imagination. Respondents also said the ads needed to have a point, or make them think about the brand.

“A shouting ad might create immediate sales but it will devalue a brand in the long term.

“That’s why the creative approach is so important. People need to like the ad and like the brand – it’s the combination that creates a winning proposition.”

With this in mind, we’ve picked 10 of the best ads to feature at Cannes.

1. NAB’s break-up

The NAB ‘break-up’ campaign won the PR Grand Prix at Cannes and it’s easy to see why. A high-profile TV campaign showed NAB ‘hijack’ the meetings of other banks, but it’s the low-cost ‘guerrilla’ marketing – spray-painted pavements and odd public stunts like this one in Melbourne – that should fire the imagination of smaller businesses.

Michael Halligan, founder of Engage Marketing, says: “They have made a gutsy move in attempting to change market perception while aggressively repositioning the brand.

“While Commonwealth Bank told people that they were different, NAB went out there and showed people that they are different with a product to back it up.”

2. Yellow Pages pizza

The Yellow Pages is regularly written off as obsolete, rendered useless by the all-encompassing power of Google.

However, its attempt to battle this perception was nothing but innovative. It set up a ‘hidden’ pizza restaurant that could only be found by going to the Yellow Pages.

Of course, once the location was discovered it was plastered across the rest of the internet, but it provided some welcome positive headlines for the company. Could you create a similar sense of intrigue and in-the-know mystery to promote your business?

3. Audio Books India

For all the strategy and clever tactics you can put in place for your marketing, sometimes you just can’t beat a clever, attention-grabbing image.

Audio Books India runs the gauntlet of controversy for using an image of Hitler, but the idea is simple and catches the eye. A good pointer if you’re guilty of over-thinking an idea.

4. TAC story

Advertising a worthy cause is often seen as easier than doing so for a business because you have licence to pull on the heartstrings.

Victoria’s Transport Accident Commission does well, however, by reining in the mawkishness to deliver a straightforward, memorable message about the dangers of speeding. Maybe you could introduce a similar storytelling element to your brand?

5. FFA Christmas wrapping

Pitched well, a stunt can garner a huge amount of attention for your business, for minimal outlay.

To promote a Boxing Day soccer match, Football Federation Australia set up a free gift-wrapping service at a Brisbane shopping centre.

The wrapping paper included sly digs at the local team, the Brisbane Roar, as well as details of how to get tickets to the match. The media coverage gained was estimated at $100,000 – for a spend of just $15,000.

Case Study: FFA Christmas Swindle from lowesydney on Vimeo.