Creative Effectiveness Lions: Cannes 2022 Decoded

FCB's New York and Chicago offices claimed the Creative Effectiveness Grand Prix for "Contract for change", a campaign for Michelob Ultra encouraging and supporting US farmers to switch their land over to organic.

Creative Effectiveness Lions Jury President, Raja Rajamannar, chief marketing & communications Officer, Mastercard, said: “To pick the Creative Effectiveness Lion Grand Prix winner is to pick the best of the absolute best. The campaign we chose was not only strong on creativity and effectiveness, it went above and beyond – it is disruptive, game-changing and has impact lasting into the future. It’s a powerful example of how marketing should play an effective role in driving the business, build the brand and play a key role in the entire business value chain.”

Ogilvy took home the only UK Lions in Creative Effectiveness, for its work for Unilever's Dove. "Courage is beautiful", created by Ogilvy UK with Ogilvy Toronto, showcasing the efforts of healthcare workers during the pandemic, photographing them with the lines caused by their masks. It won a gold and a silver Creative Effectiveness Lion.

Creative Salon spoke to BBH's head of strategy Rosie Collins to find out about her experiences sitting on the Creative Effectiveness Lions' jury.

What were the key trends/reflections from your category?

I was pleased to see that so many brands are tackling societal and systemic issues particularly around the issues of sustainability and diversity. There was a big trend to using technology for good, to protect vulnerable people and as a vehicle for inclusion. I noticed a lot of emphasis on empowering marginalised groups of people to stand up for themselves. And there were some epic product demonstrations.

What advice would you give to marketers wanting to win a Creative Effectiveness Lion next year?

A brand needs all of these to win:

• At the heart of the campaign there needs to be a creative idea that is strong and brave but also distinctive, with beautifully crafted execution no matter what channels or formats are used.

• The work must be effective. It is not enough to exhibit a short-term spike in sales or popularity. If that is all a brand has to show, there is no way it will win in this category.

• The work has to demonstrate long-term impact for the business, the brand and it must show a competitive advantage.

What was your favourite work in this category?

For me the work that stood out were the campaigns that had strength of creativity and proof of effectiveness in bags. The Grand Prix - Contract for Change had all of these and more. The Gold winners were also extremely effective, especially the Tampon Tax by The Female Company that went as far as contributing to a change in the law by shifting Tampons into a new product category that wasn't taxed. Then although Cheetos "Can't Touch This" and Extra Gum “For When it's Time” didn't win. I loved these campaigns because they demonstrated high levels of creative ambition, craft and provided that fun and escapism we all needed during the pandemic.

Why did the winner win?

In each case, the winner met these criteria:

• It displayed strong, brave and distinctive creative ideas, with excellent craft across all channels.

• The work was effective, created a competitive advantage, and showed long term impact for the brand and the business.

• The idea allowed the brand to show up in a completely new and innovative way.

• It showed how communication can be a way to act to drive progress in society and culture.

• It set the standard and provided a template for other brands to follow.