With the COVID-19 pandemic shutting down all in-person awards and events this summer, Cannes is looking to give advertising professionals around the world something to look forward to with its new Global Lions Creativity Report of the Decade.
This is the first time that Cannes Lions has dug into its rich history to explore which agencies, holding companies and networks have shown the greatest sustained creative excellence over the last 10 years.
The report, which will include global rankings and benchmarking data, will be released – along with its winners – live throughout Lions Live week June 22 – 26. Last month, Cannes announced the launch of Lions Live in June, a free platform aiming to celebrate creative work worldwide and serve as a space for digital education and networking.
"For the first time this is something that recognizes sustained creative excellence and performance over a longer period of time, and we have the opportunity to recognize that at a time where we can’t give out physical awards," said Simon Cook, managing director of Cannes Lions.
He added that the winners are tabulated as other "special Cannes Lions awards" are, with points being added together around the number of shortlists and Lions accumulated per category over the decade.
Categories for the report include: Holding Company of the Decade, Network of the Decade, Agency of the Decade, Independent Agency of the Decade, Palme d’Or of the Decade, Agency of the Decade – North America, Agency of the Decade – Latin America, Agency of the Decade – Asia, Agency of the Decade – Pacific, Agency of the Decade – Europe, Agency of the Decade – MEA, and Brand Marketer of the Decade.
The Palm d’Or Award will celebrate production companies, while the Brand Marketer of the Year follows on the heels of Cannes Lions’ new 2019 category of Creative Brand of the Year, which was awarded to Burger King, Cook said.
In addition to one winner per category, the report will include rankings of the top 10 or 20 agencies, brands or holding companies. Cook added that the report is being produced in collaboration with Cannes Lions sister company, WARC, whose execs will provide editorial feedback.
Winners will all be announced live throughout what would have been the actual Cannes Festival days of June 22 – 26. Cook said he believes the live speeches and winner announcements will help keep momentum and spirits up in the industry.
In addition to the Global Lions Creativity Report of the Decade, Cannes is introducing something called Lions Classic, which allows users to explore and view more work that’s been digitized from as far back as 60 years ago.
(This article first appeared on CampaignLive.co.uk)