The Cannes International Festival of Creativity is upon us. We asked Matt Seddon, chief executive officer, Saatchi & Saatchi India, for his all time favourite Cannes Grand Prix winner.
His pick is the Honda 'Grrr' campaign that won a Grand Prix in Film Lions in 1995.
Seddon explained his choice: "Your car, the second, or perhaps third, most expensive thing you will ever spend your hard earned cash on. My list? No 1 - my house in England; No 2 - my Toyota Camry. And both beaten fairly easily by my No 3 - the cost of keeping my wife! And yet, given the huge cost outlay involved in purchasing a car, most ads I see in the category leave me feeling completely underwhelmed.
"Car manufacturers need to recognize that purchase is rarely a rational decision. So please stop talking at me in a one dimensional, cliched manner because I neither know – nor care – about miles per gallon, steering propelled headlights or leather steering wheels. And no – I don't need you to tell me that I have 'arrived' and therefore deserve (or even worse, have earned) the right to own your latest model. Please, give me a break! And recognise that buying a car is as much about how it makes you feel, what your friends will think, what kind of statement it makes to the opposite sex….and not bloody features and specs!
"The Cannes Grand Prix winner in 2005 – Honda 'Grrrr' - created an emotional connection. It was cool, interesting, fun and most important of all didn't follow any tried and overused formula.
"World class animation, fun to watch, memorable…clearly a client that recognised that it's not how much metal you can move, but how much the metal can move you.
"A classic."
Credits (courtesy www.canneslions.com):
Advertiser: Honda
Product: Honda Diesel
Entrant Company: Wieden + Kennedy
Country: United Kingdom
Year: 2005
Award: Grand Prix
