Leo Burnett Cannes Predictions Reel

Our friends over at Leo Burnett Worldwide have sent us their annual Cannes prediction list, and we thought this was a perfect piece to share with the ihaveanidea audience.

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With the International Advertising Festival just a few weeks away, Leo Burnett proudly presents its 23nd Cannes Predictions reel, a glimpse into what to expect at the industry’s most prestigious annual event. The reel brings together 50 contenders likely to earn a coveted Lion.

A team led by Leo Burnett Worldwide Chief Creative Officer Mark Tutssel viewed thousands of campaigns, monitored global and local award shows and followed the general industry buzz to select the work for this year’s collection. Besides including the most honored work, the reel is designed to reflect an international mix and a balance across multiple product categories. This year’s reel features work from more than 14 countries.

So what can you expect at this year’s festival? Well, let’s first address the question on everyone’s mind: “Has creativity suffered in the face of the global recession?” With only a cursory glance, one could argue it has. After all, award shows entries across the board are down, and the Film category has produced no clear front runners for the Grand Prix. (Please see the Film section below for a caveat here.)

But rumors of creativity’s demise have been greatly exaggerated. In fact, creativity is thriving. Creativity is the primary asset of business today, and it’s never been important as it is now, which is why we’re thrilled to report that we saw more innovative, fresh and altogether dazzling communication solutions than ever. As a result, you’ll find this year’s reel includes far fewer Film entries, but more out-of-the-box, genre-defying and altogether brilliant future-facing efforts. Following in the industry’s footsteps, we’re proud to debut the first fully-integrated Cannes Predictions, a collection that incorporates the most likely Lion winners in multiple categories including Cyber, Titanium & Integrated and even Outdoor.

So, what can we expect at Cannes 2009? What general observations can we make about the year? -

Leo Burnett Cannes Predictions Reel Part I

Integration

Sure, we’ve certainly heard this before, though we’re not referring to efforts merely executed across a handful of media. Rather, we’re talking about ideas that harnessed a confluence of technologies to produce truly engaging experiences. Many of this year’s entries did just this, though Doritos “Hotel 626” was one standout, linking mobile, Twitter, Facebook and a faux documentary to a rich, terrifying, three-dimensional web universe. And Fiat’s “eco:Drive” provided a detailed peek into motorists’ driving habits courtesy of a USB flash drive that connected their cars and computers.

Politics

Personal beliefs aside, nearly all of us marveled at Barack Obama’s groundbreaking netroots movement that ultimately won him the 2008 U.S. Presidential election. Could a political campaign land a Titanium Lion? Meanwhile “The Great Schlep”– also on behalf of Obama via the Jewish Council for Education Research – served up a side-splitting and unique appeal to voters that broke a few barriers (and taboos) of political advertising.

Online is Flourishing

We’ve come a long way from the simple banner ad. Burger King’s “Whopper Sacrifice” leveraged Facebook so boldly that even the social networking site wasn’t sure what to make of it. Sprint’s “Plug Into Now” transformed PC desktops into a stunning real-time data dashboard. And the Mentos “Kiss Cam” gave anyone with a webcam the opportunity to share a virtual, interactive ‘kiss’ with his or her choice of a hunk or babe.

Leo Burnett Cannes Predictions Reel Part II

Taking It To the Streets

Pampero Rum’s “Ephemeral Museum” turned an entire district of Lisbon into a bona fide art gallery, while Oasis gave New York City residents a sneak preview of their new album by means of street musicians with the “Dig Out Your Soul” effort. And it’s hard to resist T-Mobile’s “Dance,” which employed the impromptu joy of a flash mob to amuse passersby at a Liverpool railway station. Finally, the one-of-a-kind James Ready “Share Our Billboards” invited beer enthusiasts to collaborate on their media plan, resulting in a campaign that was created for the people, by the people, and raised co-authorship to levels unseen in the outdoor medium.

Leveraging the Press

Some of our favorites wove their way into the cultural fabric, effectively using the media to add traction to their stories. In what many public relations mavens declared to be the best effort of its kind, Tourism Queensland invited jobseekers from around the world to apply for “The Best Job In the World.” And the very essence of the NBA’s “There Can Only Be One” campaign wound up gracing the cover of Time magazine and spoofed by Saturday Night Live.

Film – A Mixed Bag

Unlike most years, there were few blockbusters in the lot, though we should add a quick caveat: as history tells us, many in this category make their first appearance in Cannes, so it’s almost certain we’ll be delighted and surprised by a few stellar debuts.

Still, we saw some outstanding work, including “Go On Lad,” a throwback to a classic with a trip through time for Hovis, and “House of Cards,” a gorgeously rendered visual metaphor with a Radiohead soundtrack for housing charity Shelter. We also caught plenty of ads employing those two perennially Cannes-approved themes: Sex and humor. Spots like Levi’s “Secrets and Lies” and Diesel “SFW XXX” deliver a little raciness, while Pepto-Bismol “Empanada” and Esthe Wam Hair Removal “Beauty Bowling” provide a few laughs.

Also keep your eye on Canal+ “Versailles,” an extension of a campaign that’s historically performed well yet still remains fresh. And we’d be remiss not to mention JCPenney “Doghouse,” the hilarious instructional short for wayward men everywhere.

Finally, we’d like to invite you to join our Cannes Predictions conversation. We’ve set up the Twitter hashtag #cannespredictions, and we’ll be tweeting via @LeoBurnettBlog. Follow us and join the debate. – we’re eager to hear your thoughts!

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Of course, we at ihaveanidea wouldn’t mind some of the debate appearing right here, but wherever you choose to voice your thoughts, we can all agree that this year’s Cannes will be a most interesting one to watch.