Winners of the 2010 Cannes Lions - the premier ad event in Europe, and perhaps the world - were announced last week, with Wieden + Kennedy Portland winning two grands prix and other top awards going to agencies including DDB London and Crispin Porter + Bogusky.
The integrated grand prix at Cannes went to the Nike Chalkbot, developed by Wieden + Kennedy Portland for the Tour de France, the world's biggest bike race. To promote the client's LiveStrong initiative - strongly associated with Nike brand ambassador and multiple Tour-winner Lance Armstrong - at the event, people were encouraged to send in messages via digital media platforms including Twitter, which were then automatically painted onto the course by the Chalkbot itself.
The US shop also won the film grand prix for 'The Man Your Man Could Smell Like', for client Old Spice; the TV ad has become a breakout viral success, having gathered over 11m YouTube views. Again, social media was a crucial component of the campaign: the ad had been uploaded to the official Old Spice Facebook page prior to hitting the airwaves in order to generate buzz.
Meanwhile, 'The Gift', from RSA Films, London and ad agency DDB, took top honours in the Film Craft category. Taking full advantage of the looser time constraints afforded to online video ad, this stunningly-shot, if very violent, five-minute film incorporated influences from Bulgakov to Blade Runner to promote the client's home cinema systems.
Crispin Porter + Bogusky won the Titanium grand prix for its work for Best Buy, a US retail chain. 'Twelpforce' - as the name suggests - leveraged Twitter to spread the expertise of employees beyond the stores' walls, cutting customer complaints by 20%.
There was some controversy in the press category, with a Mattel campaign from Ogilvy Mexico being originally announced as the winner, only to be withdrawn after it emerged that it had been entered previously (full details of the events here). A campaign from AlmapBBDO Sao Paulo for Billboard magazine was promoted to the grand prix as a result; the Brazilian shop was also named ad agency of the year.
Elsewhere at Cannes, BBDO won agency network of the year, while Unilever - in an award originally announced last month - was advertiser of the year. A full list of Cannes Lions winners can be found here.
The other major ad awards news of the week was the announcement of the EACA Care Awards, which recognise successful social marketing. A panel of European Parliamentarians picked winners for six categories, with the grand prix going to Leo Burnett Serbia for 'Hunger strike against hunger'.
To assist B92, a local broadcaster, in its aim of drawing attention to the problem of extreme poverty leading to hunger in the Balkan nation, the agency organised a one-day event, during which people would choose to not eat. The integrated campaign, promoted both online and offline, was so successful that even the prime minister said he would join the strike.
In other news, an update for one of the shortlisted campaigns for our own Warc Prize for Ideas and Evidence has been announced. An online version of 'The Game', a TV campaign developed for Pepsi in India, has been launched, and is playable here.
For a full list of upcoming awards dates for your diary, be sure to check out our Warc Awards Calendar.
