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Screen Magazine - Index

Screen Magazine - Screen Magazine: Vol. 29, Issue 13 - Index

were mixed. I think the commercials
are beautifully done, well-crafted,
quirky, charming – lots of good things.
But they are not “curiously strong,” and
so a Lion would surprise me. Still, they
were on the short list – something, even
with my best work, I was seldom able to
garner for Altoids. For that, they get my
respect and admiration…even if I was
hoping they’d fall short of gathering
any Lions! (They didn’t.)
Away from the work on display in the
Palais, there are the parties. At the
Leo Burnett party (my alma mater),
a German creative director – I’ll call
him Deitloff – asked me how I was
doing. I said, “Fine, it’s the South of
France, the weather is grand, and my
wife and I haven’t fought in days…”
Deitloff stopped me. “No, I mean how
are you doing with ze Lions?” Oh.
That. Well, I tell him, “I got my clock
cleaned.” Probably not understanding
the reference, or my laissez-faire
attitude, Deitloff left me, no doubt
wondering what in hell is wrong with
ze Americans.
Deitloff’s sweaty, German intensity
about winning Lions bears discussion
because there is, and always will be,
obsessive Lion hunters at Cannes.
Indeed, around the world, many
creative departments are shaped
around this festival. A former colleague
told me his current agency in Paris
actually assembled a group of its
most promising creatives six months
in advance of Cannes, and their only
job was to develop creative that
can win at Cannes. The creative was
done for current clients without their
knowledge and then introduced to
them later, packaged with other work
from another brief. In America we call
this “pork.”
So I ask you, is this a brilliant strategy
or a bogus move? Either way, it does
increase the chances of winning. It also
is a breeding ground for scam ads or
what the French agencies call “ghosts.”
If bunches of beautiful campaigns are
done in advance of Cannes, and only
a few get bought by real clients, what
happens to all those beautiful adverts
standing in line? They sneak in.
According to my source, even those
that do get “bought” by the client
are often masquerading as legitimate.
In fact, the client has only given the
work his tacit approval. The agency
pays for its production. If the client
has offered any money whatsoever,
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it generally has come from another
budget’s slush fund. Pork. No wonder,
then, that there are so many glorious
two-page spreads at the Festival, but
not in magazines and newspapers!
Often this “legitimate” advertising sails
into the awards ceremony because fake
ads are the ones done for law firms and
restaurants, small businesses that clearly
have no advertising budgets. Those get
caught and pulled…sometimes. Scam
ads take many forms. And when Lion
hunting is taken that seriously, there will
be poaching.
In the end, my takeaway from Cannes
is not mired in scam ads or the ugly
side of this competition. While it’s
important (and fun) dissecting the
Festival for its excesses and faults, I
come away feeling satisfied. I had
a great meeting with a major client.
I gave a well-received presentation
to a packed house. I saw just about
everyone who’s anyone in advertising,
as well as a bunch of new recruits;
their enthusiasm and passion for our
business was contagious. If I can go
next year I will. And you should, too!
//www.eurorscg.com