With over 80 Irish delegates representing the Irish advertising and marketing industry heading to the south of France for the annual Cannes Lions Festival over the next few days, the organisers have announced that a total of 41,170 entries were received across 24 Lions categories.
Entries associated with Lions Health, (Health & Wellness and Pharma), now in its fourth year, were up 9% on last year, as this specialist area of the Festival builds a loyal and growing following.
Creative Effectiveness, the only global award linking award-winning creative work with business driving results, is up 59% on 2016 and demonstrates that client and creative collaboration is stronger than ever.
According to Jose Papa, managing director of Cannes Lions: “The interest around the Creative Effectiveness Lion is very exciting. Not only does it chime with the Festival’s campaign for creativity as a positive force for business, but the work that wins here equips clients everywhere with the guidance and reassurance they need as they seek to become more ambitious creatively.”
It’s also a strong growth year for work submitted into Glass: The Lion for Change, up 31% on last year, showcasing the breadth of work that has the power to shift culture. Since the Glass Lion launched in 2015, all entry fees have been donated to high-profile organisations tackling gender inequality across the world and the Festival has raised more than €290,000 to date.
Lions representing traditional channels, such as Outdoor and Print & Publishing, have experienced a decline in entry numbers, mirroring the changing shape of the communications landscape, accounting for the vast majority (80%) of the difference from 2016 entry numbers.
Reflecting the international nature of the Festival, there was a notable shift in the increase in work from the UAE, China and the LATAM region, and a resurgence of submissions from Brazil after several years of reduced participation offsetting slightly lower entry numbers from the UK and other Western European countries.
Digital Craft and the Entertainment Lion for Music, both launched in 2016, and report lower entry numbers in their second year, following an established pattern for new Lions before they enter a period of sustained and steady growth.
Simon Cook, Director of Awards for Cannes Lions, said “We have continued in 2017 to see the key trends across the Lions continue from previous years, with strong growth in categories that have been a focal point for the industry over the last 12 months. Individual Lions can see ebbs and flows but over time we have learnt it is always best to take a long-term view as the broad trends have not really changed. The Radio Lions are just one example of that – a drop last year of 11% prompted commentary about a decline in the sector, but this year we’ve seen an increase of 5%.”
Cook added: “At the award shows last year we watched creative comms and campaigns sitting very comfortably alongside a rich mix of emerging, new forms of creativity which was a clear demonstration of how creative companies were beginning to embrace and adopt a wider creative palette. It’s an exciting time and we expect to see a natural progression of this on stage at the festival this year.”
Speaking on plans for future additions or changes to the existing Lions, Cook said, “As ever, we will monitor the trends in work, and consult with the industry as we develop plans for next year. But here and now in 2017, the winning work will not only inform the shape of the Lions going forward – but a rapidly evolving industry.”
