After a gap of two years, the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity returns as an in-person event next week and a delegation of nearly 100 people from the Irish advertising and marketing world will making the trip to the south of France.
Representatives of all the main Irish agencies will be in attendance while once again Ireland will have a strong presence in the Cannes Young Lions across a range of disciplines. In all, IAPI will be bringing 25 young creatives, including the winners from 2021 and 2022, to the week-long event.
In addition, marketers from a range of companies, including Diageo, Allianz, PepsiCo, AIB, Three Ireland, Electric Ireland and Aer Lingus, will also be attending while a number of Irish judges will also be involved in judging certain award categories.
According to the organisers, a total of 25,464 entries from 87 countries, including Ireland, have been received. This year sees the introduction of the Creative B2B Lions which have received 415 entries from 188 companies in 37 countries. The Creative Effectiveness Lions, meanwhile, received 258 entries from 30 countries – an 83% increase year-on-year.
Heading up the Irish delegation will be Charley Stoney, CEO of IAPI. “The Cannes Young Lions programme is one of my favourite initiatives within IAPI as it gives our young creatives and marketers a unique opportunity to compete on a global stage and benchmark themselves against their peers. We look forward to hosting all those travelling from Ireland to Cannes Lions at our welcome drinks on the Monday night,” says Stoney. “While, we are tasked with promoting the very best of Irish creativity, the IAPI focus on effectiveness remains one of the cornerstones of our purpose in promoting our industry as a vital engine of growth for brands. This is why we are delighted that the Cannes Lions festival organisers have responded to industry trends, and through their association with WARC, continue to promote the Creative Effectiveness Lions and the Creative Strategy Lions, that ensures our industry’s activity is measured for its’ effectiveness.”
Commenting on the awards, Simon Cook, CEO, Lions, says, “This is always such a pivotal moment for us because the work entered provides a compelling insight into the global creative marketing landscape. Over the coming days at the Festival, our juries will curate a body of work worthy of Lions and set the global benchmark that will propel us into the year ahead.”
