Boom and gloom at Cannes

India's poor metals tally takes the shine off Grand Prix glory

The Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity has been trying desperately to get out of its image of an event that is just a platform for the rich and the famous to have a blast on the French Riviera. This year’s edition, which ended on Friday, sought to reassure everybody that the Lions are not only about endless pool, yacht, chateau, beach and terrace parties; it’s also about awards, creativity and inspiration. That explained why the pride of place, earlier reserved for sundry Hollywood stars, politicians and entertainers, was given this time to the real practitioners of the art and craft of advertising and communication. Participants said this ensured that the learning quotient, which was getting diffused, was really high at this year’s meeting point between the worlds of advertising, marketing, entertainment, media, and technology.

The general quality of the metal-winning campaigns this year was in keeping with this new spirit — the focus was as much on form as it was on substance. The common theme of the winners was that behaviour change of the targeted audience lay at the very foundation of advertising effectiveness. Consider the strong social message in the two Grand Prix award-winning campaigns from India. Ogilvy India's Savlon Health Hands Chalk Sticks, which won the metal in the creative effectiveness category, showed how the product created a positive impact on the health of school kids through an innovative behaviour change idea. The art of story-telling was in full display as the campaign talked about soap-infused chalk sticks that could be used to write like normal chalks on slates, but turned its powder into soap upon coming into contact with water. This compelled kids to wash their hands, thereby teaching them an important lesson in handwashing.

The other Grand Prix winner — TBWA’s Blink to Speak — is the first eye language guide made in India to help the paralysed interact without speech. The creators of the campaign did several months of research with doctors, patients and caregivers to ensure the guide would make a real difference to those who are struggling with speech. The same spirit of effectiveness on the ground was evident in the triple metal winner campaign — sindoor khela. The campaign questioned the age-old tradition followed during the last day of Durga Puja, when only married women are allowed to play with sindoor. Through the campaign, the message of inclusivity was given by allowing widows and transgenders to participate in the sindoor khela ceremony.

However, the large Indian contingent must have taken their flight back home with mixed feelings. While the two Grand Prix wins — a first for India — and the conferment of the prestigious Lion of St Mark on Piyush and Prasoon Pandey deserve to be celebrated, the total metals tally halved from last year’s 40. Islands of excellence are fine, but the Indian advertising industry must find ways to raise the bar when it comes to global benchmarking. What is particularly disappointing is the industry drawing a blank in the digital category. This is surprising, considering that digital remains the fastest-growing medium of the ad pie. So while quantity is not an issue, it’s the quality of work that needs a careful look. It’s obvious that the work in the digital sphere still lacks the cutting edge in terms of technology or innovation, reinforcing the impression that India is many years behind even some of its emerging market competitors in terms of cracking ideas that are digitally savvy. Indian agencies still seem to be caught in the trap of equating “likes” or shares on social media as the ultimate recognition of the quality of their digital campaigns. The writing on the wall is clear: Join the revolution or fade into obscurity. It’s true that awards in international forums do not tell the full story, but they do play the role of an important indicator of the trends ahead.