Summaries07.01.2009 | Sylvia Park
For the first time ever, PR agencies from around the globe were invited to participate in this year’s annual Cannes Lions Advertising Festival to demonstrate their ability to successfully convey a brand message through their campaigns. While the most prized award, the “Lion” award, went to an advertising campaign, it was a PR campaign that broke the record for winning the most Grand Prix in a single festival.
Tourism Queensland’s “Best Job in the World” PR campaign wowed judges at the 56th annual
festival. Described as a classic, very simple, single-minded campaign, the purpose of the campaign was to promote the islands of the Great Barrier Reef. The campaign, organized by CumminsNitro, leveraged different mediums including YouTube, microblogs and Twitter.
According to AdAge, the winning campaigns this year strived to “engage consumers and deeply involve them in brands, or a movement, rather than whack them over the head with canned message time and again.”
In today’s highly competitive market, improving consumers’ loyalty to brands allows companies to maintain a positive position in the marketplace and also enables them to take market share from competitors.
Done well, PR campaigns can garner the type of coverage most media buyers would charge millions to secure. These campaigns can provide more successful results than traditional marketing efforts. However, as we enter into a new era of communications dominated by digital media and social mediums, some experts predict we will see an increasing number of campaigns that leverage and combine advertising, PR and marketing efforts. This year’s Cannes Festival could be seen as early proof of the convergence between marketing, PR and advertising. The shifting media landscape coupled with the current economic climate, are causing organizations to consider integrating their advertising and PR activities.
An increased PR presence at the Cannes Lions Festival could offer agencies the opportunity to start leading the creative process and win more business. To view the complete list of PR Cannes Lions winners, click here.
Tags: AdAge, Advertising, Best Job in the World, Cannes Festival, Cannes Lions Advertising Festival, CumminsNitro, Digital Media, Lion Award, Marketing, PR, Social Mediums, Tourism Queenland
