Leo Burnett

By now I’m sure everyone’s had a chance to read Bob Garfield’s commentary in AdAge this week that pretty much skewers the International Advertising Festival.  I’m not going to go through it point by point, though I thoroughly disagree that Cannes is suffering an identity crisis on the scale he suggests.

Garfield’s obviously a thoughtful critic, has followed the business for years, and he’s presented an interesting argument.  But I have to take issue with an appraisal of Cannes based solely on an analysis of a couple Grand Prix.  Don’t agree with the picks?  Fine, there’s plenty to debate there.  And that’s always been the case – whether Film, Cyber, Titanium, whatever – with a few exceptions, the discussion begins even before anyone’s exited the Palais.  So to dismiss Cannes based on the Obama/Biden Titanium and a misreading, I think, of the Philips “Carousel” Film GP, doesn’t paint the most accurate picture of what happened this year.

I’m also left struck that he believes the industry isn’t fully aware of the formidable challenges it faces.  Not only do I think a good portion of the Lionized work this year addressed the same issues he’s written on extensively, but the workshops, seminars and even chatter among delegates did so, too.   And just take a spin through the other Titanium & Integrated winners, the Promo, Direct, PR, Media and Outdoor winners and you’ll see what I mean.

Clearly, both the industry and the festival are adapting.

After reading the following passage, I was left wondering if he had seen anything besides Obama and “Carousel.”  He asks:

Can’t this festival adapt to a changing world and still honor what you people like to call “creativity”?  Shouldn’t recognition go to those who exhibit startling ingenuity in messaging—not technological ingenuity in dispersing the message but imagination in the message and medium themselves?

Have a look at “Kit Kat Mail” from JWT Tokyo.  Or “Treehouse Restaurant” for Yellow out of Colenso BBDO Auckland.  Or 42 Entertainment Pasadena’s “Why So Serious?” effort for “The Dark Knight.”  Or Pampero Rum’s “Ephemeral Museum” from our own Leo Burnett Lisboa.  There were even some gems to be found in the maligned Film category.  (And dig even deeper and take a look at the Shortlists.  The Will.i.am song “Yes We Can” was entered, and was listed in Titanium.)

Of course the festival isn’t without its flaws.  And we’ll probably never agree as to exactly what they are or how to fix them.  I just don’t think a sweeping indictment is justified without a more careful examination of the bigger picture.

But that’s just me.  Am I off my rocker here?  Do you still care about Cannes?  Is it irrelevant, facing an insurmountable identity crisis?  Have suggestions for improvement?  As ever, curious to hear what you think.