The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity started on Sunday. Earlier, organisers announced a record number of entries with 40 133 entries received across Cannes Lions (21-27 June), Lions Health (19-20 June) and Lions Innovation (25-26 June).
Philip Thomas, CEO, Lions Festivals, said that the level of entries showed an “industry that believes in the power of creativity as a driving force for business and for brands. The Lions are a proxy for great creativity, and it is exciting to see marketers globally pushing themselves and their agency partners to produce truly outstanding work, and having the confidence to bring it to Cannes Lions to compete on the world stage.”
Categories at Cannes Lions that have seen a notable increase are Creative Effectiveness which has doubled, Film (+8%), Branded Content & Entertainment (+18%) and Film Craft (+6%).
“It’s particularly interesting to see such significant rises in these categories,” Thomas continued. “Creative Effectiveness has doubled, adding yet more evidence for creativity as a business driver, while categories like Film, Film Craft and Branded Content & Entertainment show how important these tools are for telling stories.”
“Two areas that have seen a decline are the Press and Outdoor categories. Although it does look as if the well-documented challenges of these media could be behind this decrease, we should be wary of drawing hasty conclusions from just one year’s data. For instance, the Radio category has been decreasing for a number of years, but this year has bounced back to very nearly its highest-ever entry number,” added Thomas.
Glass Lion: The Lion for Change, the Festival’s new category to address issues of gender inequality or prejudice, has received 166 entries in its launch year. All proceeds will go to a charity that will be chosen from a shortlist of ten by Cannes Lions delegates during the Festival.
