First, let’s start with what may be a revelation for some: Award shows are a business. They don’t exist to celebrate your creativity or because they believe in what you’re doing. If you can fill out an entry fee, and write a cheque then you are a creative genius. In some cases, they are just advertising themselves – to promote a medium, a parent company, or even to inject some tourism dollars somewhere. They are a business. You are their client. And you are making them rich. When Emap bought Cannes in 2004 for £52million, it reported profits of £7million on revenues of £12million. 58% profit. All made on entry fees and delegates.
So what else are they? Well, some would argue they build agencies, and their reputations – even their value for preparation of a sale. They certainly, right or wrongly, help build careers. And they probably help some lazy Creative Directors recognise what is creative and who to hire. Don’t get me wrong, I have benefitted from award shows ranging from Communication Arts to Cannes. And so has Grip – even though we have only entered a handful of shows and did not enter any for 7 of our 9 years. No, this sentiment isn’t borne from sour grapes. It’s simply a statement of fact.

Advertising award shows have lost their relevance. At least in their current form. Much of this can be attributed to the internet. Long before a show is staged, or an annual is printed, we have already been made aware of great advertising. Or have been subjected to it virally, or searched it out. And sometimes the books confirm it. But much later. Performance-based shows, while appearing to be about business results also have their flaws for similar reasons. But that’s a blog for another day. We’ll stick to the creative shows for now.

Back in February, 111 million Americans tuned in to watch Super Bowl XLV.
7.3 million watched in Canada. And 3.5 million turned on their telly in the UK.
At some points, during the telecast, US numbers were as high as 163 million.
It was the highest ever audience for a US tv show.
If you were an advertiser, these numbers would make your $3m per 30 seconds seem like a pretty good deal. Especially, if a large number of people were already eagerly waiting to see your spot go “live”…

Almost a week before the broadcast, Volkswagen bucked convention and released their Darth Vader (“The Force”) Super Bowl spot on You Tube.  Within a day, it had 1.5 million views. After just 2 days, it had garnered 5.6 million. When the spot finally aired, the numbers jumped exponentially again. And that’s not taking into account the free advertising the spot received by way of the press.

All this happened before the May 27th Communication Arts advertising deadline, and the Cannes deadline of April 8th.

Will this spot get into Communication Arts? Of course it will. And we know this, before the Annual hits stores 6 months from now. Gold at Cannes? Absolutely.
And if this spot doesn’t win in either show, we will shake our heads and mutter “bullshit”. Because we KNOW. And the masses have spoken, and THEY know.

And it’s not just advertising; how many of us have known a great movie before it won an oscar, tuned into a hit tv series long before it wins an Emmy? What about products? Does a car need an award before you’ve already been drawn by the design, and rationalised why you have to have it? Does the smart phone you chose come with a Gold Effimobipenlio?

Just as we know when something will win, we also know when something should not win.
We know ads get ‘revised’, and cleaned up for entry. We know when an ad is just spec work, and may have been for something entirely different but was never bought, or even asked for by the “client”. We know they are not real ads, with real problems to solve, where real parameters had to be adhered to. We know when it’s run just once in a tiny market or been posted on an obscure web site somewhere. But award shows have long had a reputation for politcs, illogical results, and in some cases, even dishonesty.

As well, when you have seen one or maybe two of the bigger show annuals, you’ve pretty much seen all the top global work there is to see that year (Most shows are just too regional, or small for their winning work to play on the world stage). And keep in mind, that’s just the work where time and money were spent to enter. There is a whole breadth of creative out there that either can’t be categorised by traditional award shows, or doesn’t even show up on their radar. Take Orabrush for example. Go to the site, watch the story. Then watch the ads. Some not good. Some weird. Some pretty out there. And some that would most likely win. None went to air, or was in traditional media. The whole experience is oddly addictive. And be sure to check out the masthead and take note of the views and fans. Our clients would kill for those numbers. And those people aren’t watching because they’re seeking a tongue brush. You’ll see what I mean.

So, does all this mean award shows are dead? Not if you believe the numbers. Entries are generally up. Cannes had a 19% increase in entries this year. Developing countries like India and China are going to help push those numbers much higher in coming years as they strive to be recognised.

The fact is, Award Shows are still serving a business purpose rather than being truly about what they should be – celebrating creative. That part has pretty much been distilled down to a book, or DVD. It amounts to the equivalent of the past summer’s dance hits on a compilation CD. And just like that compilation CD that is being left in iTune’s or Spotify’s dust, it may be a good reminder and “nice to have” but it’s already been replaced by something that is going viral as you read this.

The Cannes Lions advertising festival is back. And while most people think of the festival as a celebration of world-class creative, schmoozing, and expense accounts, I always associate the festival with my friend James Lee. I would suggest the same of you – especially if you are Canadian.
In 1999, James was the first Canadian to win a Gold Lion in the Film category in twenty years. Twenty years! Think about that for a moment. His TV spot for Finesse shampoo (a packaged good no less) won Gold and ended Canada’s drought. And just to prove it was no fluke, James won another Gold in the film category a couple years later for Bud Light. That is to say, James took home the Gold in the single toughest category against such global beer heavyweights as Guinness and Stella Artois. He was a giant. A pioneer.
It’s no surprise that James went on to win countless more Lions in several different categories. And I’m not using the term “countless” lightly – I lost count.
If not for his untimely death in 2007 at the age of 37, I have no doubt he’d have many more Lions collecting dust in his closet.
So as Cannes continues to roll around from this year to the next, I’d suggest that we in the Canadian advertising industry give James – and his spectacular work – at least a moment of thought. I’m not suggesting that Canada couldn’t have won a Gold Lion following that first one for Finesse. But someone had to be the first. Someone had to raise the bar just a little higher for all of us.  And that person was James Lee.
So this year, as Canadians stand on the podium collecting their Gold Lions, look real close. You may notice that they’re standing on James’ shoulders.