GPY&R broke through 5000 entries to take two Lions in the outdoor category - the only Aussie winners, while Fuel Communications won both a Gold and Silver Lion for its work on the Optus Clever Buoy project.
FleishmanHilllard President Lynne Anne Davis, president of the PR Jury, said that this year was a “breakthrough year” for PR and showcases the “elevation” of the discipline adding that the creativity gap has completely closed between PR and other agencies.
“We had to redefine what new PR means today. It’s so much more sophisticated and well placed to manage conversations. Audiences have never been as accessible but never been more distracted, and the way PR can break through in a fragmented world is very distinct,” she said.
The Grand Prix was handed to P&G for the Always #Likeagirl campaign, which Davis described as a “transcendent campaign that marries brand promise with purpose and commercial pursuit. Immersing itself in popular culture, it spoke to a cultural truth that transcends boundaries.”
Fuel's sister agency N2N Communications also picked up a Cannes Lion award for its Mardi Gras campaign with Airbnb.
Vanessa Liell, agency leader at N2N Communications said: “We are absolutely thrilled to receive a Silver PR Lion from the Cannes International Festival of Creativity, alongside our client Airbnb for the Stay With Pride campaign.
“The campaign was about leveraging Airbnb’s sponsorship of the Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras and saw us list the world’s first liveable Mardi Gras float. But more important than that – it was about harnessing the power of creativity to start conversations that support Airbnb’s mission to create a world where people can belong anywhere.”
Creativity director at N2N Communications, Stuart Wragg said the Airbnb campaign “had it all” – a custom-designed pink Mardi Gras house float (with glitter canon chimney), human stories of belonging and bags of emotion.
In Outdoor, both GPY&R’s Lions are Bronze medals for its Public Transport Victoria outdoor campaign. Leo Burnett Melbourne's #MyFamilyCan work for SPC Ardmona and Clemenger BBDO Sydney's 'Nothing to See Gull!' campaign for Hungry Jacks were both shortlisted.
See the full list of winners for PR and Outdoor
Have something to say on this? Share your views in the comments section below. Or if you have a news story or tip-off, drop me a line at rosiebaker@yaffa.com.au
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