A number of big hitting campaigns made the 2015 Cannes Lions a showing Australia could be proud of, with a total of 56 awards coming back on a plane down under.
Australia won nine Gold Lions, 15 Silver, 31 Bronze and a Titanium Lion in the final medal tally of the awards.
Out of that total, M&C Saatchi's shark detector Clever Buoy, created by Optus picked up four Gold in PR (alongside PR agency Fuel Communications), Mobile, Cyber and Innovation as well as two Silver and a Bronze and a coveted Titanium Lion in the Titanium and Integration awards.
M&C Saatchi Australia Group CEO Jaimes Leggett said: “This has been an exceptional year in Cannes for the M&C Saatchi network. Winning a Titanium Lion is testament to the creativity, talent and drive of our people around the world.”
JWT picked up two Gold Lions, a Silver Lion and three Bronze Lions in the Heatlh and Wellness Lions for its I touch Myself project for Cancer Council NSW. Saatchi and Saatchi won a Gold Lion in Innovation and Australia's only creative effectiveness lion for its Penny the Pirate campaign for OPSM.
GPY&R also picked up a number of gongs with its Melbourne arm picking up a Gold, six Silver and five Bronze Lions for work including its Donation Posters work for Public Transport Victoria and its Letters From Gallipoli campaign for Legacy. Meanwhile, its Brisbane agency won a Silver Lion, and two Bronze for work such as its Melanoma Likes me Campaign for Melanoma Patients Australia.
Y&R Group ANZ chief creative officer Ben Coulson said like it or not, Cannes is a litmus test for an agency's creative reputation.
“A good year and you know you’re getting it right, a bad year and changes have to be made. Sometimes big ones. So it’s an exciting but bloody nervous time,” Coulson said.
“This year I am nervously excited to read our score card and see the best performance GPY&R has ever had at Cannes with 13 Lions in the bag. A huge reward, that today makes a lot of hard work, by a lot of people, seem worth it.
“Winners here have found a new way to deliver their message. Which is harder to do today than ever before. In an industry that loves to measure work, Cannes is where we come to measure the rarest thing, creative originality.”
Other notable winners include Leo Burnett, who's Melbourne arm picked up three Bronze Lions and Sydney branch won a Gold Lion in Creative Data and a bronze in Media. DDB Melbourne also picked up two Bronze Lions, and McCann Melbourne which won a Silver and a a Bronze.
Local young hotshots from IPG Mediabrands Jack Smyth and Chris Colter also picked up a Gold Medal in the Young Lions Media category, while DDB Melbourne’s Jordy Molloy and Chris Hanrahan picked up a silver in the Young Lions Film category.
See AdNews full coverage of the Cannes Lions winners below:
Cannes 2015: Raining Bronze at Film and Film Craft Lions; DDB, McCann win gongs
Gold Lion for Leo Burnett in the debut Creative Data award
Saatchi & Saatchi and M&C both recognised with Innovation Lions
Cannes 2015 winners: Australia dials it up with 10 Radio Lions for GPY&R and BMF
Cannes 2015 winners: M&C claim more Lions including Gold Cyber for Optus
Cannes 2015: ‘Transformative year’ for PR sees Fuel and Optus win Gold, GPY&R take two in OOH
Cannes 2015: UM drinks in success with Silver Lion for Colour your Summer, M&C, GPY&R and Leos take bronze
Cannes 2015: Saatchi wins treasure in Creative Effectiveness for Penny the Pirate
Cannes 2015: Google wins Mobile Grand Prix, M&C Saatchi and Optus take Gold
Cannes Lions Health Awards: winners – 'This Girl Can', JWT and GPY&R
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