What SA can learn from Cannes ad festival

At this year’s Cannes Lions advertising festival, South Africa scored many accolades – but not a single prize for digital work. This was hardly surprising, writes ARTHUR GOLDSTUCK

It took a flood of insults to point the way to a new trend in digital advertising. A campaign featuring supermodel Gisele Bundchen won a Grand Prix, the premium award, in the Cyber Lions, the digital category of the annual Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

The campaign began with the announcement of an unlikely partnership between Bundchen and macho brand Under Armour. It sparked a flood of both subtle and outright sexist insults in conventional media and social networks.

And that’s when the campaign truly kicked in. Real comments were used in TV ads featuring Bundchen working out. Under Armour’s website used a custom “engine” to scrape the Internet for insults, and projected them on the site in real time – all accompanied by videos and images of Bundchen in action.

The message? Bundchen had both the physical and emotional strenght to block out even the worst of the insults. Not only did it send a message of empowerment, but also combined numerous platforms, sources and technologies.

Most important, it delivered results: 1,5-billion media impressions and a 28 per cent increase in sales. The campaign won another two gold Lions and four silvers for its various achievements.

No one is suggesting that an equivalent campaign could have been created in South Africa. But it is noteworthy that this country barely features in the Cyber Lions, while having a proud history across the rest of the competition.

This year, South Africa took 16 out of 58 awards for Radio, a category

It has dominated over the years, proving there is no shortage of advertising creativity in this country.

So why does it fall so short in digital? One answer was suggested to this writer two years ago during judging of the annual Bookmark awards, which recognise excellence in digital creative work and execution in South Africa. Some of the best work on show was brilliant in its execution, but clearly followed in trails blazed by digital pioneers elsewhere.

While such works were not necessarily derivative, they were also not particularly brave, given that they were built on well-established foundations. And they barely left a mark in the collective South African psyche.

The best of South African radio advertising, on the other hand, tends to be both bold and memorable. One senses creative decision-makers ready to stick their necks out, which is a sign not only of courage, but also of confidence. They know what they’re doing, and are always ready to try something new.

In the digital category, on the other hand, we tend to be led by what is happening elsewhere, and what has been made possible by others. It’s a matter not only of limited technical knowledge, but also of failing to appreciate the boundaries of digital creativity – or rather, the lack of boundaries. Globally, it is a medium that is being reinvented every day, and slowly becoming more important than most other traditional forms of advertising.

Eventually, all advertising will be a sub-category of digital. Until a few years ago in Cannes, however, digital was a poor relation of TV, radio and press advertising. In South Africa, it still is.

* Arthur Goldstuck has been a judge in the digital category of both local and international advertising festivals. He is founder of World Wide Worx and editor-in-chief of Gadget.co.za. Follow him on Twitter on @art2gee, and subscribe to his YouTube channel at http://bit.ly/GGadgets

All the Cyber Lions Grand Prix and Gold winners