Chaired by our inimitable Creative Director Ann Wixley, OMD was treated to an inspirational panel discussion this lunch time featuring Talon’s Innovations Director, Richard Simkins, and Account Director at Grand Visual, Jeremy Taylor.
The speakers took a packed reception through some of the finest outdoor work from Cannes, including campaigns that transcended the OOH category. As Ann put it, “outdoor is the new TV – we can do so much with it” – this was made even more clear by the amazing work on display.
Richard kicked off by saying “the definition of what outdoor is has exploded over the years. Despite the rise of digital out-of-home, we didn’t see any Lions rewarded for pure digital campaigns, which was interesting.”
Jeremy noted, “the challenge is how to use outdoor for what outdoor is – making magic by using smart technology at scale across thousands of sites”.
The team was given a glimpse of all the outdoor work that captured our panel’s attention last week, including Samsung’s brilliant Safety Truck execution which warned drivers of oncoming vehicles. As Jeremy said, “it’s incredible – it saves lives”.
The campaign that really got people talking was Apple’s World Gallery campaign for the iPhone 6. Some found it almost too simple in its execution, however one of the audience concluded that “ordinary people outside of media and advertising are talking about it”. Surely the final measure of a great campaign!
There was of course a special mention of Carlsberg’s beer dispensing billboard, which was supported by our team at Minerva House, that scooped a bronze Lion.
In summarising, Richard observed that “all this year’s winners have big plays on imagery”. Looking to next year, Jeremy wants agencies to “explore the space between stunts and scale. There’s an opportunity to add a layer of intelligence across it and bring it to life”.
Join us on our blog tomorrow and read more about our Festival of Creativity.