RECORD NUMBER OF ENTRIES FOR CANNES LIONS 2008 – AUSTRALIAN ENTRIES UP 31%
Over 28,000 entries from 85 countries will be competing for the coveted Lions at the Cannes Lions 55th International Advertising Festival next month, an increase of 10.2% versus last year. Without taking into account the new Design Lions category, the increase is 5.8%.
“We are seeing strong growth right across the categories and right across the world,” said Philip Thomas, Festival, Chief Executive Officer. “This is the fifth year in a row that we have seen record entries into Cannes, another indication that agencies and clients across the world are embracing creativity and wishing to showcase their work at a global level at the Festival.”
“From Australia’s perspective we’re delighted total entries are up 31% to 822. Even more pleasing is the growth in media entries to a total of 70, up a massive 46% against 48 last year,” said Garth Agius, Group Director of Marketing: Advertising and Integration, News Limited. “This should place Australia in an excellent position to win at Cannes, recognising our country’s talent and showcasing their great work.”
“The launch of Design has been particularly exciting. When we launch a new section at Cannes, there is clearly a minimum number of entries that make it a worthwhile thing to do, and a worthwhile global competition to take part in. Design has outstripped even our most optimistic estimates; with over 1,100 entries it has established itself, in year one, as a major trophy to compete for, and will be a major Lion to win,” said Thomas.
Much of the growth has once again come from the newer categories, with Promo, Media and Titanium & Integrated particularly strong. But the more established categories are also buoyant – there is growth in Press and Outdoor, and Film has reversed a three-year trend of decline, mainly due to the Film section being expanded this year to include categories for films created for transmission on screens other than TV and cinema.
As expected, there is much activity from the booming regions of the world with The Middle East, China, Russia, and India all showing spectacular growth. But there are also more entries from more established players, such as the USA, UK, Germany, Spain, and Brazil which have all grown in entries this year.
Download the list of entries per country:
32 Comments
Look at ‘little’ Promo go…
28,000 entries on top of 10,000 attendees at the festival and they can’t pay judges airfare?
Where does all their money go? c’mon…
This only means agencies have more money to burn, doesn’t actually mean the works gotten any better?
I see NAMIBIA had 1 entry last year, but sadly decided not to enter this year.
That’s a 31 per cent increase in the insecurity of our industry.
We need a bunch of tossers who probably think the work is from Austria to tell us we’re any good.
12:20 i have heard they have a 70+% profit margin.
Remarkable for any business.
And that the guy who owned it couldn’t believe how much money people would spend to win a metal lion.
2 words…
1) corporate
2) machine
a penny for your thoughts
28000 x 600 euro is… oh fuck it hope everyone wins.
I want too see a Saber tooth Lion category.
If there are 10,000 attendees and they all have a full delegates pass at approx $4800 AU each, that comes to 48 million dollars. And say every entry averages out to about $800 AU, that’s another $22.5 million. So they could stand to gross around $70 million. And 96% of people will get zero return on investment.
Isn’t that how casinos work?
What would be interesting to analyse is this:
1) The percentage of creatives that win a lion leave their agency within 12 months.
2) The percentage of clients that win a lion that leave the agency within 12 months.
I’m tipping these two statistics would further prove the mindlessness shelling out cash to enter these awards.
the bloke who brought it paid somewhere in the region of 100 million (could have even been pounds… cant be arsed googling it) for the lions festival.
even more importantly, lets hope the price of beer at the gutter has not gone up 31%.
Looks like someone’s already preparing to lose. More gold for me.
Have McCanns got anything entered?
So when are you posting CB’s ‘cannes contenders’ Lynchy?
Holy crap.
This year I can honestly say i’ve ‘seen’ like 3 good TV ideas, two or three outdoor campaigns and again I say ‘seen’ two or three good print campaigns. One killer radio ad.
The best
Unicef outdoor, you know where you take a snap of the mouth and have got that interactive thing going on and the RACV radio.
Those two are the only things that have made me super envious.
I fear a lot of agencies have flushed a serious amount of money down the toilet. Well an extra 31% more than last year.
10:48…. brilliant.
Wow, if there’s any show we shouldn’t enter it Cannes!
The Con Festival.
Nice little earner.
All this talk of the massive profit margin surprises me somewhat.
Afterall, aren’t we in the business of creating badge value for our clients so that in turn they can charge a premium for their brands?
The fact that Cannes can get away with ‘murder’ for a few little statues should be music to our ears.
It truly demonstrates the power of a great , desirable brand – and the premium price that many will pay for it.
Now you know why there are so many award shows. What? you didn’t think they did it for the nice people in advertising out of the goodness in their heart? Welcome to advertising 10.48
Ps. You left out how much they charge to access the archives each year. Another $2800 each yeah?
The numbers are very distorted. Half of the increase is soley due to Leo’s Earth Hour entries. Apparently they have budgeted to enter it for the rest of the century.
A leading advertising agency speaker at a conference right now had a chat infront of clients (just now) saying that multinationals and large independents spend some $12-100,000 entering Cannes and other awards throughout the year and that the cost is billed back somehow!!!!!! If that’s really true, this blog needs to investigate!!!!
9:25: of course it’s billed back.
It’s called the agency profit margin. Or net profit. For dummies, the stuff they earn after they’ve paid everyone. As in they don’t run at a loss just to enter award shows.
Does this make sense? Or should we start from the top again.
bitch bitch bitch bitch bitch bitch bitch bitch bitch bitch bitch bitch bitch bitch bitch bitch bitch bitch bitch bitch bitch bitch bitch bitch bitch bitch bitch bitch bitch bitch bitch bitch bitch bitch bitch bitch bitch bitch bitch bitch bitch bitch bitch bitch bitch
Meow Meow Meow Meow
Yeah they are a business. Just like ad agencies are a business. Is it that much of a surprise they make a profit? If you’re looking for ethics in this industry, you’re in the wrong business. Just take a look at the anonymous shit slingers on this site for confirmation of that.
Graham
It’s all very simple. Don’t enter or attend if you don’t want anything to do with a Lion. Oh, what’s that? We all want one? Well then you’ll have to enter and attend, and grin and bear it. Until such time we, as the global ad industry, get together to form a non-profit global ad industry community, that facilitates a neutral and objective path through which we can judge, criticse, and acknowledge our own work, without the need for lavish back-slapping ceremonial hogwash, then Cannes is all we have. Perhaps one day we’ll come to our senses, until that happens … see you in a couple of weeks. Oh, and mine’s a Kronenbourg.
May 30, 2008 10:55 AM
Not at my agency, we all hand a bag around the agency and all chip in $5- $10 and see how much we can enter.
WAKE THE FUCK UP
What a business does with its profit is totally up to the, you guessed it, the business. If it’s a multi-national, do you think anyone gives a fuck if 10% (yeah that’s the %) head off to some twat in the UK with a “Sir” prefix on his name.
No, no they don’t and some clients like to think that their work, while selling, should stand up and be counted for a little more than just prostituting themselves on TV, in newspapers or on the net.
Clients pay up, creatives, head down bums up and May 30, 2008 10:55 AM shut the fuck up.
Now, where’s my coffee…..
What are you trying to say 9:44? Maybe use bullet-points, might be easier…
9:44 – which agency do you work at? Everywhere I’ve been the agency has paid for our entries.
I detect a bit of bitterness – perhaps a cup of tea would be better than a coffee?