Every June, the global advertising industry gathers on the French Riviera for several days of parties, panels, and self-regard called the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity. The week culminates with ceremonies that bestow a raft of juried awards for the year’s best creative campaigns. Agencies self-nominate for these “Oscars of Advertising” by submitting entries that include brief videos and written case studies.
A win can transform an agency’s fortunes – vaulting smaller agencies to a richer tier of clients, inflating salary offers, and attracting top talent.
With the rise of “brand purpose” marketing over the past decade or two — cultivating customer loyalty by putting commitments to positive social and environmental impacts on par with selling more stuff and making more money — Cannes Lions has established “Awards for Good”, which recognise “the use of creativity to positively influence not only businesses and brands, but also the world at large.” Some of them mirror the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for global progress. Several SDGs concern environmental sustainability, ranging from “responsible” manufacturing and consumption, to combatting global heating with regulations and renewable energy, and protecting land and sea ecosystems.
