Steffan @ Cannes

Two Grand Prix were awarded for the first time ever this year, recognizing one ambient execution and one traditional poster campaign at the ceremony for outdoor last night in Cannes.

As reported by Eleftheria Parpis of Adweek, “Anomaly, New York, won the Grand Prix for its Diesel "Be stupid" billboard campaign, a series that celebrated risk-taking with headlines like "Smart may have the brains, but stupid has the balls." And Del Campo/Nazca Saatchi & Saatchi in Buenos Aires, Argentina, won the Grand Prix for its "Teletransporter" for Andes beer, an ambient execution that provided a soundproof booth (outfitted with sound effects) from which bar patrons could call their significant others and pretend they were not, in fact, at the bar.”

The rest of Eli’s piece can be found here, with winners list et cetera:

http://www.realtimecannes.com/2010/06/outdoor-grand-prix-winners-anomaly-new-york-for-diesel-saatchi-argentina-for-andes-beer.html

Let’s talk about the Diesel campaign. It will likely be a big –though not as big- winner in the press category as well. Indeed it is, as cited by Adweek, a “traditional poster” campaign, which is something I find quite gratifying, a classic of the form, if you will!

Outdoor jury president Tay Guan Hin, regional ecd of JWT Asia, called the work, "bold, fresh, lively and going against the flow of conventional thinking."

With their distinctive in-your-face look and ballsy headlines, these brash posters take me back to my heyday with Altoids. (Alas, Altoids OOH never medaled at Cannes. Before our time, perhaps?!)

When I first saw the Diesel campaign, I believe in a magazine, I was taken aback by the highly counter-intuitive tagline: “Be stupid.” But then, that’s the desired result of this work, isn’t it? To be taken aback. Diesel is not a subtle brand. And nothing delivers the punch like outdoor.

For more on the Cannes festival, please visit my "home" blog, The Gods of Advertising or follow me on Twitter.