I Am Red, Hear Me Roar
There are hundreds—yes, hundreds—of awards available to those in the ad agency biz, ensuring that just about everyone should take home a prize at some point. Not that competition for these bits of plastic and glass isn't intense, since not only individual careers but the fate of entire agencies rests on continually snagging them to ensure a steady stream of top accounts. In fact, it's gotten to the point where campaigns are increasingly created with an eye on awards, not always to the benefit of the client. A good way to monitor this is on AdsOfTheWorld.com, a Graphics.com Network site, where visitors are quick to comment on campaigns that serve agencies first and clients second.
But if there's one prize that agency types most dream of winning, that would be a Cannes Lion trophy. The Lions were recently bestowed at the 55th Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival, attended this year in sunny Cannes, France, by more than 9,500 delegates from 85 countries. The week-long event wrapped this weekend and included not just a slew of awards ceremonies but seminars, master classes, debates and of course the infamous beach galas. More than 25,000 ads were judged, with trophies acknowledging work for TV/cinema, print, outdoor, interactive, radio, sales promotion, integrated advertising, as well as best media and direct marketing solutions.
Making a big splash this year was the rebranding of the Coca-Cola bottle by brand design agency Turner Duckworth, which was tasked with embodying the phrase "Coke brings joy" in a design that would move the ageless beverage—composed, at best guess, of carbonated water, phosphoric acid, sugar, caramel color, natural flavors and caffeine—into a realm that would free it from a design deemed "cluttered and uninspiring" (touché, Marc Gobé!). The result was enough to take home a mighty Grand Prix in the new Design Lions category.
Simplified it is, with a dramatic use of white and red that lends itself to a myriad of variations spun out on themes involving the use of positive and negative space. All the 2008 Lions are already online and are well worth perusing to soak up the state of the art. While you're there, check out the Coke redesign and especially the somewhat disturbing little movie clip in which Moira Cullen, Coca-Cola Company Design Director, declares that the new aluminum bottle is "tapping into the cultural longing for this brand to be great again."
I have to admit to not being a Coke drinker, so that might explain why this comment struck me as being on the surrealistic side. But perhaps you drink Coke? Do you have a longing for the Coke brand to be great again? Anyone?
Chris Dickman
Graphics.com | Also blogging on Photos.com
I am a AD in Southern California, CA, USA. I'm also a Coke collector (small collection) and long-time admirer of the brand. I like the new re-branding (is this really a re-branding or just the latest campaign?), but I didn't realize that it had lost its greatness. As far as I know, Coca-Cola is still the leader in the beverages marketplace. The brand is more recognizable than Pepsi, Dr. Pepper, or 7-up.
Love the simplicity in the new design. However the last campaign had a multitude of colors (60's throwback) that had a vibrancy to it, gave it life. This can feel flat.
Coca-Cola does NOT use sugar, unfortunately. It uses high fructose corn syrup, which is even worse.
Actually in most of the world cane sugar is used in Coca-Cola. Its only here in the US that we get high fructose corn syrup. If you can get the Coca-Cola made for/in Mexico (those residents of Texas, Arizona and New Mexico) it does not have HFCS in it.
Hmm. Working for awards or clients. Well, usually, awards don't foot the bills, so I'd opt to work for clients. Unfortunately, clients do not always have a clear understanding of what works and what doesn't. I would suggest rigorous client training. That's why I am planning on offering an array of free tips and tricks related to graphic design and marketing, accessible to my clients at http://www.rowdygroup.com
Chris,
The reasons you speak of is the reason I went to work alone and for myself. Did that (work alone) for 15 years with what I consider very good success and a collection of corporate accounts (Majors). I worked in ad agencies and design studios. I also worked (now back again) on the client side. A lot of those AD prima dona (at about 22) are so full of themselves, it gets unbearable! On the client side, I see those guys, before knowing my product, my market or the brand strategy the company has been building on, they come up with the I know it all, all 3 or 4 of them in front of me (AD, Consultant, Brand expert, etc -- see the picture), all in front of me telling us the way to go. Hey guys, wanna talk budget, demographics, competitors, product design, product certification, legal issues (to market).. They are some really good AD and designers out there, too bad some of them see the glory before the smart. Idea alone is worth zip if you can't apply it. Chris, you probably have seen those design works presented to clients that would have cost a fortune to produce or that could not be done in a reasonable time frame, right?