FOCUS - CANNE: Asia has done itself proud but it still has a way to go

Just like last year, the 'Best of the Best' at MEDIA failed to make even the shortlist at Cannes. And perhaps the only thing that stopped the Adfest winner suffering the same fate was the presence of the same man at the head of both juries. That man was of course Marcello Serpa, whose agency, Almap/BBDO, took the Agency of the Year prize too. Not that there was anything dodgy about that. As in the past two years, the agency of the year prize seems to have been won almost entirely at the anonymously-voted shortlist stage. What's clear is that you don't just need great work to win at this festival, you need lots of it. Almap's Agency of the Year total, for instance, included no less than 39 points from the press and poster shortlist. For Asia, total entries in the press and poster category did go up from 755 last year to 1,077, and the number of awards went up too: from six to 11. Importantly, Dentsu Japan and Results Thailand both took home gold for Japan Lighting Design and Tabasco respectively. Other Asian winners were O&M Hong Kong for The Economist (silver), O&M Singapore for Junior Scrabble, Grey Malaysia for Post-its, Saatchis Singapore for Borneo Motors and Burnett Singapore for Discovery Channel (all bronze). However, compare the whole of Asia to Brazil. You'll see the Brazilians entered more (1,108) and won a lot more (58). Coming a distant second and third in press and poster were the United States and the United Kingdom, although the UK did have the satisfaction of winning the Grand Prix for Stella Artois. In television, Asia doubled its previous tally to win six Lions, including an audacious couple of spots for Scrabble: 'Syphilis' and 'Sodomized', which brought gold and glory back to O&M Singapore. Other Lion winners were: Burnett Thailand for McDonald's, O&M Mumbai for Fevicol Glue, Saatchis Singapore for Sony Wega and the aforementioned Wowwow TV by Dentsu. At the shortlist stage, Asia more than doubled its presence in film and jumped from 45 to 70 in press and poster, with Singapore accounting for fully half of that total. So, we did well. But we have a really long way to go.

by | 07/21/2000

Just like last year, the 'Best of the Best' at MEDIA failed to make

even the shortlist at Cannes.

And perhaps the only thing that stopped the Adfest winner suffering the

same fate was the presence of the same man at the head of both

juries.

That man was of course Marcello Serpa, whose agency, Almap/BBDO, took

the Agency of the Year prize too.

Not that there was anything dodgy about that.

As in the past two years, the agency of the year prize seems to have

been won almost entirely at the anonymously-voted shortlist stage.

What's clear is that you don't just need great work to win at this

festival, you need lots of it.

Almap's Agency of the Year total, for instance, included no less than 39

points from the press and poster shortlist.

For Asia, total entries in the press and poster category did go up from

755 last year to 1,077, and the number of awards went up too: from six

to 11.

Importantly, Dentsu Japan and Results Thailand both took home gold for

Japan Lighting Design and Tabasco respectively.

Other Asian winners were O&M Hong Kong for The Economist (silver), O&M

Singapore for Junior Scrabble, Grey Malaysia for Post-its, Saatchis

Singapore for Borneo Motors and Burnett Singapore for Discovery Channel

(all bronze).

However, compare the whole of Asia to Brazil.

You'll see the Brazilians entered more (1,108) and won a lot more

(58).

Coming a distant second and third in press and poster were the United

States and the United Kingdom, although the UK did have the satisfaction

of winning the Grand Prix for Stella Artois.

In television, Asia doubled its previous tally to win six Lions,

including an audacious couple of spots for Scrabble: 'Syphilis' and

'Sodomized', which brought gold and glory back to O&M Singapore.

Other Lion winners were: Burnett Thailand for McDonald's, O&M Mumbai for

Fevicol Glue, Saatchis Singapore for Sony Wega and the aforementioned

Wowwow TV by Dentsu.

At the shortlist stage, Asia more than doubled its presence in film and

jumped from 45 to 70 in press and poster, with Singapore accounting for

fully half of that total.

So, we did well. But we have a really long way to go.