Ant Keogh’s 2011 Cannes Diary – Day Three from the Cannes Press jury room
Ant Keogh, executive creative director of Clemenger BBDO Melbourne, is representing Australia on the Press jury. Keogh just finished day three of judging…
The walls of the Hotel Majestic, where I’m staying, are lined with photos of Hollywood film legends shot on the red carpet just across the road at the Palais des Festivals (see photo). They look wonderfully glamorous and successful. I guess the inference is that they all stayed at the hotel. Makes me wonder if any of them stayed in my room. For example, maybe Angelina Jolie slept in my bed. Then again I don’t think she would have slept in my shitty single bed. Maybe that dwarf inside R2-D2 would have slept in it.
Judging. We spent until 11pm getting the final short list with lots of crazy arguments. There’s an interesting thing happening now we’re getting to the pointy end. Many of those typical award-winning print ads in that award-winning visual style we’ve all seen for the last ten years are falling behind, remaining finalists or Bronze. Work you would almost consider slightly more classic is rising to the top. There are still barely any headlines. Not that classic. But it’s as if all the judges are putting out a subtle message – can you please stop doing that ad. You know, that ad. Most of us are searching for a something else, more solid perhaps, which isn’t easy, given the work and the category. In the most part the most outrageous easy stuff is also falling away, the condom ads, Viagra ads, etc. I can see there are definitely certain judges, including me I have to say, taking a stance.
Half way through the day they give me the secret message, we’ve won the Grand Prix for PR. Holy shit, I think, how is this going to work? Last night we judged until 11pm and we’re not getting any less argumentative. The day goes on and I’m a little distracted. 8pm, still judging, and the award show has started. They say they’ll leave it to the last minute to get me in there. I literally hand my final Grand Prix judging choice to Tony Granger on a bit of paper, then get dragged out, down some stairs through the side door to the front of the Auditorium. (I’m wearing shorts and T-shirt.) Moments later they call me up on stage. Loud music. Stairs. I’m shaking a smiling guy’s hand. Cameras start flashing. One photographer below me keeps yelling something. He seems to be saying ‘Fry the stale fish!’ I say, ‘Okay’. The smiling guy shakes my hand again and, in an attempt to explain my attire, I say ‘I’ve been judging’ but he’s already walking off. I sit back down. That was weird.
PS: Good on you Tom, Jules, Pitty, Rohan, and the rest of the Clems team and thanks to Will O’Rourke for their production efforts.
1 Comment
I like Ant’s commentary. Funny thing Cannes. I see a radio ad for a store called samroc paint and hardware supplies in singapore wins in radio category (Lowe Singapore). it appears the ad is legitimate, although slightly suspicious media placement. The English speaking ad ran on a Chinese radio station that broadcasts in Mandarin. The client speaks little English (I called them) but they are pleased because it was free. But who cares, it won silver. Chairman of judging radio was Eugene Cheong, currently head of Ogilvy, Sth East Asia. You may remember Eugene’s award-winning print ads for the love church of singapore that promoted travel to East Timor when there was a war going on, and who can forget the ads for God (same client). Yes, it appears He advertises now. Then there were the full page print ads for Death. Yes, death. Client: G. Reaper (no fixed address). How can we take these awards seriously? No offense Ant. You are a genuinely funny and talented man.