16 October 2014 – The projects to be awarded by the Cannes Chimera Initiative for this year’s Cannes Chimera global communications challenge have been decided upon. Four entries from Australia, China, Singapore and the UK have been chosen to each receive a prize of up to $100,000 to further develop their ideas and will receive an exclusive invitation to attend a workshop at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in Seattle this November. Launched during the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in June 2014, the brief challenged entrants to develop an innovative communication concept which would inspire Millennials to get involved with and feel connected to global health and development problems.
The next stage of the initiative will see the winners receive mentoring from previous Cannes Lions Grand Prix winners at workshops held at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Winners are invited to pilot their ideas over the next six months and submit a proposal to the foundation for funding to implement their idea.
870 ideas from 66 countries, across all branches of the creative spectrum, answered the call for an idea that could change the world. The Cannes Chimera, an international jury made up of previous Cannes Lions Grand Prix winners, then assessed how successfully these entries measured up to the high standards and expectations laid out in the brief.
The winning projects are:
• Personal Social Responsibility – Manning Gottlieb OMD – UK
Personal Social Responsibility (PSR) is inspired by the existing CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) system. PSR introduces a point system that ranks personal altruism and every day acts that help address the biggest problems in the world, from sharing relevant content on social media, to donating and volunteering.
• The Finish Line – Y&R, Wunderman – Singapore
THE FINISH LINE – Takes all Global Health and Development problems and breaks it down by geography, demographics, and actions towards eradication until we are able to present it as viable steps that are needed to achieve that immediate goal. It makes the problem seem defeatable and most importantly, it makes the effort needed immediate and result oriented.
• Watch for good – Naked Communications – Australia
Today, as pre-roll and interruptive video ads become more pervasive, ‘skip’ functionality is increasingly common as a way of ameliorating viewer frustration. This initiative partners with providers to add another option to their ad format – ‘Watch For Good’. By pressing the ‘Watch For Good’ button instead of ‘skip’, they watch the ad in full. The advertiser pays the same pay-per-view cost, but the publisher shares this, donating a defined portion of it to the Watch For Good fund, which then invests in various altruistic projects.
• Plight Map – BBH – China
The closest many Millennials get to the developing world is when they fly over it, en route to first-world holiday destinations. Recognising this, Plight Map is an inflight map, re-designed as an interactive storytelling platform. It tells airline passengers exactly what’s below them on the ground – and lets them know what issues are happening there, in real-time.
“This year’s brief for the Cannes Chimera is a fantastic reflection of how those in the industry are continuously pushing boundaries and using their creative talents to really make a difference. By focusing on Millennials, the projects embrace technology and interconnectivity,” says Philip Thomas, CEO of Lions Festivals. “The four successful ideas show how technology can bridge gaps and create greater awareness to really help others. The workshops with the Cannes Chimera will allow for further exploration of the strengths and challenges of the projects with the end result bringing us one step closer to achieving our goal to change the world.”
“Young people want to act in support of global health and development issues and be recognised for making a difference in the world, but they need new outlets to make that engagement possible and meaningful,” said Tom Scott, Director of Global Brand & Innovation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. “We are truly excited to see how these creatives apply their talent to the challenge, and the potential their ideas have for us and our partners around the world.”
To read more about each of the winning entries, and find out more about the brief please visit www.canneschimera.com