Bensimon Byrne, Grey make Glass and Innovation Lion shortlists » strategy
With the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity just two weeks away, two Canadian shops find themselves in contention for the Glass and Innovation Lions.
The first batch of shortlists were unveiled by festival organizers ahead of the festival’s opening on June 17.
In the Glass Lion category, which recognizes work that “shifts culture,” both of the shortlisted Canadian campaigns happen to feature videos that take a direct look at masculinity. Bensimon Byrne has been shortlisted for “Boys Don’t Cry,” created for non-profit White Ribbon, while Grey Canada was nominated for its “First Shave” work for P&G’s Gillette.
Grey has also landed on the Innovation shortlist for its “Puck” diabetes detection device, in the “Early Stage Technology” sub-category, the sole Canadian agency competing for a prize among 16 shortlisted countries in the category. The puck-shaped device was created to combat the growing rate of diabetes in Brazil, which has one of the highest rates of the disease in the world. Most men between the ages of 20 and 50 forgo regular doctor checkups, and thus don’t know if they have the disease, so the “puck” measures the users urine for early signs of diabetes, directing them to a hotline for more information depending on their results.
Canada was shut out of the Titanium Lions category, the third award category announced today, bringing the country’s tally to three nominations heading into the festival. Last year, a total of 11 winning Canadian agencies left Cannes with 36 Lions (including one Young Lion), picked up across 27 categories and from a pool of 83 shortlist nominations.
Glass Lion (2)
Bensimon Byrne
White Ribbon, “Boys Don’t Cry”
Partners: Alter Ego / Berkeley / Rooster Post Production / Untitled Films / Narrative / Jigsaw Casting
Grey Canada
Gillete (Procter & Gamble), “First Shave”
Partners: Cylinder Sound & Film / Fort York VFX / Rooster Post Production / Skin & Bones / The Vanity
Innovation (1)
Grey Canada
“The Puck”
Early Stage Technology
Partners: Current Studios