AA hails Cannes haul as Govt reveals creative strategy

The UK advertising industry might have had to wait for a late spurt of awards at Cannes Lions, but it still bagged 106 gongs, a move which the Advertising Association claims cements Britain’s position as one of the top countries for creativity in advertising.

In total, the UK won three grand prix, including two for Ogilvy UK for ‘Real Beauty’ and one for 4Creative’s ‘Considering what?’ for the Paris Paralympics and Channel 4. There were also 19 golds, 28 silvers and 50 bronzes, as well as six special awards.

Other gold winners included Adam & Eve DDB’s ‘Missed Birthdays’ for ITV and CALM and Leo Burnett UK’s ‘Redditor Edit’ for Skoda.

VCCP London’s ‘Daisy VS Scammers’ was awarded one gold (PR), three silver (Digital Craft, PR & Creative Strategy) and one bronze (Direct) for its ad depicting O2’s new initiative which uses a 78-year-old AI granny to waste scammers’ time.

The move coincides with the publication of the Government’s Creative Industries Sector Plan, which recognises advertising as a priority sector for growth in the UK and on the world stage, alongside film and TV, music, performing and visual arts, and video games.

Published alongside the Government’s Industrial Strategy, the plan outlines a vision to nearly double business investment in the sector by 2035 – from £17bn to £31bn – aimed at cementing the UK’s position as a global creative superpower.

The £380m package is part of the wider plan to deliver targeted investment to create thousands of new jobs and opportunities, while generating economic growth in six regions outside London over the next three years.

The wider plan also includes a significant increase in support available from the British Business Bank (BBB), as part of its £4bn Industrial Strategy Growth Capital, which will help creative businesses grow and create jobs.

The AA claims the partnership between the UK Advertising Exports Group (UKAEG) and UK government is already strong, and cites work with the Department for Business & Trade during SXSW, SXSW London and now Cannes Lions already this year to promote UK creativity and leadership on the global stage.

AA chief executive Stephen Woodford said: “It was fantastic to see UK advertising perform strongly once again at the world’s biggest festival of creativity with the many companies and leaders involved in a huge range of activities.

“As the world’s second largest exporter of advertising services, it is vital to present ourselves to international customers as open for business and capable of delivering the very best creatively effectively work for advertisers. This goal is backed fully by UK government, and it is brilliant to see our industry included as a key sector to drive growth for the UK in the new Industrial Strategy.”