By Catherine Dabbs

Anne van Rensburg, Media Director of The Jupiter Drawing Room, shared her ‘huge experience’ of being a judge at the 2010 Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival, which was host to 16 000 people; 90 countries; 22 500 entries; seven days; and 25 international media judges from all over the world.

These figures are overwhelming, as was Van Rensburg’s experience as a Cannes Lions festival judge. As well as explaining the judging process; her day-to-day life; and what she learnt at Cannes, she contextualised the experience for those who were unable to attend the event as: “inspiring; challenging; exciting; exhausting; and overwhelming.”

Being introduced to the rest of the judges marked the point where Van Rensburg became aware of the enormity of the task she was facing. 1 932 pieces of work to evaluate in a mere five days is daunting. “You can’t let your imagination wander,” she said, while explaining the level of focus the judges had to maintain at all times in order to get through the heavy work load. However, the honour of being able to contribute to something so spectacular made the long hours worthwhile. Her honour and pride at being a South African judge at an international festival was heightened when the familiar sound of vuvuzelas trumpeted through the streets. “I felt so proud to be South African,” Van Rensburg said. Interestingly, she was the only judge from the creative industry, and one of the few women on the panel.

Placed in reviewing groups of four to five judges, they were dedicated to giving every entry the justice it deserved. The judging process was strict and the jury was looking for ideas that worked. She stated, “Creativity needed to have results.” The judges did not tolerate violence, while flash-mobs and disruptions were also unpopular. The three main judging criteria included insight, strategy and idea; creativity; and results and effectiveness.

After deliberating for 13 hours, a shortlist was put together. Putting this into perspective, Van Rensburg said, “The ice melted three times before we could pop the bottles [of champagne].” She mentioned how important it was for judges to explain the context of the work from their own countries, as it sometimes did not resonate with the judges from other countries. Out of the 200 entries that qualified for the shortlist, there was one from South Africa - from the creative industry.

The advertisements were “smart; engaging; intuitive; and innovative.” It was noted that the traditional work was overshadowed by non-traditional work. More specifically, traditional means of advertising, through mediums of outdoor; print; radio; and TV were peripheral to mentions on Facebook and Twitter which formed the core of campaign success. Van Rensburg suggested that the recession did affect entries in terms of budget, and this proved to be a big challenge. Overall, the online and social media dominated the entries and outweighed print and radio entries. There was a marked increase in the use of social media like Facebook and Twitter, mentioned earlier, as well as Apps; stunts; human interaction; and the use of technology.

From her judging experience, Van Rensburg learned that “the digital conversation is no longer an option,” and that the type of entry can either move or disinterest the judges in the way it is put together. Also, “a genius idea is not enough, the results are key.” And most often, the simplest ideas are the “most pure and successful.” She also noted that there is still a rivalry between media independents and creative agencies.

In watching clips of some of Van Rensburg’s favourite advertisement entries (which include Nokia GPS; KitKat; Road Safety; Coca Cola Zero; Europcar; 13 Street (Horror Chanel); Camry; Mercedes; Prius; Polo mints; Superglue; Human Rights; Homeless People; Swatch; Renault; Security Recruitment Company; Bosch; Whopper Face; Naturia; Pedigree Adoption Drive; Picnic bar; Canon Eos; and UK knife crime (which won the Grand Prix for Good Award for a charity), the creative genius she experienced at this year’s festival was evident. The work inspired; motivated; and moved audiences. The use of music was very powerful, especially when human issues were the centre of attention. Every entry was amplified through social networks, reiterating the influence of digital on the 2010 event.

When questions were opened up to the floor, comments regarding the education of the client; the need for South Africa to have the technological means to produce work seen at the festival; and how creativity can raise consciousness overall concluded the meeting.