Ikea "Lamp" Wins Film Grand Prix

An Ikea commercial from Crispin Porter + Bogusky in Miami was awarded the Film Grand Prix here tonight, on the final day of the International Advertising Festival in Cannes. The spot, directed by MJZ's Spike Jonze, features poignant footage of a discarded lamp, interrupted by a scolding spokesperson who mocks the viewer for feeling pity for the useless object. The jury selected this year's Grand Prix after settling on three contenders: the Ikea spot, Wieden + Kennedy/London's heavily favored "Cog" spot for Honda and "Ear Tennis," an Xbox commercial from BBH/London. "Everybody felt very good about the winner," said jury president Dan Wieden. "What it does is it connects with this insight into human nature, that we form irrational attachments to these objects, and then it slaps you for having this attachment. And it solves a business problem that keeps the sector from growing as much as it could, which is that people do form these attachments." Added jury member Nick Bell, executive creative director at J. Walter Thompson/London. "It's just a very, very fresh idea and a new piece of thinking." The prize concludes a blistering awards season for the Miami agency, which also won the Grand Clio with the Ikea spot and was awarded Best of Show honors by the One Club for its work for MINI.