Shocking 'Eat A Swede' mockumentary wins Entertainment Grand Prix at Cannes

The Grand Prix winner of the Entertainment Lions is “Eat A Swede,” a short film collaboration between the Swedish Food Federation and McCann Stockholm. The campaign promotes the sustainable methods implemented in Sweden’s food production and encourages the rest of the world to follow suit—by chowing down on Swedish human meat. Cannes Lions 2022 Read all of Ad Age’s festival coverage here Check out our live blog here The 18-minute faux-documentary follows a fictional scientist, Dr. Erik Karlsson, as he convinces a shocked audience to sample his lab-grown flesh, eventually recruiting Swedish actor Alexander Skarsgård to provide a celebrity sample. But, in the end, the campaign reveals it would prefer viewers to eat like a Swede, or go Swegan, by adopting the country’s eco-friendly production model as the global population swells and some perpetuate harmful methods that will more quickly degrade Earth’s livability. Why it won According to Entertainment Lions jury president Maria Garrido, formerly global chief marketing officer of Vivendi, the jury sought to award work that combined key criteria that encompassed its value to the audience, including entertainment value and engagement; value to the brand, both in purpose and success; and excellence in its creative craft. Garrido also lauded its timeliness, saying “five years ago, this case would have probably gotten bumped out. But today, when we’re constantly talking about alternatives to meat, when we’re talking about the planet, when we’re talking about startup culture and celebrity culture, the timing of this case is perfect for the cultural context that we’re living in today.” In a word of encouragement for future entrants, Garrido noted that the Swedish Food Federation “is not Coke, it’s not Nike, it’s not the typical, sexy brand,” but that the campaign’s triumph in the category is a testament to the promise that “anyone can do brilliant work.” Looking forward Of note in the category is the Gold Lion awarded to Greenpeace and VMLY&R São Paulo’s “Los Santos +3℃” activation in Grand Theft Auto. The campaign created an alternate version of the game’s iconic city in which climate change has flooded the streets and challenges players to interact with activism-oriented objectives. Garrido noted that this year’s judging was saturated by gaming activations, but that most brands are not taking to the space well—”Los Santos +3℃” being the exception. She stated that marketers are “trying to apply old advertising models to a new world” and that most brands have not understood the integrative and collaborative nature of activating in digital worlds. She declared the gold-winning campaign as the “gold standard” for how brands should approach the evolving gaming category and that “the rest of the work was actually quite disappointing in this space.” She then teased, “I expect in future years, you might see a gaming category unto itself.” Subscribe to Ad Age Sign up now for the latest industry news and analysis Click here

Shocking 'Eat A Swede' mockumentary wins Entertainment Grand Prix at Cannes

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