A tool designed for architects that uses artificial intelligence to create personalized color palettes has won the inaugural Creative B2B Grand Prix at Cannes Lions.
Sherwin-Williams' “Speaking in Color” was developed by Wunderman Thompson Minneapolis. The winner was described as an “explosive” piece of business-to-business work by Jury President Paul Hirsch, chief creative officer of Doremus + Co., that “could be adopted by B2C [the business-to-consumer market] in a second."
The Sherwin-Williams app asks users to describe their dream color by voice (it could be a memory, place or feeling) and then uses machine learning to create a personalized color palette. Users can then tweak it by asking for small changes (for example, "make it a little darker," or "make it pop") until they reach their perfect shade. The tool was developed specifically for architects.
The Creative B2B award was introduced by Cannes Lions as the only new award for 2022 and is sponsored by the B2B Institute. It rewards “game-changing creativity and effectiveness in work for products and services that are purchased by professionals on behalf of businesses.”
As the inaugural B2B jury, the jurors were keen to award something that would define the category going forward, said Hirsch.
“B2B often follows in wake of B2C,” he observed. “I think what was developed here is a brand experience that is specifically tailored for a niche market, but one that is explosive and could be adopted by B2C in a second.”
Although the "Speaking in Color" app is so new that any business results aren’t yet available, the jury tested it and felt the app was “an incredibly robust piece of technology,” he pointed out. “We played with it. It works. To be able to put that out in the marketplace for that target, it does it all.”
Hirsch said his group was "relieved and excited about the quality of work, the depth of work, the different aspects of B2B we saw across the spectrum globally." The new category received 415 entries.
Altogether 14 pieces were awarded and four received Gold Lions, any one of which could have been a Grand Prix, he said. The three other Gold Lions went to Spotify’s “A Song for every CMO” by FCB New York; “Reduce the Ride” by D’Ieteren and FCB Happiness Brussels; and Dole’s Piñatex by L&C New York (a Grand Prix winner on Wednesday for Creative Business Transformation).
It was a “difficult choice,” Hirsch added, as all the entries exhibited “deep innovation and impact, some were funny and some were moving.” For example, the jury really liked the Spotify work but could not really see where it could continue to grow apart from adding more CMOs, observed Hirsch.
Ultimately, he said the Sherwin-Williams work was rewarded for its overall impact on the category, standing for “innovation, technology, and reaching a target market that you can’t reach any other way.”
