Yeah, it's another Tide ad award. And that's no surprise. A Cannes Lions Film Grand Prix went to the four-spot Procter & Gamble Co. Super Bowl ad campaign from Saatchi & Saatchi, New York, which made a credible play at turning "It's another Tide ad" into an instant cultural touchstone, says Luiz Sanches, Film Jury president and chief creative officer of Almap/BBDO, Brazil.
But it's another P&G ad – "The Talk" from BBDO, New York for P&G's "My Black Is Beautiful" program – that came as more of a surprise, winning the second Film Grand Prix.
There was some controversy about the ad in a public jury at the Andy Awards earlier this year. That centered on whether the ad – in which moms talk to kids about how to deal with various dimensions of racism – properly reflected fathers in African-American homes.
That issue didn't come up in the global Cannes jury, Sanches says, and neither pick prompted controversy on the jury. (As president, he doesn't vote, so he didn't have to recuse himself from the honor for his sibling agency, and he doesn't work with P&G anyway, he noted.)
"Even though it had some issues locally, I think 'The Talk' is a great platform that can be used on a global sale," Sanches says.
Both picks were easy, and he says he didn't feel pressure to award just one Grand Prix, because he likes the message sent by the pairing.
"When we saw the two, I thought it was the right message to set for the next year for the whole industry," Sanches says. "We are missing some humor. But we also need to have some responsibility. We have to engage people in a broader message."
The 2,200 entries in pre-judging were winnowed to 201 for Cannes. Sanches directed the jury to pick Golds first, and they came back with a dozen unanimously.
"For the Grand Prix, I directed them to narrow to four pieces of work, and to my surprise they came back with two," he says. "It was practically unanimous."