LONDON — The upcoming Cannes Lions festival’s debut track for creativity in the booming segment of advertising technology has attracted 845 award entries in its first year.
Ahead of the iconic festival starting June 21, a record total 40,133 award entries have been submitted. Lions Innovation, which will see data, technology and creativity intersect, has received 226 entries into the Innovation category and 619 entries into Creative Data.
Ad tech companies are shaking up the media sector by promising advertisers more precise control over consumer targeting and trading.
Cannes Lions CEO Philip Thomas, the UK magazine publishing veteran who took the helm at the awards in 2006, tells Beet.TV in this video interview the festival is adapting to reflect changes: “It’s a mirror of the industry. All of the ecosystem is now attending.
“Our festival is just about creativity, so finding a place for ad-tech has been a challenge. But this year we’ve launched our Innovation Festival, which will give them a part to show what they can do. Unilever are bringing 50 startups to a startup academy we’ve got.”
| Branded Content & Entertainment Lions | 1,394 |
| Creative Data Lions | 619 |
| Creative Effectiveness Lions | 160 |
| Cyber Lions | 3,738 |
| Design Lions | 2,409 |
| Direct Lions | 2,813 |
| Film Lions | 3,070 |
| Film Craft Lions | 2,205 |
| Glass lion: The Lion for Change | 166 |
| Health & Wellness Lions | 1,430 |
| Innovation Lions | 226 |
| Media Lions | 3,179 |
| Mobile Lions | 1,246 |
| Outdoor Lions | 5,037 |
| Pharma Lions | 432 |
| PR Lions | 1,969 |
| Press lions | 4,470 |
| Product Design Lions | 280 |
| Promo & Activation Lions | 3,196 |
| Radio Lions | 1,720 |
| Titanium and Integrated Lions | 374 |
| TOTAL | 40,133 |
We interviewed Thomas as part of the series The Road to Cannes, our lead-up to the Cannes Lions Festival presented by Coull. Please visit this page for additional segments. This interview took place in the London office of SMG.