Campaign pulled from Cannes Lions shortlist after client reveals it didn’t sign off on entry
A public safety campaign shortlisted at the Cannes Lions was entered without the authorisation of the government client, used the logo of another public body without permission, and made a misleading claim about the work, Mumbrella can reveal.
However, despite Transport for New South Wales saying that it did not authorise the entry from digital agency VML, and the Australian Communications and Media Authority questioning claims made in the case study video for Blackspot Beacons, the organisers of the awards festival have not disqualified the entry.
A few hours after Mumbrella approached VML regarding Transport for NSW’s disowning of the entry, the organisers of the Cannes Lions agreed to allow the agency to withdraw it. The Cannes rules state that awards must have client sign-off or face disqualification.
The Blackspot Beacons case study showed a piece of technology which overrides car radios with localised safety messages.
The award entry claimed Blackspot Beacons are being rolled out across New South Wales. However, the ACMA told Mumbrella that just one five-day trial in one location had been permitted and that any further rollout could only take place if it met stiff regulatory hurdles including overcoming the problem of interference with emergency services radios.
The campaign was quietly removed from official Cannes Lions shortlists yesterday, whilst the website for the project, the case study video and related blog posts were pulled down from the web late yesterday.
Cannes Lions CEO Philip Thomas claimed the entries had been removed “because the client needed to have the technology validated for public health and safety reasons” He said that there had been no disqualification.
At the time of posting, Thomas has not responded to a follow-up question asking why the entry was allowed to be withdrawn rather than disqualified when the rules state “entries cannot be cancelled or removed from the competition after 15 May 2015“.
A spokesperson for VML told Mumbrella in a short statement: “We were asked to remove the entry from Cannes and we have done so in consult (sic) with our client.”
Last night VML managing director Aden Hepburn removed a posting about the campaign from his Digital Buzz blog, while sister agency GPY&R Brisbane has also removed a post on the campaign from its Digital George blog.
The campaign had made it through the first round of judging at the world’s biggest advertising awards and had three shortlistings in the Radio category and one in the Media category at last week’s festival. The shortlisting of the entry contributed points towards VML’s owner WPP winning the title of Global Holding Company of the Year at the competition.
Festival CEO Thomas confirmed the four shortlisting points have been stripped from WPP’s tally but said “those points would not have affected the outcome”, although he declined to disclose what the winning margin was.
When approached for clarification, Transport for NSW issued a brief statement that read:
“Transport for NSW did not produce the ad in question or authorise its submission in the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.”
According to the rules of the Cannes Lions: “Entries cannot be made without the prior permission of the client/owner of the rights of the case”, and organisers can request that entrants provide a copy of the permission.
Agencies found “to have deliberately and knowingly contravened any rules relating to eligibility may be barred from entering the awards for a period of time following the Festival as specified by the organisers” according to the Lions website.
The work was entered into the festival with Transport for NSW listed as the client.
VML is on the NSW Government agency roster, meaning the agency can respond to briefs and pitch ideas to different departments. It is unclear whether the Blackspot Beacons campaign came about as the result of a client brief, or was proactively pitched by the agency.
The campaign uses beacons mounted on signposts to broadcast a message to alert drivers to dangerous conditions or blind spots ahead on the road. The broadcast overrides the car’s radio system when the car is approaching the danger spot, with the normal radio broadcast resuming once the message is delivered.
Similar technology is already deployed in tunnels around Sydney.
After being asked about the project by Mumbrella, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) requested its logo be removed from the supporters section of the now deleted website for the project.
In the case-study video (which it has since deleted from Vimeo), the agency also claimed “Beacons are being deployed across NSW to its most dangerous and deadly roads”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiBNi1yRoxA&feature=youtu.be
An ACMA spokesperson told Mumbrella:
“The ACMA has not licensed this technology for operational deployment. Any such roll out would be unlawful.”
On its request to remove its logo from the Blackspot Beacons website, the spokesperson added: “The ACMA’s trial guidelines makes clear that the issuing of scientific trial licenses does not imply ACMA support for the technology or imply that the ACMA would issue long term licenses.”
The ACMA said the technology would need to be reviewed by the emergency services before it could be given permission to be rolled out. (The full ACMA statement appears below).
The spokesman for VML said: “The tech has potential for not only road safety, but other applications like traffic diversions or warnings in other emergencies. The NSW rollout was an ongoing conversation with a client; we’re also in conversations with other state and national organisations.”
Miranda Ward
Statement from Transport for NSW:
Transport for NSW did not produce the ad in question or authorise its submission in the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.”
Cannes Lions CEO Philip Tomas’ responses to questions from Mumbrella:
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Why are these shortlistings no longer visible on the shortlist section of the Cannes Lions website?
WE WERE ASKED TO REMOVE THEM BECAUSE THE CLIENT NEEDED TO HAVE THE TECHNOLOGY VALIDATED FOR PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY REASONS. WE COMPLIED.
- Have they been disqualified?
NO
- If not, is Cannes considering disqualifying them?
WE HAVE NO REASON TO DISQUALIFY THEM
- The client has told Mumbrella in a statement that they did not grant permission for entry into Cannes. Are you already aware of this, or do you have any plans to investigate?
WE HAVE NOT BEEN CONTACTED BY THE CLIENT.
- If the entry has been disqualified, will VML be barred from entering next year (as Cannes warns can take place under the rules)?
SEE ABOVE
- Given that VML is part of WPP, would we be correct in thinking that these shortlistings contributed four points towards WPP winning Holding Company of the Year?
CORRECT BUT THEY WERE REMOVED.
- By what margin did WPP win Holding Company of the Year ahead of Omnicom?
WE DON’T DISCLOSE THE POINTS OF HCOY BUT I CAN CONFIRM THOSE POINTS WOULD NOT HAVE AFFECTED THE OUTCOME.
The response from the ACMA in full:
The Australian Communications and Media Authority provided no support for the five day blackspot beacon trial either in financial or other terms, apart from issuing a scientific trial transmitter licence for a limited duration test. The ACMA’s trial guidelines makes clear that the issuing of scientific trial licences does not imply ACMA support for the technology or imply that the ACMA would issue long term licences.
The ACMA will be requesting that the ACMA logo on the blackspots website be removed and the wording suggesting ACMA support also be removed. The website also contains a video suggesting that these blackspot transmitters are being rolled out through NSW. The ACMA has not licensed this technology for operational deployment. Any such roll out would be unlawful.
The ACMA would need to address considerable regulatory challenges to permanently authorise a device that purposefully interferes with broadcast transmissions. Given the critical role of radio broadcasting in emergencies, this is unlikely to be contemplated without the full and informed support of the emergency service community, and following proper consultation with broadcasters themselves.
As such, the ACMA has referred the matter of over-broadcasting technologies to the Capability Development Sub-committee of the Australian New Zealand Emergency Management Committee for consideration of referral of this issue to the broader emergency service organisation community. The ACMA has asked that the ANZMEC seek the views of emergency management experts on whether this technology should play a role in emergency management and how that might impact on existing broadcast arrangements. The ACMA understands that the technology is now being considered by ANZMEC members.
I’m definitely be entering my time machine at Cannes next year. NASA are really supportive of it, they follow me on Twitter
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Good stuff Tim
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Weird Science I can donate an engine from an old garden edger for your time machine prototype if it will help … as long as I get a credit ….
Mumbrella can we get some clarity on the Optus Clever Buoy project please: what stage is that actually at as a viable product?
if it is only at testing and prototype stage, which is what I can gather from the submission video, how can it win an innovation award if there are no conclusive results as yet to its efficacy?
If it does work then can someone point me in the direction of those published results please and which beaches on the NSW or Australian coast it is now being deployed beyond the test areas?
If it is still being tested isn’t it a little premature to give it awards? Or do we not care if things actually work?
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+1 for clarification on Clever Buoy – not sure under what circumstances it could be considered an active campaign.
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I might add I think Clever Buoy is a brilliant invention, if it works. As a surfer I’d love it to make our beaches potentially safer.
Would just like to have seen it not entered into awards, or recognised until there is real and consistent proof that it works.
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Why does anyone really care? Move on.
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@really
Um, integrity?
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Have you been here 5 minutes? This is advertising. None of this really matters.
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VML & Y&R under the controversy spot light once again. Not surprised really.
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Standard VML/Y&R controversy. Not surprised.
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@really
***None of this really matters.****
How very existential of you.
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+1 on Clever Buoy. A lot of awards given to something that doesn’t appear to exist except as a blue sky idea.
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Focus please.
It’s not about prototype stage vs commercially available.
Black Spot was entered without Client Permission – as per the article.
Black Spot: NO CLIENT PERMISSION.
Clever Buoy: ‘YES’ CLIENT PERMISSION.
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Yeah, I get like that on a Friday…
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Well done Tim
@Really? maybe you see no value in Cannes awards, but many agencies who’ve earned them on merit make that part of the agency presentation when presenting for new business.
VML/Y&R have devalued Cannes lions and awards in general.
What’s not surprising is that Cannes didn’t disqualify them. They want entries, lots of entries, all paying their entry fee. If someone would massage the truth in order to enter something this year (and pay the commensurate fee), they could do it again next year too. Cannes don’t want to discourage that! [Edited by Mumbrella]
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Dig into the award winners…real or fake?!
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Really? Another chapter in the scam fest? It’s incredible how dishonest this campaign is. Doesn’t save lives. Probably cost a shed load, doesn’t win awards.
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VML has devalued Cannes? Cannes has done a good job on their own. How many extra categories, sub categories etc are we going to see added next year? Want to show off to your clients? Win a D&AD.
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And we are back here… anyone remember the random Macca’s print ad from last year that appeared in some bush newspaper? How are we still taking this seriously?
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Dishonesty hurts our local industry here in Australia. Dishonesty which would appear to be embraced by the multinational agencies at worst, or tolerated at best, assist these businesses win business. It boosts their ranking, enhances their brands and sadly attracts talent.
But it invariably hurts our local businesses here in Australia and New Zealand. We are often a stepping stone for creative agency leadership from the UK, USA etc who come to Australia knowing that we have world class talent and have little process or stomach for policing and managing cheating and dishonesty.In fact we love it in big creative agencies.
As the multinationals embrace dishonesty there is a role for the Communications Council and other local bodies to step in and ban or remove cheating agencies from the community of Australian advertising.
Like paedophiles, creative cheats won’t change their behaviour on their own. They operate in a community of acceptance, again like paedophiles who connect with other paedophiles and garner affirmation that their behaviour is OK.. The problem is systemic and will not be stopped until agency heads are held accountable.
But they won’t be held accountable, they will continue to use the tried and tested response of ignoring everything until it dies down and they know that the media press will eventually move on.
Well done Tim and the team for having a crack.
VML and Y&R your silence is an admission of guilt [edited by Mumbrella]
Jason Buckley – what are you doing to stop cheating in your company?
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Did you just equate creative cheats, to paedophiles?!! What is wrong with you?
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It’s obvious they’ve already cheated by entering a scam… but the idea is also a rip-off of one that’s previously won at Cannes in 2012 anyway.
http://www.serviceplan.com/en/.....hosts.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4ziZ23FK6c
The original is more emotive too IMO.
Sad. When will the industry learn? It’s embarrassing.
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Paedophiles? O.K everyone – a crazy person has entered the room. It’s time to leave.
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I’m just saying that few people change or realise their behaviour is wrong or offensive when of low moral fibre combined with the support of pack mentality.
For example sportsmen or women who take bribes, politicians like Eddie Obeid, Nazis and The Klu Klux Klan in the USA.
Cheating, dishonesty or other antisocial behaviour is very in grained in these groups with affirmation at the highest levels. In other words the Cannes awards are the ultimate validation to cheats that cheating is OK.
I guess it’s like having Paedofile awards. When the Paedofile is supported in his behaviour by many of his peers and then acknowledged by a leading institution that rewards a contribution to humanity. Without Cannes support of cheats, for profit, cheats would probably disappear after all creatives are people and aren’t bad, they just operate in an environment that widely supports, promotes and condones dishonesty.
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Gosh I find it really offensive that you compare me to a advertising creative.
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#everyonehasbackedawayslowly becauseyouareobviouslyunhinged
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Good to see Mumbrella championing creative excellence in the region again, even if it is at the expense of a few pedophiles’ reputations.
[Edited by Mumbrella]
We’re in a terrible state of scam that is apparently legitimized by case studies and ‘results’, and it’s everyone’s responsibility to stamp it out. Especially with the upcoming Mumbrella awards.
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Another year of cheating said:
“For example sportsmen or women who take bribes, politicians like Eddie Obeid, Nazis and The Klu Klux Klan in the USA.
Cheating, dishonesty or other antisocial behaviour is very in grained in these groups with affirmation at the highest levels. In other words the Cannes awards are the ultimate validation to cheats that cheating is OK. ”
Sir, this industry is second to only one other in the world, for operating at the lowest levels. Investment Banking is #1. The advertising industries moral footprint is 2nd to theirs. Nobody should be surprised. Loads of ego’s, loads of greed; what do you expect?
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Being the second most unethical industry to Investment Banking?
Not sure whether that’s a defence or excuse.
At least when Investment Bankers sell their principles, they do it for mega bucks.
We sell ours for a worthless doorstop and a promotion with little more money.
Seriously people, aim higher.
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