Advertising News South Africa

Net#work BBDO - “Yes, we ‘Cannes' again”

CANNES: Net#work BBDO scooped its second Cannes Lions Grand Prix last night, Tuesday, 23 June 2009 in Cannes, France. The Radio Grand Prix for the agency's Plain Insanity campaign for Virgin Atlantic Airways comes in the wake of the 2007 Grand Prix for its solar panel billboard for Nedbank, the first-ever Cannes Lions Outdoor Grand Prix for South Africa.
Net#work BBDO’s Rob McLennan and Brent Singer with the coveted Cannes Lion Grand Prix award.
Net#work BBDO’s Rob McLennan and Brent Singer with the coveted Cannes Lion Grand Prix award.

Executive creative director Rob McLennan was in Cannes to proudly walk onto the world stage, which he described as indescribable. “The magnitude of winning a global award is hard to comprehend.”

McLennan says it is getting harder to get acknowledgement for radio through all the new media clutter. “These days it is not often this medium delivers a message that cuts through, entertains, endears and adheres itself to the consumer.”

“I was in the fortunate position to chat to the president of the jury and other jurors. They said it was a clear winner right from early on in the voting process. The competition is fierce, so this makes me feel especially proud to bring this statue home to put on our mantelpiece.”

Chief creative officer Mike Schalit is incredibly proud of the consistency of the work across all media. “One Cannes Grand Prix was an overwhelming accolade for us and now another one two years later... and its SA's first for radio. I guess our healthy paranoia every day about how fresh, how original and how relevant the work needs to be for our clients has paid dividends. Viva creativity. Viva consistency. Viva to the next generation of Net#workers who are steering us through even fresher waters.”

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