Diary of a Jurist: Kris Kiger, Cyber

Executive Creative Director, R/GA, New YorkJune 15 Checked into the Noga Hilton. A nice, comfortable place. There has been debate among jurors as to whether the design is late '60s or early '70s. Everything is very mod—red lacquer finishes with glossy, reflective surfaces everywhere.After a few hours of rest, I get up and don the required "leisure suit." Not sure what this is these days, but I figured I'd be safest with a black wrinkle-resistant dress. This is the first meeting, and I was taught well about first impressions. Met everyone in the lobby. At first, everyone was a little shy, but soon I was just trying to keep track of everyone's names. So many people, from so many places. It's all so exciting. At dinner at the Carlton Hotel, I sat at a table with a mix of cyber and media jurors. It was the perfect combination for stimulating conversations over the state of the industry. Budgets, creative idea generation, and how traditional and interactive are connecting (or not) just yet. Regardless, I think the overall vibe was that it's a very exciting time to be in advertising. I'm just so honored and excited to be here. Can't wait to see how it all plays out. What kind of work will we see? How much of the increased 26 percent of submissions will be truly amazing? I hope the work is better than ever. If it is to be any reflection of the caliber of the judges I met tonight, I have very high hopes. I also have a good feeling that the judging process will be very collaborative.I'm off to get a little sleep before the first big day of judging. Something tells me, it's going to be a long day indoors.June 16 Judging begins. We are separated into four groups for the initial screening rounds. There's lots of work to sift through. The day was very long, but quite successful. The categories I was judging didn't have too many surprises. The work definitely fit neatly into the categories defined. The only regrettable thing is that so far I haven't seen work that is head and shoulders above all the rest. I realize though it's a process you go through. I think it's important to see the whole body of work and then realize what is standing out within that. Sometimes when you first begin, you always hope for that one piece of "creative genius" that blows everything else away. We have quite a ways to go, so it's not decided yet. The piece could be there, just in some of the other categories. Still I am really looking forward to the discussion and collaborative phase of this process. It'll be interesting to see if I'm the only one who feels this way. A few others are saying similar things, but it's still too early to tell. I want to make sure that I, as well as my fellow jurors, are exploring each piece enough to really understand the context and parameters with which the work was conceived, as it is very relative to the creative process. I've noticed there are more pieces that take some very nice artistic stretches in their execution. There is a fair share of good, solid, cleanly designed pieces, along with others which are more circuitous, taking a bit more time for the user to discover and reveal the full story or message. Each piece seems appropriate for its target audiences and provides the right level of engagement for the users.Must rest up—there will be more tomorrow. June 17 Today was truly a full day of judging. We were all up and out of the hotel by 8:30 a.m. Ready to take on the 200 or so pieces left in the first elimination round. I'm now into my rhythm of judging and feel like I can evaluate the work more efficiently. But I also realize that the online campaigns have multiple pieces of information to consider, including the campaign background, which takes time.The day wears on. We are inside on such a gorgeous day. As we walk downstairs to have a very quick lunch out on the terrace, it's very hard to go back inside and sit in front of the monitor for another five hours. Such is the job of a juror. The saving grace is that as I see more work, I realize a lot of it is good. I hope that my favorite pieces will survive the first round and make it to the second one, for the big debates and discussions. Everyone is talking over dinner about the few pieces that they felt were worthy competitors. People are cautious to reveal any extreme favorites. Though through a few veiled conversations, I feel I have some common feelings with the other jurors about a number of the pieces.Again, discussions come up about how interactive plays a significant role in the media mix. I am encouraged and very excited by this, because as the media converge and agencies explore the big ideas for clients and how best to extend and enhance the brand experience, I know that it means each year going forward will only be better. That's about all for now. Tomorrow is another sunny day spent indoors as we continue to narrow down the entries and to define the shortlist. June 18 As predicted, it was another perfect day. As we walk to the Palais des Festivals, where we meet for the judging, I notice that people are already staking out their spots on the beach or finding just the right location to lie beneath the bright yellow umbrellas. I can just imagine the stretch of beach filling up almost as quickly as the sun rises. But for us it will be another day indoors.Today everyone was working through the materials at a steady clip. We were able to wrap up our initial first round of judging early, so we can now begin the fun part of discussing what is left standing. I think everyone is eager to have some good interaction with each other. At every chance polite conversation starts up around larger topics, such as the concern for being able to recognize the "big creative idea" from very beautiful executions so commonly seen in this medium. We are starting to see our medium mature and become something much more significant than work that features the latest and greatest flash and glitz. Some of the best pieces talked about are the ones with the simple executions and the perfect smart idea. Perhaps this is the beginning of interactive becoming a serious medium. I look forward to the day when campaigns regularly originate online and push out to the other channels. I'm sure there are a few examples here, but it seems like they are more the exception rather than the rule.I'm excited to see what has survived our cuts. I'll be keeping my eyes open for the piece that stands out among all others. We'll see what tomorrow brings. June 19 Today is the continued judging of the shortlist. It is the first time that each of the jurors will get to see the full body of work that has made the previous cuts. I'm very excited to see what is left from the categories that I was reviewing. Will my fellow jurors have voted the same way I had, or will there be some surprises? As I start to review the shortlist, a lot of my favorite pieces are on it, so that means the other judges were also impressed by these entries. I am also excited to see some of the other categories that up until now my colleagues had been viewing. It is reassuring to see good work across most all of the areas. Tomorrow we continue to review the full shortlist on our own and then around noon we'll move into the discussions about the work.I think the group is definitely settling into a good rhythm. There is very good camaraderie among all the jurors; it is like a comfortable group of friends who respect one another's viewpoints. It should make the upcoming discussion and debate a lot of fun. Weather report. First cloudy evening of the time I've been here. Makes the time spent indoors not seem so bad. I'm looking forward to tomorrow and seeing the rest of the shortlist.June 20 We finished up the shortlist today. It is really amazing to have a view of all the work that has made it this far. We seemed to be done an hour or so earlier than scheduled, so I took the opportunity to go and sit in on one of the presentations.I realize we've been sequestered away up on the 4th and 5th floors while lots of creative discussions and activity are taking place on the floors below us in the Palais. We were able to all sit in a room together and make sure we were happy with the complete shortlist before releasing it to the press tonight. It is very interesting to see the conversations starting up, not just around the individual pieces, but surrounding the larger creative issues we face every day within the industry. I'm sure that as the discussions continue, I will hear many different perspectives on topics that I myself have thought a lot about and perhaps they will convince me to take on a different point of view. Looking forward to tomorrow and the work we'll be doing to begin to figure out which pieces will be awarded the Lions.June 21 Today was the longest and most important day yet. We got up at the normal time and started over to the Palais. Our first stop was to go down to the lower floors and judge the Young Creatives competition.This was one of my favorite parts of the festival so far. It is so rewarding to see some of the creative work from individuals who will be the superstars of the industry in coming years.It was really hard, but the jury was able to quickly select the winner for the category and announce it to the group. It was great to see the team come up and receive the award. The excitement we all had for this team was something you could really feel in the room. I can only imagine what it will feel like for them when they walk up on stage tomorrow night in front of everyone to receive their award.We then went back upstairs to our room to deliberate and determine the Cyber Lion winners. We had just one day to make some sense out of the shortlist that we had poured over and compiled the day before. It seemed like a huge task, but I was confident that we would come to some great conclusions. Well, 12 hours later (which I'm told is a Cannes record) we awarded our first gold in the first category. Talk about intense. The group had lively and productive discussions. It was amazing. I think we all went into the room with a few preconceived notions of what we thought would win, and at what level. You could see the discussions and debates slowly changing the dynamic of the group and eventually leading to a generally unified position on each of the pieces.I had gone in with an open mind, and yet had considered myself to have some pretty significant positions on things. But in the end, I felt the group collaborating and deciding as a whole. I felt the work that was recognized was representative of the group and not any one individual. It was truly a pleasure and a great experience to be able to work this way with such a wonderful and diverse group of creatives. It's even better than I had expected.I found myself getting so involved in the discussions that when we finally awarded the Grand Prix at 1:30 a.m., I didn't realize how much time had passed. All I had been focusing on for those hours was the task at hand and my colleagues. It was truly a wonderful experience, and I think we definitely gave awards to the best work. Must get some sleep. Tomorrow is the press conference and the awards ceremony. I am looking forward to celebrating all the good work, but am a little sad, as it marks the end of a great experience for me.

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Diary of a Jurist: Kris Kiger, Cyber

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