Cannes Lions Adds 'Creative B2B' Category for 2022

As the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity plans to return to being an in-person event in June 2022 after two years of remote programming, the awards program has announced a new category dedicated to b-to-b marketing. The Creative B2B Lion has been "several years in the making," said Philip Thomas, chairman of Cannes Lions, who also has shared several other award updates for the 2022 festival, including changes to the Media Lions and Creative eCommerce Lions. Top line The Creative B2B Lions will honor innovative, effective work created for businesses looking to attract other businesses rather than consumer customers. The Creative eCommerce Lions, launched in 2018, will be renamed to Creative Commerce Lions, reflecting the evolution of how the category is described by marketing professionals. In the Media Lions category, award descriptions have been updated in ways the festival says will put more emphasis on media to avoid overlap with creative entries in other categories. Between the lines The Creative B2B Lion is a category the festival has considered adding for nearly a decade as b-to-b marketing budgets and creative ambitions grew, and 2022 will mark the new category's debut. "We first started discussing a Lion that recognizes b-to-b work way back in 2013, but we always try to get the timing right, so that our awards are reflective of the industry and in line with its needs," Thomas said. "Having seen a rise in b-to-b work winning across the Lions, and with many in the industry believing that a specialist Lion in this area will raise the creative bar and elevate the discipline, we think that now is b-to-b's moment to have its own spotlight on the global creative stage." The name shift from Creative eCommerce Lion to Creative Commerce Lion, meanwhile, aims to reflect the far wider scope of platforms and tactics that have grown beyond a retail niche. "What used to be considered below-the-line, or thought of as lower-funnel, is quickly becoming the next great canvas for creativity and careers," said Beth Ann Kaminkow, global CEO of VLMY&R Commerce and Creative Commerce Lions jury president for 2022. "As all channels collide around shopping and buying, and online merges with offline, creativity in commerce is now essential to delivering consumer experience, brand promise, and memorable engagement." Here's how Susie Walker, vp of awards and insight at Cannes Lions, described the changing Media Lion descriptions: “We've added an explicit reference to media in the description of the overall Lion to make it clear that we are rewarding creative media ideas and changes like altering the weighting structure that we give to the jury so that the majority of the weighting sits across the media craft areas," she said, "as well as updates throughout the categories to reinforce the really clear focus of celebrating media ideas and creativity." Bottom line The changes show Cannes Lions remains optimistic about its ability to bounce back in 2022 and return in person to the French Riviera. After the Covid-19 pandemic necessitated two years of remote Cannes events, the festival hopes to be back in its namesake city from June 20 to 24, 2022. Cannes Lions Festival Organizers Commit to Real-Life Return in June 2022

Cannes Lions

Cannes Lions Adds 'Creative B2B' Category for 2022

Creative festival will also expand Media awards and tweak Commerce Lions

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