DDB Scores at Cannes

DDB has won a bronze Lion for its Tabasco print campaign.

The four ads honored last week at the 49th International Advertising Festival in Cannes, France, feature the familiar Tabasco diamond label with humorous copy tailored to draw attention to all of the brand’s flavors.

While the original red sauce is well-known, the Dallas shop’s goal was to increase awareness of the brand’s jalapeño, garlic and habañero versions.

DDB’s creative team, which included copywriter Julie Bowman, art director Kathy Redick and group creative director Carl Warner, was convinced early on the campaign was a winner.

“The diamond is so recognizable, really big and prominent,” Warner said. “And then there’s a surprise in the headline. That’s a really nice reward for people in the end. All these things make [the work] so likeable.”

The Lion is the fourth honor for the series, which also won the Grand Award for magazine advertising at the New York Festivals, the Silver Kelly Award from the Magazine Publishers of America for the best print advertising in the U.S. and a gold at the national Addy competition.

The campaign, which began in December, has also been effective. Ta-basco’s overall business was up 10 percent over the same period a year earlier. Sales of the individual flavors, according to DDB managing director Janet Bustin, have increased “dramatically.”

T-shirts, posters and other vehicles featuring elements of the ads are or will be sold through Tabasco’s Web site.

“The [campaign] has lots of legs,” Bustin said.