The words “creative” and “data” never used to be used in the same breath, but a lot has changed in the last few years; now data is inextricably tied to how creative conducts itself. Thus, the creation of the Creative Data category in the Cannes Lions awards, which were presented Tuesday in the south of France to a virtual audience.
The Grand Prix for Creative Data was awarded to data agency Rothco, part of Accenture Interactive in Dublin, for its “Saylists” campaign for Warner Music.
Top honors: the Grand Prix winner
Warner Music and Rothco teamed on “Saylists” to curate targeted playlists that reimagine the experience of practicing commonly challenging speech sounds for children. They essentially set speech therapy to music and then released it exclusively on Apple Music so children could learn more actively while having fun and a sense of accomplishment.
“Being awarded the Grand Prix for ‘Saylists’ speaks to the shifts we’re seeing in the industry toward experience-led creativity as the next frontier for brands and marketers,” Brian Whipple, CEO of Accenture Interactive, said in a statement. “A meaningful and rewarding experience should fulfill an unmet human need and live at the intersection of purpose and innovation. The team did exactly that with ‘Saylists’ and we’re very proud of them.”
Added Zara Flynn, managing director of Rothco, in a statement: “This truly was a labour of love for the team, with several members themselves growing up with speech and sound disorders. ‘Saylists’ has been enthusiastically welcomed around the world, but most important was the incredible response from the speech and language community. We’re over the moon about the Grand Prix and how this award recognises using technology to augment the experience of speech-language therapy in a fun and engaging way.”
Another jury favorite
To call attention to climate change, Jung von Matt recomposed Vivaldi’s Four Seasons to make it more pertinent to today’s volatile climate. Using historical climate data, the composer worked with the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra, film production company Markenfilm Crossing and Segmenta Communications—all based in Hamburg, Germany—and Berlin-based music producer Kling Klang Klong on “For Seasons—Composed by Climate Data.”
The campaign aims to send a harsh signal against climate change with a frantic and disturbing version of the classical piece. The campaign won a gold Lion.
Gold winner
- VMLY&R, Kansas City/Plan A Films, Asheville for Tennessee Department of Tourist Development | “Laugh Tracker” (USA)
Be sure to read all of Adweek’s coverage from this year’s Cannes Lions Live virtual festival.
