Focus shifts to finale

The curtains will fall on the 63rd edition of the Cannes Advertising Festival on Saturday. But chances are the Indian contingent could be smiling well after this chapter draws to a close. The reason for this is the clutch of spots on shortlists that Indian agencies have managed to bag before the final set of awards are declared on Saturday.
This includes a record seven spots on shortlist for film, five in film craft, two in entertainment, and one in the coveted integrated category. Integrated here means 360-degree campaigns, that is, ads that use not one but multiple media to communicate their message. India's lone entry in the integrated category is advertising agency BBDO's Share the Load campaign for detergent Ariel Matic. This campaign, which has already bagged a gold in the Glass Lion category, in addition to two bronze  Lions (in creative effectiveness and cyber, respectively), shows how men are willing to share the responsibility of household chores.

The campaign, much appreciated for its universal message of gender equality, will compete with 25 other entries from across the world. The competition is expected to be fierce as only the best of the best and ones that have big ideas across media make the cut here, ad experts said.
The entries in film include Ogilvy & Mather's ads titled How to Get Perfect Red Lips and How to Apply Eyeliner from its larger campaign Make Love Not Scars on the issue of ending acid attacks. The campaign is a local favourite and features a real acid attack victim who demonstrates how make-up can be applied to her face. The use of a real-life victim as a model has been hailed by one and all as a bold move and something that will help drive home the message, experts said.

BBDO's Share the Load campaign once again makes it to the shortlist, this time in film. There are two films from that campaign in the reckoning. So is L&K Saatchi & Saatchi's commercial titled 'Man' for Thomas Cook. While Publicis Communications’s ‘A Giant’s Story’ for Ambuja Cement featuring wrestler The Great Khali (real name Dalip Singh Rana) and Leo Burnett's 'Sons of Vikrant' for Bajaj are two of the other entries in the race.
The film craft shortlist includes work by ad-film production companies. Here Corcoise Films, promoted by adman Piyush Pandey's brother Prasoon, has bagged two spots for a commercial for Fevicol called Dahi Handi. It features a human pyramid, formed during the Gokulashtami or Krishna Jayanti festival, glued together firmly, indicating that Fevicol sticks that well, too.

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BBDO's Share the Load campaign bags another spot on film shortlist for its script, while Early Man Films'  direction has bagged a spot for 'A Giant's Story' (for Ambuja Cement). Offroad Films has secured a spot on the shortlist for Lifebuoy's Chamki: The Girl from the Future. This commercial has also bagged a spot in entertainment for Mullen Lowe Lintas Group  India in partnership with Mullen Lowe Colombia.  The other entertainment spot winner is BBDO's Share the Load campaign.