Jul 9
In today’s digital landscape, advertising is everywhere. From social media feeds and search engines to streaming platforms and websites, con
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In today’s digital landscape, advertising is everywhere. From social media feeds and search engines to streaming platforms and websites, con
Told you so
Here are Cannes winners that I featured here on the blog:
Kit Kat Heist
Ikea Made For Life
Life360 I think of you dying
EA Skate Drop In
Eli Lilly Olympics Anthem
McDonald's Photo Roll
Channel 4 Dirty Business
Dunkin Dunkin At Home
Porsche Owners Reunions
TD Bank Window Shopping
Made me smile
Kelsey Williams' title on LinkedIn: "Award Losing Copywriter."
Everything is a remix
There were some winners at the 2026 Cannes Creativity Festival that gave me déjà vu.
Unique bar code
Mercado Livre, Brazil's version of Amazon, and their agency, Gut, São Paolo, used a sports sponsorship for a fun promotion.
They mowed the pitch of a particular match with a barcode pattern that could be scanned to unlock discounts.
The idea won the Grand Prix for Outdoor and a Silver Lion for Media.
It reminded me of a fun bar code coupon that Baldwin& created using the iconic sugar waterfall at Krispy Kreme.
Field Barcode case study here. Krispy Kreme's World's Tastiest Coupon here.
2. Selling a bunch of small media spaces
McCann, Lima, helped turn around a failing football team's fortunes by selling little pieces of their kits (jerseys) to small businesses. The kit was covered by 1000 small logos. Case study here.
This reminded me of the Million Dollar Homepage where a college student sold 10-pixel squares for a dollar each.
3. One ad invades other ads
Goodby Silverstein won a Silver Lion for Outdoor with a digital out of home execution in which Thing, the severed hand character from the Netflix Addams Family update Wednesday, invades other ads with orange Cheetos fingerprints.
Which reminded me of this billboard in Times Square created by Crispin Porter with the new BMW Mini having so many features that the callouts invade other ads.
Is there a problem here?
No.
One way to come up with fresh ideas is to remix old ideas.
Many movies, songs, and inventions are remixes. That's the thesis of the movie, Everything is a Remix.
The more you see, the more you'll be able to draw on for remixes.
Have you seen this Cannes winner?
It's very well made, but it's intense and violent. So instead of posting the video here, I'll share the link and let you make the call to see it.
Agency: Grey, Mexico. Directors: Andrea Pele and Francisco Paparella.
Yeah. I HATED Spotify with ads.
I think they purposely made the ads obnoxious so I'd pay for Premium. Which I've done for a long time.
But this takes a classier approach. You don't want ads to interrupt your experience.
These won an Outdoor Bronze at Cannes yesterday. You'll see it's a true accomplishment to get a Lion for an old-fashioned billboard campaign once you see the various crazy stunts that are considered "Outdoor."
LBB has some behind the scenes info on what worked best to get real goosebumps.
Agency: Machine, Cape Town. Photographer: David Prior.
One benefit of digital out of home is how fast you can get a message into market
It's made the news in the last week how foreigners who are in the US for the World Cup are marveling at our portion sizes at the Waffle House, the number of gas pumps at Buc-ee's, and how friendly everyone is.
And the Scottish fans in particular endeared themselves to Bostonians when they descended for their first match.
72 and Sunny helped United take advantage of the cultural moment.
Via LinkedIn.
That's me, director Brent Thomas, B. B. King, Susan Credle, and account guy Mike Keeler in 1995
Look who I know!
Today in Cannes, my former copywriter partner was awarded the Lion of St. Mark.
The Cannes Creativity Festival is the most respected international advertising awards competition and conference. The Lion of St. Mark is their lifetime achievement award. It goes to just one person each year.
So Susan Credle is being recognized as one of the most successful and influential advertising creatives in the world.
After being named to the American Advertising Foundation's Advertising Hall of Fame a few months ago.
Now I get to brag to here that I knew her back in the day.
I like to say Susan and I "grew up together" in the business.
Neither of us took note of when we were first paired as art director and copywriter. We just know that we were working together when my first child was born. So we were partners for around 13 or 14 years.
We started on packaged goods assignments no one else wanted to work on. When BBDO won M&M's, no one thought it was going to be any good, so they put us on it. That was our big break. And a ton of fun.
Susan suggested that if we wanted to eventually be creative directors we should start finding some creatives to direct – to subcontract our assignments to younger creatives.
"Can we do that?" I asked.
She shrugged, "Let's find out."
It worked. The unofficial creative directing eventually became official with a promotion to Associate Creative Director.
From the start, anyone could see the simple principles that Susan built her career on: Spot and champion the best people. Spot and champion the best work. Learn from everyone.
She went from ACD to ECD at BBDO to CCO at Leo Burnett to Global CCO at FCB.
One of her most impressive accomplishments was when FCB was crowned Network of the Year at Cannes, winning 80 Lions, including two Titanium and five Grands Prix.
She leaves a huge legacy.
Sure. Lots of great work. Wheelbarrows full of Lions and Pencils.
But mainly, it's the people. A vast tree of influence. People she championed who are now championing others. People she inspired who are now inspiring others. Around the world. For years to come.
Spot and champion the best people. Spot and champion the best work. Learn from everyone.
I am blessed to have been one of those people she influenced and to have a front row seat to her early years. I join all those at Cannes and around the world who are applauding her today.