Whenever Cannes is upon us, our industry generally tends to rally around the same work ad nauseam until the act of prediction becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. 

Certain campaigns win because it's all we talk about and, consequently, a lot of excellent work gets ignored or sidelined. And so this entry into the Cannes "prediction-o-meter" is more a wish list of what should win rather than what will win.

Jimm Lasser

US Army GHOSTS IN THE MACHINE

I was mesmerized by the U.S. Army’s recruitment film for its Psychological warfare soldiers, GHOSTS IN THE MACHINE. 

It’s JUST DO IT for future soldiers. 

Dropped stealthy as hell on the 4th PSYOP Group’s YouTube page, it’s a film that has been passed around and debated. 

Most of the reaction has seen it as “terrifying” and yeah I agree—the future is terrifying. 

Powerade PAUSE is POWER

Powerade's Pause is Power is JUST DO IT for future athletes. 

It champions taking a (mental) break, and owns that moment (with product!). 

I enjoyed how irreverent they made the actual pauses. It would have been easy to just make it just a quick thing and a drink. NO—they are knitting sweaters, acing their nails, doing secret handshakes, et. al. 

Enjoyed that.

David Kolbusz

7-11 Take It To 11 / Velveeta That's La Dolce Velveeta

I am an excellent consumer in the sense that I love to fall in love with brands. I am not ashamed to be a capitalist and am at my happiest when advertising works on me. The campaigns I enjoy the most are the ones that prise cash from my bank account. 

This year I was seduced by the playfulness of both 7-11's Take It To 11 and Velveeta's That's La Dolce Velveeta. 

There are some obvious parallels - both take beloved brands not necessarily known for being premium and elevate them to the point of absurdity, and both were shot by Harmony Korine. But they behave very differently. 

Velveeta celebrates the decadence of liquid cheese, dialing up appetite appeal by making the product commensurate with luxury goods. While 7-11 focused on celebrating an eccentric cast of characters that made the convenience store chain look like an amazing place to hang out. 

Now for the twist ending you weren't expecting: I very recently bought Velveeta FROM a 7-11.

Kayak Deniers

I also loved the Deniers campaign for Kayak. 

Just simple, fun spots that poked fun at the cultural divide at the heart of American politics. 

It takes a brave client to wedge their product message in amongst a bunch of people arguing.