Highest ever representation from global brands, platforms, entertainment and technology companies brings breadth of expertise to the Lions awards. For the first time, the number of female jurors reaches 51% 

12 April 2021 – Cannes Lions has today announced its jury line-up of global experts selected to award the world’s very best creative work and benchmark excellence this June. 

The Lion-winning work will be announced and awarded during Cannes Lions Live, a fully digital experience, running from 21-25 June 2021, that’s included for free as part of the new LIONS Membership, launching in May.  

Jury members hail from across the world and represent the global industry’s leading talent from the broadest spectrum of disciplines. The juries also comprise 51% of female jurors, up from 48% in 2019. 

Nearly a year into a pandemic, the show went on. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Kansas City Chiefs, Tom Brady proved that age is just a number and Super Bowl ads took over the airwaves — and our social media channels. 

With more than a full week to digest the Super Sunday campaigns, experts highlight the importance of purpose in brand messaging, noting that companies that chose not to air an ad may have had the strongest message of all. Others are focusing on how big brands carried out large campaigns in spite of the pressures of coordinating remotely on one of the biggest nights of the year. And others note the unpredictability of this unique Super Bowl. 

More than a week before kickoff, many big brands have teased or fully revealed their Super Bowl ads online. But it is Budweiser, which won’t have its own game day spot for the first time since 1984, that has made the best play. 

Thanks to a purpose-focused call to action, Bud’s ad is scoring in media coverage of who’s in and who’s out for Super Bowl LV on February 7. 

What brands are running big game spots is a business story each year, but the angle has been heightened this season because of the pandemic and its economic impact. Coca-Cola, for example, benched itself after cutting 12% of its U.S. workforce in late December, likely reasoning that spending the estimated $5.1 million for a 30-second Super Bowl ad would be flagged by observers. 

This week, Budweiser said it would bow out of the broadcast, but for a different reason: it has invested in a 30-second film called Bigger Picture, narrated by actress and activist Rashida Jones, to drive COVID-19 vaccine awareness and education. It is sharing the PSA-like spot online via earned media, digital buys and social media. 

For decades, the back-to-school shopping season has been a dependable boon for brands -- second only to the holiday season -- as kids and parents seek out new outfits and supplies for the classroom. In 2019, back-to-school saw approximately $80 billion in sales.

But amid the pandemic, with the uncertainty of what school will look like in the fall, the once-reliable shopping season has been upended, leaving brands and retailers -- not to mention families -- in the lurch.

WEST PALM BEACH, FL: Fast-casual restaurant chain BurgerFi International has hired Allison+Partners as its PR AOR.

The agency started working on the mid-six-figure account on June 24, following a formal RFP. Five firms pitched for the business, said Lisa Rosenberg, partner and president of consumer brands at Allison. The agency is planning to drive BurgerFi’s consumer marketing initiatives and support franchise sales efforts and thought leadership. The agency will build brand awareness through integrated communications programs and generate publicity for key initiatives, promotions and product offerings. Allison’s work includes the launch of BurgerFi’s first national brand campaign and customized local outreach supporting store openings. The firm will also work to increase awareness and interest in franchisee buying rights.

Pitching for business is stressful enough. But during COVID-19 lockdown, PR pros are trying to win clients via Zoom. 

Last month, Budweiser selected Allison+Partners as its U.S. AOR following a video conference. In a video with PRWeek, the firm’s president of consumer brands, Lisa Rosenberg, talks about what the experience was like.

Other PR pros, including Coyne PR president John Gogarty, Hill+Knowlton Strategies chief business development officer Sam Lythgoe and Torchia Communications MD and partner Daniel Torchia, dish on the pros and cons of the new normal of pitching. 

Can you even call it a “back-to-school” campaign?

With a big question mark hanging over whether kids will be physically at school in September, back-to-school campaigns will look a tad different this year.

It’s almost June, which means brands have been planning their BTS efforts for months. After all, it’s each July when people find themselves asking the TV why back-to-school ads are starting already. 

Backpack brand JanSport usually begins preparing 11 months out and starts its back-to-school efforts in June. Danimals, a kids’ brand in the yogurt aisle, typically starts getting ready a year in advance.

Yet the coronavirus pandemic has put brands in the same uncharted waters as parents: figuring things out on the fly for the lucrative sales season. The National Retail Federation estimated that the combined amount spent on BTS season for K-12 and college surpassed $80 billion last year. 

Parents arent the only ones making things up as they go,” says General Mills chief communications officer Jano Cabrera.

Allison+Partners has been helping JanSport with its BTS programming for the past two years. Agency president of consumer brands Lisa Rosenberg explains that its campaigns have been very product-focused. “But if kids do not go back physically to school, there will be less need for new backpacks, initially,” she says.