Global Creatives Go Green as Yahoo! Names Winners of “Big Shot in Cannes” User-Generated Ad Contest

Global Creatives Go Green as Yahoo! Names Winners of “Big Shot in Cannes” User-Generated Ad Contest

Top ads combine video, animation, creativity and humor to produce compelling creative focused on saving the planet

6th JUNE, INDIA: An animated polar bear, a video game featuring planting trees, and a beautiful, smiling baby are the stars of the three winning entries in Yahoo!’s “Big Shot in Cannes” user-generated content competition. The new global contest, targeting the professional advertising community, asked entrants to submit online public service announcements for worthy environmental issues and causes. More than 150 people from nine countries entered the contest, including freelancers, independent creative teams, advertising agency staffers. The three winners, to be awarded free travel to the 2007 Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival in Cannes, France, are:

* Kristen Cahill, a freelance art director from New York, New Yori, for “One Sunny Day, ” a clever, animated video about global warming, featuring a polar bear stranded on a small ice block;

* Diego Duprat, a freelance copywriter and filmmaker from Barcelona, Spain for “Recycle for Life,” a video ad featuring a happy baby, focusing on recycling.
* Pranav Harihar Sharma, a creative director from Indore, India for “You vs. Him,” a unique, animated ad depicting a video game in which stick men compete to plant vs. cut trees.

“We are thrilled with the tremendous response from advertising professionals around the world,” said Jerry Shereshewsky, Yahoo! Ambassador Plenipotentiary to Madison Avenue. “In addition to generating exciting and memorable environmental-themed creative, we believe this effort will go a long way in helping the advertising community better understand and appreciate the opportunity and value of user-generated content.”

The winners were selected from a group of ten finalist submissions that focused on environmental themes such as global warming, reduced electricity consumption, clean water, and recycling. The wide variety of creative concepts included a cardboard earth, animated paper airplanes, compact fluorescent light bulbs, and a talking fish. The finalists are:

* “Switch Off” by Ben Smith, Lowe-Hunt – Sydney, Australia
* “Change One Bulb, Change the World” by Bill McBrayer – Westport, Connecticut (U.S.)
* “Paper Plane” by Oorna Datta, Lowe – Mumbai, India
* “Talking Fish” by Robert Meagher, Martin Agency – Richmond, Virginia (U.S.)
* “Paper Earth” by Eva Miquel, Conill Advertising/Saatchi & Saatchi – Brooklyn, New York (U.S.)
* “Trees” by Evan Barber, student (The Art Institute Fort Lauderdale) – Fort Lauderdale, Florida (U.S.)
* “Play Responsible” by Nicolas Gregoire, TBWA Interactive/Paris – Paris, France

The finalists and winning entries can be viewed at http://promotions.yahoo.com/bigshot.

In addition to the free trip to Cannes, the winners’ public service announcements will be entered into the 2008 Festival. Winners also will receive a Yahoo! Big Idea Chair, which recognizes ground-breaking online creativity. In addition, winning entries will be featured in the ACT Responsible exhibition (adjacent to the International Advertising Festival in Cannes), which showcases outstanding advertising campaigns that focus on environmental and social responsibility issues.

The contest was judged by a distinguished panel from the world’s leading advertising agencies:

* David Apicella, Chief Creative Officer, Ogilvy & Mather New York
* Jeff Benjamin, VP and Interactive Creative Director, Crispin Porter+Bogusky
* Susan Credle, EVP, Executive Creative Director and Board Member, BBDO New York
* Marie Catherine Dupuy, Vice Chairman and Chief Creative Officer, TBWA Chiat Day Paris
* Pete Favat, Chief Creative Officer and Managing Partner, Arnold Worldwide
* Jeff Goodby, CEO and Co-Chairman, Goodby Silverstein
* Bob Greenberg, Chairman, CEO and Global Chief Creative Officer, R/GA Associates
* Piyush Pandey, Executive Chairman and National Creative Director, Ogilvy & Mather India
* Danny Searle, Creative Director and Deputy Chairman, Clemenger BBDO Sydney
* Linda Kaplan Thaler, CEO and Chief Creative Officer, The Kaplan Thaler Group
* Mark Waites, Partner, Mother London