Philippe Meunier: Sid Lee co-founder talks awards juries
Two distinguished jury presidents discuss what they will be looking for in this year’s Lynx entries
As you read this, the various Dubai Lynx juries are busy judging in a ‘secret location’, with the first shortlists to be announced on Monday.
Casting their critical eye over your work are jury presidents such as Philippe Meunier, creative chief and cofounder of Sid Lee in Canada, who is presiding of the branded content and entertainment jury; Andy DiLallo, chief creative officer of Leo Burnett Sydney, who is in charge of the direct, promo and activation jury; and Bjorn Kusoffsky, CEO and creative director at Stockholm Design Lab in Sweden, who is overseeing the design jury. The PR jury is being led by Gabriela Lungu, chief creative officer, Weber Shandwick, UK & EMEA (see page 14), whilst Philippa Brown, CEO of Omnicom Media Group UK, leads the media jury.
But what will the presidents be looking for in the region’s work? Will they, as Mike Wiese, director of branded content at JWT New York and president of last year’s inaugural branded content jury, be “looking for ideas and formats that transcend borders, cultures and languages; projects that demonstrate an authentic story-telling technique such as you’d find in mainstream entertainment”.
For Graham Fink, chief creative officer for China at Ogilvy Shanghai, who is presiding over the film, print, outdoor, radio and print craft jury, it’s all about changing perceptions. “I’ll be looking for work that stands out from the pack,” he says. “Something that makes me wish I had done it. I love the feeling when I see a piece of work that changes my perception of a brand or shows it to me in a different light. I’ll be encouraging the jury to look for the truth.”
Meanwhile, Sid Lee’s Meunier, who oversees all the creative output for his agency’s major international clients, including adidas, Cirque du Soleil and Red Bull, says: “To be a Dubai Lynx winner, your work should possess three essential qualities in the branded content and entertainment category; my focus will be on the ‘branded part’, which should be amazing (something that really catches and keeps your attention), transformative (what has the potential to move and transform the way we consume brands), as well as refreshing (something different, never seen before, in other words a breath of fresh air).
“We’ve seen the best work from all over the globe; there is no reason why we shouldn’t see the best of the crop in Dubai. It is an emerging market with every possible asset in order to compare and live up to international work.”
What method will he be using to judge entries?
“I will be using the same method. First, you get rid of the crap; then you can not only discuss but debate the cream of the crop, doing so based on the cultural insight that each jury member can provide to truly comprehend each entry.
“The trend that we’ve seen in the industry for the past few years is the merging of categories, everything has now become ‘one’ category with no defined separations between disciplines; everything is digital, everything needs to be a brand experience. I am expecting a similar trend this year at the Lynx. The ‘real beauty’ sketch campaign from Dove would be an example of stand out work, as well as the ‘Dumb Ways to Die’ campaign (a Cannes winner). These are great examples of merging categories into one where advertising is content, content is branding and everything related to this experience happens simultaneously, whether it is on your phone, in a magazine or on TV.”