Cannes Lions Community Leads the Way With Communication Ideas to Help the Fight Against Extreme Poverty

EIGHT PROJECTS SELECTED TO RECEIVE UP TO $100,000 FOR DEVELOPMENT AND ATTEND CANNES CHIMERA WORKSHOP IN MARCH

4 February 2014 – The selection process of the third Cannes Chimera global communications challenge, set by the Cannes Chimera Initiative, has now concluded with eight different projects from diverse countries around the world being chosen to each receive a prize of up to US$100,000. The creative brief was launched during the 60th Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in June 2013, with a bid for new communication concepts that can incite the public to support an emerging international agenda to ensure that extreme poverty is virtually eliminated by 2030. The Cannes Chimera initiative is a partnership and a competition focused on finding innovative communication approaches that can help address critical global development problems.

Nine-hundred ideas from 79 countries were received answering to the ‘Help Lead the Fight Against Extreme Poverty’ brief. Facilitated by Cannes Lions, the entries have gone through a vigorous judging process by the Cannes Chimera, comprised of the Cannes Lions 2013 Grand Prix winners.

Each winner will now take part in a unique mentoring workshop next month with the Cannes Chimera, who will help take the ideas to a new level. Each winner is invited to come back to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation with a proposal for further funding of up to US$1 million to implement the idea.

The winning projects are:

• The Share Exchange by Dentsu, Young & Rubicam, Singapore
Facebook users become media owners by allowing brands to buy their personal Facebook space. Money paid by brands is then contributed to funds set up to eradicate extreme poverty. Additionally, each time an online activist opts to share a brands’ message, they will also share the latest facts on the fight against extreme poverty. Facebook users are therefore empowered to take action whilst their shares create awareness and generate funds.

• Good Cents by Joe Public, South Africa
Devising a ‘Good Cents’ button at the bottom of all online bank statements would allow users to round their bank balance and donate their surplus of cents to a dedicated fund with just one click.

• The GAP index by venturethree, United Kingdom
Develop the Global Anti Poverty index (GAP), the first global measure of extreme poverty to be carried on all major media outlets around the world. Based on the total number of people living in extreme poverty, the frequently updated GAP number will decrease in response to development programmes, economic progress and other positive factors, or will increase in response to war, crop failure or other catastrophic events.

• The Act Button by Naked Communications, Australia
In partnership with a major online news provider, the Act Button can be activated after an extreme poverty news story, allowing the user to share positive solutions that could play a role in changing the outcome of a particular news story.

• $1.25 cube experience by JWT, Israel
Create a pay-to-enter multi-sensory experience cube to get people in the Western World involved in the life struggle of people living in extreme poverty.

• Gamers VS Poverty by DFCB Digital, The Philippines
The Gamers for Poverty will provide users with in-game content information based on extreme poverty – new storylines, item upgrades, information linked to game and poverty – so by changing their view of the world, gamers can be heroes inside and outside the game world. Additionally the project aims to change the perception of gamers from being negative to positive.

• One Two Five by PHD International, United Kingdom
Create an internationally recognisable code to signal extreme poverty, which has the ability to transcend language and borders. As the numbers 911 or 999 signal emergency, #125 will be recognised as representing extreme poverty around the world. This simple, powerful, global campaign will be used to spring board a number of global awareness initiatives.

• We See Women by Vital Voices Global Partnership, USA
70% of extreme poverty sufferers are women and girls and there is an underlying pervasive cultural bias that relegates women and girls to secondary status or worse. As such, deeply ingrained beliefs about women first need to change. By harnessing strategic information available through Big Data, this project aims to distribute perception changing stories about women into places where women are marginalised and where existing mass communication channels don’t reach.

“It’s fantastic to see how our industry has risen to the latest Cannes Chimera challenge. We have such talented people in the business and to see how they are applying their creative abilities to really help others less fortunate but on a very ambitious and global scale is truly inspiring,” says Philip Thomas, CEO of Lions Festivals. “These eight ideas will now go on to benefit from the forthcoming workshop with the Cannes Chimera with everybody working to the common goal of helping eradicate extreme poverty.”

“Building greater public awareness and understanding of tough problems like extreme poverty is an important part of global progress—and ultimately, saving lives,” said Tom Scott, director of Global Brand & Innovation at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. “We believe that tapping into the best creative minds can help us develop communications ideas that can change the world.”

The Cannes Chimera Initiative was launched by the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, which brings together the global advertising and communications industry, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the world’s largest philanthropic foundation, in an effort to generate communications ideas that motivate global audiences to support change and take actions that address critical development issues. The initiative issues a competitive brief to the creative community each year, with the next brief being launched at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in June.

For more information please visit CannesChimera.com

About the Cannes Chimera Initiative
This partnership inspires and activates the creative community to help solve the world’s most urgent global health and development problems. Each year, the initiative challenges the world’s creative talent to develop ground-breaking communications approaches that motivate global audiences to support change and take actions that address a unique development issue, through a competitive creative brief.
Winners of the competition are eligible to apply for an up to US$1M US grant from The Gates Foundation to execute their idea.

To learn more about the Cannes Chimera, please visit http://www.canneslions.com/chimera

About Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity
The International Festival of Creativity, also known as Cannes Lions, is the world’s leading celebration of creativity in communications. Founded in 1954, the Festival takes place every June in Cannes, France.
As the most prestigious international annual advertising and communications awards, over 35,500 entries from all over the world are showcased and judged at the Festival. Winning companies receive the highly coveted Lion trophy honouring the most creative film, print, outdoor, interactive, radio, design, sales promotion & activation, film craft and integrated, branded content & entertainment advertising, as well as the best media, direct marketing, PR, titanium and creative effectiveness ideas. The Festival is also the only truly global meeting place for advertisers, advertising and communication professionals. Close to 12,000 delegates from 95 countries attend seven days of exhibitions, screenings, as well as high-profile seminars, workshops, forums and master classes presented by renowned worldwide industry leaders. As the networking and learning opportunity of the year, Cannes Lions is the must-attend event for anyone involved in brand communication. www.canneslions.com

About the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people’s health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people—especially those with the fewest resources—have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, Washington, the foundation is led by CEO Jeff Raikes and Co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett. For more information, visit: www.gatesfoundation.org