Creativity for Good: Advertising Award Shows Signalling the Industry in Support of Sustainability

Abstract

The Advertising Awards Shows have always been important in signalling to the industry about consumer and business trends. In 2018, the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity partnered with the United Nations to launch the Sustainable Development Goals Lions. As a result, this study explores the messages presented by Cannes Lions from 2018 - 2024. This is an exploratory qualitative study conducted utilizing case study methodology of the awarded works and public interviews of the juries and organizers of the shows. In an industry enamored with winning awards, the signalling by the award shows have worked in getting more brands, clients of the advertising agencies, to develop more creative messages in line with the UN’s SDGs. The managerial implications of this study is development of a guide to creating works that promote sustainability. In terms of theoretical implications utilizing the Grounded Theory approach, learning from award shows plays a major influence in the creation of advertising work.  It is recommended that future studies explore the impact of awarded work on the actual performance of the brands, which would establish the connection between creativity and impact in making the world a better place.