Cannes Lions and Ketchum Announce Winners of Young Marketers Competition

CANNES, France and NEW YORK, June 27, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Justine Ferrer and Angeline Go of Del Monte PANA in the Philippines won the Gold Lion for the second annual Young Marketers Competition at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity. The competition, sponsored by Ketchum, challenged 17 teams of young in-house marketers from around the world to develop a product or service concept that is an extension of their own companies' business and supports a charitable cause. Competitors then presented their communication plans to a panel of industry leaders, which included David Gallagher, Ketchum senior partner and president of Europe; Rachel Hatton, U.K. planning director for Ogilvy and Mather; and Eric Einhorn, global strategy director for McCann Worldwide.

For the winning brief, Ferrer and Go, both of food and beverage manufacturer Del Monte, developed a new drink concept and communications plan that would promote peace and community in the Philippines' Mindanao island.

Of the judging, Gallagher said, "We thank the young marketers for their impressive and inspiring work. It was an incredibly difficult decision. The teams' product ideas were brilliant, and their briefs clear, directive and creative. With the top three finishers coming from emerging markets, it strongly demonstrated that creativity is everywhere. Their innovation was world-class and truly deserving of the world stage."   

The Silver Lion went to the team from Belarus, Darya Borovskaya and Alena Koleson, who developed a concept for a cranberry drink for beverage producer Heineken Breweries that would support the fight against erosion of endangered wetlands. Brazil's Joanna Moura of Vivo and Andre Sabo of food manufacturer Sadia won the Bronze Lion for producing a concept for a new Sadia soup line that benefits the homeless.

Participants were given 30 hours to develop their product or service concept before showcasing their communication plans in a two-page written brief and short presentation to the judging panel. The winning teams were recognized at the Cannes Lions' Integrated Awards Ceremony held on Saturday, June 25.

This year's competitors were selected after winning local competitions in their own countries, and hailed from Austria, Belarus, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Finland, India, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Spain, the Philippines, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States and Vietnam.

About the 58th Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, Cannes, France

The International Festival of Creativity – Cannes Lions – is the world's leading celebration of creativity in communications. As the most prestigious international annual advertising awards, over 24,000 entries from all over the world are showcased and judged at the Festival. Winning companies receive the highly coveted Lion trophy honoring the most creative film, print, outdoor, interactive, radio, film craft, design, sales promotion and activation and integrated 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. Over 8,000 delegates from 95 countries attend seven days of exhibitions, screenings, as well as over 50 high-profile seminars, 30 workshops 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.

About Ketchum

Ketchum is a leading global communications firm with operations in more than 70 countries across six continents. Named 2010 Large PR Firm of the Year (Holmes Report and PR News) and the winner of an unprecedented three consecutive PRWeek Campaign of the Year Awards, Ketchum partners with clients to deliver strategic programming, game-changing creative and measurable results that build brands and reputations. For more information on Ketchum, a unit of Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC), visit www.ketchum.com.

SOURCE Ketchum