Oh no you didn't!
A Singapore advertising agency is calling out a Dubai agency for being not entirely truthful in their winning entry to the Cannes Lions — the Academy Awards of advertising agencies.
In the highly competitive world of creative agencies, controversy is nothing new, but this one is notable for the tale of alleged deception.
Last night, Geometry Dubai won the top prize in the product design category. Its entry was the Lucky Iron Fish Project, an innovative product that cleverly introduces iron into the diet of Cambodians. Arcade – a boutique agency started by ex-Ogilvy and Mather duo Gary Tranter and Matt Cullen – argues that by entering the product design category, Geometry makes it appear like it designed the Lucky Iron Fish.
Which it did not.
The product was created by Canadian Christopher Charles, whom Arcade co-founder Gary Tranter met in Cambodia when he shot him for a spot for Google long before Geometry got involved. Charles has also been featured in major media outfits including the BBC about his invention.
This is the video Tranter made about Lucky Iron Fish.
According to Tranter, Geometry Dubai had called him to borrow Arcade's video. "I expressed reluctance as it's not normal to release creative work to other agencies, but they assured me it was simply for PR purposes to generate donations," says Tranter. "I agreed. Anything to help this worthwhile project."
Tranter tells Coconuts: "If entering it into Cannes is part of the PR drive then I have no problem at all."
Geometry's PR project turned out to be another video about Lucky Iron Fish. And although it borrowed heavily from Arcade's footage, the interviews with Charles the inventor was not used."I don't think they should've have claimed it as their idea," says Tranter.
This is the video Arcade made.
"I have to say I was surprised to see they won the Product Design Grand Prix at Cannes," writes Tranter. "Even more surprised to see they'd used the footage, music and exact words from my script, in their case study video. The video implies the agency Geometry spotted a need, came up with the Iron Fish idea and somehow designed the little fish."
In its entry list for the Cannes awards, Geometry credited both Tranter and Cullen."So many people have been asking me about this and even congratulating me for winning at Cannes I felt I had to write something. I did not win at Cannes and my agency had nothing to do with the entry," Tranter says in a statement released to Campaign Brief Asia this morning.
On its Facebook page 16 hours ago, Lucky Iron Fish shared a report about the award. "We're bursting with pride!," it wrote.
Coconuts Singapore has contacted both Geometry and Lucky Iron Fish to get their side of the story and will update this report when we have that.
Photo: Screengrab from Arcade's Lucky Iron Fish video
Done reading? Sit back, relax and watch Coconuts TV:
brightcove.createExperiences();
Oh no you didn't!
A Singapore advertising agency is calling out a Dubai agency for being not entirely truthful in their winning entry to the Cannes Lions — the Academy Awards of advertising agencies.
In the highly competitive world of creative agencies, controversy is nothing new, but this one is notable for the tale of alleged deception.
Last night, Geometry Dubai won the top prize in the product design category. Its entry was the Lucky Iron Fish Project, an innovative product that cleverly introduces iron into the diet of Cambodians. Arcade – a boutique agency started by ex-Ogilvy and Mather duo Gary Tranter and Matt Cullen – argues that by entering the product design category, Geometry makes it appear like it designed the Lucky Iron Fish.
Which it did not.
The product was created by Canadian Christopher Charles, whom Arcade co-founder Gary Tranter met in Cambodia when he shot him for a spot for Google long before Geometry got involved. Charles has also been featured in major media outfits including the BBC about his invention.
This is the video Tranter made about Lucky Iron Fish.
According to Tranter, Geometry Dubai had called him to borrow Arcade's video. "I expressed reluctance as it's not normal to release creative work to other agencies, but they assured me it was simply for PR purposes to generate donations," says Tranter. "I agreed. Anything to help this worthwhile project."
Tranter tells Coconuts: "If entering it into Cannes is part of the PR drive then I have no problem at all."
Geometry's PR project turned out to be another video about Lucky Iron Fish. And although it borrowed heavily from Arcade's footage, the interviews with Charles the inventor was not used."I don't think they should've have claimed it as their idea," says Tranter.
This is the video Arcade made.
"I have to say I was surprised to see they won the Product Design Grand Prix at Cannes," writes Tranter. "Even more surprised to see they'd used the footage, music and exact words from my script, in their case study video. The video implies the agency Geometry spotted a need, came up with the Iron Fish idea and somehow designed the little fish."
In its entry list for the Cannes awards, Geometry credited both Tranter and Cullen."So many people have been asking me about this and even congratulating me for winning at Cannes I felt I had to write something. I did not win at Cannes and my agency had nothing to do with the entry," Tranter says in a statement released to Campaign Brief Asia this morning.
On its Facebook page 16 hours ago, Lucky Iron Fish shared a report about the award. "We're bursting with pride!," it wrote.
Coconuts Singapore has contacted both Geometry and Lucky Iron Fish to get their side of the story and will update this report when we have that.
Photo: Screengrab from Arcade's Lucky Iron Fish video
Done reading? Sit back, relax and watch Coconuts TV:
brightcove.createExperiences();