We asked Owen Lee, Chief Creative Officer of FCB Inferno, who was part of the discussion, to share his key insights into creating great work. 

1. Invest in platforms 

The film jury awarded two Grand Prix this year, both to the third iterations of campaigns that had worked with the same platform for several years: Channel 4’s “Superhumans” and Apple’s “Underdogs.”  

Nancy Crimi-Lamanna, Chief Creative Officer of FCB Canada, said: “It’s a message to the industry to invest in platforms, keep them original and fresh, and build your brand. It is a challenge to be consistently original rather than start with something new every time, but it pays to keep building them – you shouldn’t walk away from your platform just because you’re afraid it won’t win awards anymore.” 

2. The significance of craft 

To make advertising that truly has an impact, craft is the way to elevate an idea. I shared his belief that craft is critical. You should always pay attention to it. We saw some good ideas that were let down by craft. 

Andres Ordonez, Chief Creative Officer of FCB Chicago, added that while craft is traditionally thought to be about polish, what really matters is making sure that the craft is bespoke to the medium where the idea lives.  

FCB’s Gold-winning McEnroe vs McEnroe campaign for Michelob ULTRA, was lifted by its attention to craft – not the advanced SFX, but the attention paid to show the surprise and joy that McEnroe experienced when playing a lifelike avatar of himself. Ordonez said: “The craft was a means to an end; it was the way we really got to the heart of the idea.” 

3. Results matter 

Judges want to see results before they can fully determine the success of a piece of work. Gabriel Schmidt, co-Chief Creative Officer of FCB New York, said: “It must be clear what a brand is asking the audience to do, and the response from the audience had to be equally clear. It’s about creativity as an economic multiplier.” 

Credle added: “We didn’t used to talk about results, it was a dirty word. Today, results matter – in part because we can use data and tech in ways we never could before, and that does make it more important.” She pointed out that this wasn’t talking about impressions. “That’s just baby results,” she said, “Grown up results are business results.” 

4. Purpose only works if the brand is at the heart of a campaign 

The surprise Print & Publishing Grand Prix winner was a purpose-driven campaign for Lebanon’s AnNahar newspaper. The newspaper was NOT printed for one day, in order to free up enough ink to print ballot papers for an election that the Lebanese government was finding excuses not to hold. Empty racks were put up to highlight the action, and the non-existent newspaper went viral.  For me, it wasn’t just a good idea, it was an idea driven by purpose, and the solution had the newspaper at the very heart of it. 

5. The awards aren’t just about the work 

The best entries go a step further. Vita Harris, FCB Global Chief Strategy Office, said: “The most powerful presentations had a back story with them that brought greater depth to the complexity of the idea. It showed how the initiative had affected the people who worked on it.” 

Digital Craft winner, Back Up Ukraine, is a good example of the emotional impact of the creatives and the collaborators who sought to capture a digital version of the country as insurance against Russian attacks.  

Likewise, FCB’s Gold-winning “Eyedar” campaign for the blind community had judges voluntarily blindfolding themselves in order to experience the true impact of the campaign, with the result that their understanding was changed forever.  

Finally, it pays to remember that the work is never about the awards. As Credle explained: “Our work is not about winning awards, it’s about creating change in the world. We have to let go of awards and keep hold of that change, because some of the best and most impactful work we do never wins awards.”