There's news in the trade press this morning about a Cannes-winning ad for KIA, the South Korean auto-maker, being stripped of its award on a mere technicality. That is, it never ran. You can read about it here, on AdFreak: http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/brazilian-shop-loses-cannes-lion-won-bogus-kia-pedophilia-ad-133576
The offenders here are not just the people who created and entered the bogus ad. The offenders include the administrators at Cannes who don't demand proof. They include the judges who obviously over-looked the phoniness of the effort. But most of all, the awards mania of our industry must be blamed.
We make "commercials," whether they're tv or print. That is, by definition, they should have commercial intent. There's nothing wrong with doing something artful, or highly creative in the pursuit of that intent.
But fake is fake.
It disgusts me.
