The top winner at this year’s Cannes International Advertising Festival was an interactive campaign for Uniqlo, a Japanese clothing retailer. The Titanium Grand Prix award went to Projector Tokyo, a 4-year-old production boutique, for its creative work.
According to the story from Portfolio.com, “The Projector’s creative director, Koichiro Tanaka, said the challenge was to create a relevant, portable experience. The result combines user-generated media and the Uniqlo website with a nonstop fusion of dance, sound, and viral video. It's available via product catalogs, screensavers, ringtone downloads, and customizable T-shirts. There isn't a single 30-second TV spot to be found.” The clean, quirky site is fun to explore and, more importantly, helped increase sales for the retailer.
Accolades for this and other viral campaigns highlight the transition from traditional mass advertising to more interactive efforts to engage consumers. The ability to inform and entertain in messaging is essential.