It is award show season, and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA), and its agency of record R&R Partners, have won some heavy metal from both national and international judges.
At the 57th Annual Cannes Lion International Advertising Festival, the world’s largest, most prestigious celebration of creativity in communications, it was announced the LVCVA and R&R Partners won a Bronze Cannes Lion for the “What’s Your Excuse?” campaign. The spot in the campaign was titled “ChinChilli Day.” The spot was entered in the Travel, Transport & Tourism category, with Las Vegas as the only destination in this year’s event to win a Cannes Lion trophy. Other winning brands included Microsoft, Virgin Atlantic, McDonald’s, NFL, Levi’s, Heineken, Dos Equis, Coke Zero, Volkswagen Sweden, Nike Japan, and Unilever.
Held annually in France, Cannes Lion welcomes 8,000 delegates from 90 countries and showcases nearly 25,000 creative entries. Winning companies receive the highly coveted Lion trophy, which honors the most creative film, film craft, print, outdoor, interactive, radio, design, sales promotion, activation, and integrated advertising ideas.
Earlier on June 12, the American Advertising Federation announced the LVCVA and R&R Partners had won top awards in four national categories for the popular “What happens here, stays here” campaign, as well as its partner campaign “What’s Your Excuse?”
The announcement was made at the 2010 ADDY Awards Reception, which was held at the Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek & Waldorf Astoria in Orlando, Fla.
The American Advertising Federation is a not-for-profit industry association that conducts the ADDY Awards through its 200 member advertising clubs and 15 districts. With over 60,000 entries annually, this competition recognizes all forms of advertising from media of all types. These awards represent the best work in the domestic advertising industry and the LVCVA and R&R Partners’ edged out brands such as Intel, United Airlines, American Honda, Qwest Communications and T-Mobile all of which were represented by such major agencies as Draft FCB Chicago and San Francisco-based Venables Bell & Partners.
The awards were as follows:
- Gold ADDY Award, National TV Category: What happens here stays here – “Reason” spot;
- Gold ADDY Award, National TV Category: What happens here stays here – “Reading” spot;
- Silver ADDY Award, National TV Category: What happens here stays here – “What happens in blank” spot;
- Silver ADDY Award, National TV Campaign: “What’s Your Excuse?” campaign.
“Las Vegas sets the standard for destination marketing and this recognition is further evidence,” said Cathy Tull, senior vice president of marketing for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. “These campaigns are successful because they connect emotionally with the consumer and reflect the unique travel experience that only Las Vegas can offer. Our working relationship with R&R Partners continues to pay dividends.”
“The ‘What happens here’ and ‘Excuse’ campaigns were designed to work in tandem and they continue to rank extremely high with our test audiences,” said Billy Vassiliadis, CEO of R&R Partners. “But it’s gratifying to be recognized nationally and internationally by the toughest audience of all; our peers in the ad industry. In particular, the global recognition from the Cannes jury not only rewards our team, it sets the bar higher for our future efforts. We live and breathe the Las Vegas brand every day, and we are proud to work with this destination which has supported this award-winning effort.”
Links to winning spots
“What Your Excuse?”
“What happens here stays here.”
The Reading
The Reason
What Happensin Blank
