For the first time in its history, Mauritius found itself among the finalists for the Cannes Lions. This week, the 2022 edition of the International Festival of Creativity brought together agencies and advertisers from around the world at the Palais des Festivals in Cannes. CIRCUS! has been shortlisted (finalist) in the Creative Strategy category for the ReSight campaign, produced for Helios Eyewear, a company of the ENL group. The agency has become one of the world's references in terms of creative excellence.
"It's as if Mauritius qualified in the final of the Olympic Games!, rejoices Vincent Montocchio, Managing Director of CIRCUS! and Chief Creative Officer. Cannes Lions is indeed the most important event in the creative industry. Since 1954, it has been an event awaited by agencies and brands worldwide who all dream of winning a "Lion". This year, the jury reviewed and judged a selection of over 25,000 best global campaigns from 87 countries. Only 10% of applications are "shortlisted", and less than 3% will win a Lion.
"This worldwide recognition is a huge honour, continues Vincent Montocchio. To be among the best in Cannes is to reach a level of global excellence, which has been CIRCUS's goal since its inception. We have heartfelt thoughts for Thierry Montocchio, the founder of CIRCUS! and all those who have contributed to developing our agency. But the most important thing is that our idea improved fishermen's lives, which is the best reward! We are delighted to see our work praised by the advertising world and infinitely grateful to our client ENL for believing in our creative strategy and idea. It is an honour that we share with them," he said.
The Resight campaign is shortlisted in the category that celebrates "the idea behind the idea": How strategic thinking can redefine a brand, reinvent its mission and influence consumers. It was produced in September 2021. As part of its #myinPACT program, the ENL group requested CIRCUS! to propose a creative strategy to shine a light on their sustainable development actions.
"Our research led us to the problem our fishermen face: Exposure to the sun is destroying their eyes, while plastic pollution is destroying their fishing grounds. We imagined a solution that would transform plastic bottles that pollutes the lagoon into a useful resource for fishermen: polarised sunglasses", explains Gareth Pretorius, Creative Director and Head of Audiovisual, who led the Resight campaign.
For Shyama Soondur, ENL's Head of Communication, this project was a perfect fit with the spirit of the #myinpact campaign and the principle of the circular economy advocated by ENL. "We involved the fishermen in cleaning up the coastline. More than 10,000 bottles were removed from the lagoons, transformed into 2,000 pairs of sunglasses and offered to fishermen. I am extremely proud of the success of this campaign, and I congratulate CIRCUS! for his creativity. This encourages us to get more involved in projects with a positive impact!" she says.
For the creative directors of CIRCUS!, who frequently observe communication trends in Cannes Lions, brands are increasingly expected to play a social role. "Any brand wants to create preference. For this, it must position itself in a logic of positive contribution. The ideas that change the game resonate with the collective interest, providing concrete and useful answers in people's daily lives. The company needs to share more to receive more," adds Vincent Montocchio.
