Cannes Festival isn't just about movies, it's about creativity in media, advertising and more.  With VERY little budget Pringles – yes PRINGLES – the canned potato chip folks – took the prize for best banner ad.  The story went something like this:

Brilliance Doesn't Have to Cost a Fortune
Pringles Proves a Massive Production Budget Isn't Necessary for Success
Bart Cleveland for AdAge

One of the chief complaints of small agencies is that we don't have budgets big enough to do great work. We look to the winners in our award shows as proof. And that is usually where we are slapped in the face for our lack of commitment to be brilliant.

Case in point: the Pringles web banner that was awarded at Cannes. You can't get any more "low budget." It looks like the agency used a couple of interns for the models and shot the photograph on a cell phone. And yet, it's brilliant. The writing is the star of the piece. Just when you think it's gone as far as it can go, it keeps going. A great job on a nothing budget.

It makes you wonder what the conversation was like when the creative team was given the job.

AE: "We need a small web banner for Pringles."
AD: "Can it be rich media?"
AE: "No."
CW: "Can it have flash?"
AE: "No."
AD: "Do we have a photo budget?"
AE: "No."
CW: "Do we have a decent deadline this time?"
AE: "No."
AD: "I noticed the brief says the objective is to sell Pringles. Is there any other insight?"
AE: "No."
CW: "OK. So we're stoked. Thanks."

To read the rest of this small potatoes success.   OOOO  – did I just type that? Sorry.  That hurt.

to just get to the ad, go here.  Feel free to click away. It's the only thing not grayed out on the page. It's pretty funny.  It's terrific when a company can have a sense of humor and let the creative team do their job!