Cannes 2016: Media jury president Nick Waters on the genius of 'McWhopper'

We have an almost limitless variety of options available to try and connect brands and consumers. There are a million and one things we could do. But the value lies in deciding what we should do.

We operate at the intersection of data, technology and creativity. The art of deciding what we should do lies in the mastery of all three elements, and their relationship.

This is the context in which the Media Lions jury reviewed the work.

This was a reaffirming process for our global industry. The weight of brilliant thinking, creativity, and brilliant execution on display was extraordinary. The ability of our industry to drive brand and business growth reinforces the value we bring to economies globally. We can also be proud of our contribution as a force for good, with an extraordinary commitment to charitable causes and public-awareness messages.

It was a strong showing for the Asia Pacific region, with Gold Lions going to Thailand, China, Australia and New Zealand. And it was New Zealand that served up the Grand Prix winner, 'McWhopper'.

This is brilliant work, brilliantly executed from a big brand taking on an even bigger competitor, moving quickly and being bold and acting cheekily. It uses media to layer and whip up the story to provoke a fierce reaction.

In this chaotic and heavily disrupted world, there is tremendous value in bringing simplicity to the complex. 

Part of the genius of McWhopper is that the temptation to do more was resisted. It is the clarity of thought, simplicity of execution, and boldness of action that is to be most admired.

The other gold winners all showed similar traits.

We perhaps didn't see as much from Japan and India as we are used to—these are heavyweights at Cannes which didn't bring home Media gold this year. But the general showing from Asia Pacific is encouraging, and we can celebrate our region's ability to produce world-class work.

Nick Waters, APAC CEO of Dentsu Aegis Network, served as president of the Media Lions jury, which received 2984 entries and awarded 97 Lions.