Three APAC agencies picked to fight poverty: Cannes Chimera

The winning projects include: ‘The Share Exchange’ by Young & Rubicam, Singapore; ‘The Act Button’ by Naked Communications, Australia; and ‘Gamers vs Poverty’ by DFCB Digital, The Philippines.

The creative brief was launched during the 60th Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in June 2013, with a bid for new communication concepts that can incite the public to support an emerging international agenda to ensure that extreme poverty is virtually eliminated by 2030.

Cannes Chimera received 900 ideas from 79 countries. Facilitated by Cannes Lions, the entries went through vigorous judging by the Cannes Lions 2013 Grand Prix winners.

Dentsu and Y&R’s ‘The Share Exchange’ allows Facebook users to become media owners by allowing brands to buy their personal Facebook space. Money paid by brands is then contributed to funds set up to eradicate poverty. Additionally, each time an online activist opts to share a brands’ message, they will also share poverty facts.

“Last year, a bunch of us got together with a seemingly crazy idea and ended up being one of only two agencies in Asia to be shortlisted in Cannes’ coveted Innovation Lions category," Emir Shafri, Y&R Singapore, told Campaign Asia-Pacific. "Just days later, when the agency received the Cannes Chimera brief, we immediately seized the opportunity to solve a pressing problem for the world."

Naked Communications has partnered with a major online news provider for ‘The Act Button’. It allows users to share positive solutions to change the outcome of a particular news story.

Finally, DFCB Digital’s ‘Gamers for Poverty’ provides users with in-game content information on poverty with new storylines, item upgrades and information linked to the game and poverty.

“We’re extremely proud of our digital team, this is a huge achievement for us and an honour to be the first Philippines agency recognised by Cannes Chimera,” DFCB Digital chairman and CEO Arnold Liong told Campaign Asia-Pacific. “It’s been two years since the inception and creation of DFCB Digital and with our recent strengthened team, we see our win as very timely.”

Each winner will take part in a unique mentoring workshop next month with the members of the Cannes Chimera. Each winner is subsequently invited to come back to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation with a proposal for further funding of up to US$1 million to implement the idea.

Cannes Chimera is an initiative by the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation that uses creativity to help solve global problems. The organisation will launch another round at this year's Cannes Lions festival.