The Lions Roar, "PR!"

Last week I spent much of my free time daydreaming of Cannes, France. This city is known to be the pinnacle of luxury, yet if I had one wish it would not be to sip champagne on one of the many yachts surrounding the city, basking in my own perceived glory. My wish would be to attend the annual International Festival of Creativity, also known as the Cannes Lions, which ended Saturday. Every summer thousands of delegates representing communications firms from over 90 countries head to Cannes for this seven-day festival, which includes sessions with thought-leaders, seminars, galas and the illustrious Lion awards, given to firms for their work exhibiting creativity in both idea and execution.


The Cannes Lions became even more exciting in 2009, when the festival announced the addition of the PR Lions awards. This enhancement recognized the shift we are seeing in the communications field. In today’s culture of media clutter, communications firms cannot rely on the success of one-time campaigns to capture audiences. Public Relations provide a consistent voice, rather than one sound bite in a sea of advertising.

Categories for the PR Lions include campaigns ranging from entertainment to financial services, as well as technique awards for best practices in social media, media relations and live events. This year, creative firm Clemenger BBDO of Melbourne, Australia won the ultimate honor of the Grand Prix PR Lion for their campaign, “Break Up” for National Australia Bank.

Although Frause is 5,431.131 miles away from Cannes (to be precise), I see the same Lion-worthy PR practices here on a daily basis. The Frause team not only preserves client reputation, but builds it through creativity and effective strategy. A quick look at Frause’s website makes that clear: “If the approach or action isn’t improving the client’s bottom line or furthering the
company’s goals, we challenge the value. We’re not afraid to rock the boat, but we’ll see you through waters both rough and calm.” Although I may not be on my yacht at Cannes yet, I’m enjoying my time sailing with Frause.

-Emily Nauseda