Scott Donaton, global chief creative and content officer of Digitas and this year's Entertainment jury president, said that there are certain challenges that stand in the way of getting this type of work done, which have existed since the category was introduced 15 years ago:
'The more we see amazing work being done, the more we believe brands will realise that they should be doing more of this,' he added. 'It's an effective as well as beautiful way to go to the market and engage and connect with consumers.'
In terms of the themes that emerged, Donaton pointed to the evolution of storytelling coming from brands.
'I believe we're at a tipping point where entertainment is becoming an accepted and established tool in the marketing toolbox'. He went on to praise the bravery of the work: 'We're seeing brands taking a stand, and as we move away from a world of interruptive marketing to a world where people decide where, when, whether and how to engage with brands at all, that having values and expressing those values is increasingly going to be the best way to connect with people. Entertainment is probably the best way to do that.'
For Donaton, the calibre of this year's work puts it in the same league as 'the best of what the entertainment industry has to offer', and are just as worthy of people's time, money and attention, he said. One area that the jury hoped to see more examples of was 'how new technologies and new platforms are enabling people to create, shape, share and tell stories in new ways. We saw some great examples but we'd all like to see more as AI, AR, VR and voice emerge as tools.'
