For the first time, gaming and the metaverse will be part of the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity, which will be held in France from June 19 to 23, 2023.
A new category, “Entertainment Lion for Gaming,” was created this year to recognize innovative work that helps individuals connect with businesses through gaming.
“Entries will need to demonstrate how brands successfully tapped into complex gaming communities and seamlessly added real value to the overall gaming experience while driving commercial success,” said the organizers.
The popular Metaverse has been included to the category “New Realities and Emerging Tech” by the organizers. The creative use of immersive experiences that push the limitations of technology in a creative way has been termed as metaverse use.
The changes occur at a time when advertisers are becoming increasingly interested in the gaming industry, which has about 3 billion users. According to Accenture, the global gaming industry’s overall worth would have topped $300 billion by 2021. This is greater than the combined worth of the film and music industries, and it is owing to the rise of mobile gaming.
The Metaverse’s popularity has also expanded significantly in the last two years. According to Bloomberg, the metaverse will be valued $800 billion by 2024. This is because marketers are increasingly adopting AR and VR to target Generation Z, and Facebook is changing its identity to Meta.
Experts praised the move
“The inclusion of gaming and metaverse at Cannes Lions 2023 reflects the changing nature of the creative and advertising industries, and the importance of staying on top of emerging trends and technologies,” stated Niraj Ruparel, Emerging Tech Lead at WPP India and Head of Mobile and Emerging Tech at GroupM India.
“The inclusion of gaming and metaverse at Cannes Lions 2023 reflects the changing nature of the creative and advertising industries, and the importance of staying on top of emerging trends and technologies,” stated Niraj Ruparel, Emerging Tech Lead at WPP India and Head of Mobile and Emerging Tech at GroupM India.
“Gaming and metaverse represent new frontiers for creative expression, engagement, and monetization. They offer new opportunities for brands to connect with consumers, create immersive experiences, and tell engaging stories. As the gaming and metaverse markets continue to grow, they are likely to have a significant impact on the advertising and creative industries.”
Gaming and Metaverse getting the spotlight at Cannes Lions 2023, is a truly breakout moment for the $500 Bn Gaming industry and a testament to its growing popularity among brands, creators and consumers. Building gameplay into storytelling, is a great example of how synergies between gaming content and brand marketing can lead to memorable user experiences”, Kumar added.
Inclusion and diversity should be promoted
This year, applicants must provide information about the teams “behind the camera” and how they deal with diversity and inclusion.
“This information is not compulsory and will not be used as part of the judging process. It will be used by LIONS to establish a benchmark of current practices,” the organizers said.
According to the organizers, this information will not be included in the written submission and will not be considered while judging. Its sole aim is to monitor how things are progressing, and the results will be distributed to the industry in the form of an annual report.
Sustainability criteria
All applicants will be required to provide information regarding their CO2 emissions as part of the manufacturing process, using AdNet Zero’s five-point Action Plan as a reference. This will start later this year.
“This information isn’t required, and it won’t be used to judge someone. LIONS will utilize it to set a standard for how things are done now, according to the organizers.
Ordering changes for select Lions, CCOs, and CMOs
Media Lions, B2B Lions, and Pharma Lions have all been modified for 2023 with new rules and subcategories.
There are two new rankings in the Global Creativity Report for 2023: CCO and CMO. Both are determined by the number of points earned by winning Lions Awards.
The number of regions eligible to receive the Regional Network of the Year Award has increased from four to seven. EMEA will now be distributed across three continents: Europe, Sub-Saharan Africa, and the Middle East and North Africa. The APAC award will be presented in both Asia and the Pacific. Both North America and Latin America will remain as they have been.
It’s worth noting that the year 2022 was a huge celebration for the Indian advertising industry, which enjoyed its finest year ever on the French Riviera. Last year, the Indian team won a record-breaking 47 medals. They won five Grand Prix races and received their first Titanium Lions.
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