Cinevation takes home fourth Media Lion

This is the duo's fourth Cannes triumph and the second critical nod for the XBox Campaign, which nabbed an AMASA Gold Award in the same category.

Says Bailey, “No matter how many times it's happened to us, a win at Cannes is always an overwhelming experience. To be able to compete with the best from around the world is heady enough, but to be singled out for recognition is truly gratifying.”

Adds Marisa Torrani, “The advent of digital in our cinema environment is opening up a whole new arena for creativity and innovation. We're proud of the fact that Microsoft believed in this campaign, supported our vision, and were delighted with the result. We just want to give a huge thank you to Microsoft, Nu Metro and our creative and media teams at Cinevation.”

Behind the winning campaign is a familiar tale of Cinevation innovation. During December 2006, they ran live commercials on various Nu Metro cinema screens. This was the first time South Africa saw live commercials playing out in real time on the big screen.

Briefed to promote Microsoft's new XBox360 gaming consol within the Nu Metro environment, Cinevation conceptualised a larger-than-life interactive campaign with unique and attention-grabbing live commercials.

During the traditional pre-screening advertising reel, the screen cut to visuals of two cars racing through the streets of Las Vegas in XBox's Project Gotham Racing game. As the winner crossed the Finish Line, spotlights in the theatre revealed the two audience members who'd been playing the game in real time from their seats in the audience. A follow-on advertising spot then entrenched the XBox promotion pay off line – ‘Experience It For Yourself'.