It’s the halfway point at Cannes, and the Grand Prix, golds and beyond are coming at us fast. But first, a little news. 

Arrests and Developments: One could say it was only a matter of time before Cannes Lions had to endure some kind of protest—and apparently yesterday was the day for that to happen. Members of the Extinction Rebellion, the sociopolitical movement that rallies against climate breakdown and the risk of human and ecological collapse, were arrested outside the Palais. They “demanded that the advertising industry recognize the looming consequences of climate change.”

Also, Cambridge Analytica founder Alexander Nix thought maybe it wasn’t such a great idea to speak in the South of France. The initial announcement was met with raised eyebrows when it was announced back in April. A surprise screening of a new Netflix film about the company likely didn’t help matters, either.

Photo by Dag Robert Jerijervi from Norwegian ad magazine Kampanje

Nary an American Agency to Be Found: At least that’s what happened in two categories today—Creative Data and Creative Strategy—with Canadian and Swedish agencies picking up Grand Prix Lions. There were 35 total winners in the two categories and only four U.S. agencies managed wins … all bronze. Yasuharu Sasaki, Creative Data jury president and head of digital creative and ecd of Dentsu Inc., may have an idea why the geography of winners was spread out so much.

“[It] tells me that data is universal,” he said. “All over the world, people started using data at the same time, so that’s why we see the diversity of entries and winners.”

The Acronyms Have It: VMLY&R and FCB New York emerged as big winners with Grand Prix wins in the Cannes Lions’ Social and Influencer, and Direct categories, respectively.

VMLY&R’s winner was for Wendy’s “Keeping Fortnite Fresh,” campaign. Fortnite players had to select their allegiance to either pizza or burgers. Wendy’s took notice that Fortnite’s in-game burger establishment, Durrr Burger, stored its beef in a freezer—a major no-no at the fast-food chain. The savvy social crew took it from there.

“There’s so much to love about this,” said PJ Pereira, co-founder and creative chairman of Pereira O’Dell and global and jury president for Social and Influencer. “There’s the sense of a brand jumping in so quickly into a new form of social that Fortnite represents. The mischievousness of this, and the nimbleness of going there and figuring out that the character looks just like their main character.”

Meanwhile, "Whopper Detour," FCB New York’s big winner may be one of the top trolling exercises the brand has done in a while. The gist? Fans of the chain could unlock a 1-cent Whopper—but only if they got close to a McDonald's location. 1.5 million app downloads later, the agency and brand took another detour … to the Cannes Lions stage to pick up their Lions.

“It was completely brilliant—and complete is the word,” said Nicky Bullard, Direct Lions jury president and chairwoman and CCO of MRM McCann. “It was a complete campaign. It used data and targeting to make you feel something. It’s just pure genius.”

P&G Keeps It Commitment to Address Race: Created by the Saturday Morning collective, “The Look” is another breathtaking, yet sobering look at racism in America. Last year, “The Talk,” a widely hailed and awarded campaign, was a key foundational pillar in talking about diversity, inclusion and equality in America and, by extension, the advertising and marketing industries. Early prediction? “The Look” is going to keep that momentum going when it launches next week and should make friends with a Lion or two next year.

Ever Wondered How Much Agencies Spend on Awards Shows? According to some folks, about $1 million for big agencies. For midsize agencies and indies, the number ranges from $200,000 to $500,000. Not shockingly, though, those numbers have been trending downward, yet a source at one of the big network estimated 2,500 entries were submitted. Ranging from the low end of about $621 for a “basic” Lion early entry to over $2,000 for a last-minute Titanium, it’s easy to see how the numbers stack up.

And that’s before the case studies are developed ($7,000 to $10,000 a pop) or expenses for venues, food and Rosé.

Unverifiable Cannes: There are 58% fewer man buns (aka, Cannes Buns) this year. 2013 saw that largest number of the hairstyle. And that last point is unverifiable as well.

Verifiable Cannes: Rainn Wilson threatened to throw me over the balcony at the JW Marriott at our Creative 100 panel. It was a random way to kick off a conversation about SoulPancake and he was kidding. I think. But he, along with fellow co-founder Shabnam Mogharabi, had some very interesting things to say about their philosophies and the platform.

Enjoy your Thursday at the festival—or wherever you may be—and follow Adweek's coverage through the week and beyond.

—Doug Zanger
Senior Editor, Creativity + Agencies, Adweek
doug.zanger@adweek.com