This event gathers more than 11,000 delegates from 90 countries and receives around 30,000 jobs from hundreds of agencies. be judged and receive a Gold, Silver and Bronze Lion, the most prestigious award in the industry. They represent the creative excellence of the responsible brands behind the work. “As we always say, ‘it’s the Oscars of advertising,'” says Pipo Morano, national executive creative director of Maruri Gray Ecuador, with more than 30 years of experience and who will be part of the jury.

For seven days, Cannes becomes a meeting place where the global creative community celebrates ideas that drive progress and how brands adapt to the challenges and opportunities of the future through innovative communication.

The winning Young Lions duo creatively dealt with postpartum depression

About 27,000 works are participating in Cannes this year. The United States, for example, has a total of 7,300 entries, compared to Ecuador, which arrived with 59 spread across different categories. Although the difference is huge, being there is very important for our country, Morano believes. This 2023, approximately eight Ecuadorian ideas will compete in Cannes to continue putting Ecuador on the global advertising map.

For an expert, the country is increasingly competitive and strives to expose its work to the world. There are several agencies that submitted their works this year. “Many years ago, we looked for talent abroad, and today we export it. There are Ecuadorians working in Dubai, Spain, Mexico, Argentina, Miami, Los Angeles, Colombia, Honduras and several other agencies around the world. Many of them were trained in the agency (Maruri Grey)”, he says.

Morano also comments that they registered together with the Ministry of Heritage and Culture (picture). an idea called Ruana Puncha (Light Poncho). It is a poncho that reflects the light of cars in the darkness of the fog, turning its icons into a warning for drivers that protects the indigenous communities of the Ecuadorian Sierra from traffic accidents.

Participation in the event

Pipo Morano will be one of the people in charge of the qualifications Radio and audio categorywhich for him means a privilege and a great responsibility to select the ideas that continue to carry the power of radio.

He expresses that he is Radio is a traditional medium that has evolved tremendously to communicate with other media and to be able to spread and reach all kinds of audiences. He adds that while evaluating the works, he came across great ideas that started from a simple radio spot, leading to a digital campaign or a public road. And it’s amazing because it speaks to the creative potential it has and how radio has managed to adapt to continue to be a relevant medium.

“Personally, this medium has an emotional meaning because I have experienced radio advertising from a young age. My father was one of the founders Radio Rivadaviathe number 1 radio station in Argentina, and that allowed me to understand his magic up close,” says Morano.

The expert is recognized with more than 600 national and international awards, including 42 Cannes Lions, making him the most awarded creative in the history of Ecuador.

His achievements have placed Maruri Gray as the #1 agency in Ecuador for consecutive years and also among the 10 most creative agencies in Latin America in the last decade ranking Cannes Lions official, where he was invited as a radio and audio jury for his work and career.