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TECH BRANDS SEE GENDER GAP

High tech companies are lagging behind when it comes to making a connection with women, reports American Demographics magazine. High tech brands ranging from Microsoft to Netscape all scored lower among women than men with respect to brand recognition, share of mind and share of heart in an Internet consumer survey by Landor Associates, a San Francisco, Calif.-based global branding consultancy. Only a handful on the list – mostly what Landor calls ‘softer’ technology brands – had stronger connections with women than men. These included greeting card site Blue Mountain Arts, Disney, and Women.com. But when it comes to picking the dominant brands within the high tech category, there’s little argument between the sexes over which score higher. ‘The better known a brand becomes, the better its brand equity and message is perceived consistently by both men and women,’ says David Redhill, Landor director of global communications. Power brands such as Microsoft, Intel, Netscape and AT&T topped the overall ranking, but not even one of these scored a perfect 100. Microsoft Windows, with a score of 83, had the best showing. ‘A lot of brands still have a way to go,’ said Redhill.

GROCERY STORES DEBUT LABOUR-MAKING DEVICE

Forget ‘Paper or plastic?’ The next time you go into a grocery store you may be asked ‘Human or machine?’ Self-serve checkout systems are becoming increasingly prevalent in U.S. grocery stores. U-Scan Express checkouts, which let consumers scan and bag their own groceries, are now being used in more than 200 Kroger stores. Meanwhile, Harris Teeter, Winn-Dixie, Wal-Mart and several smaller U.S. grocery chains are all experimenting with the U-Scan technology. The system, developed by Montreal-based Optimal Robotics Corp., is monitored at a central location by a human being who guides shoppers through the process and stops under-aged shoppers from purchasing alcohol or tobacco. Shoppers who try to sneak items past the machine are stopped when the U-Scan system compares the total weight of the bag with the items that have been scanned, alerting a staff member when there is a discrepancy.

CANADIAN INTERNET ADVERTISERS TIMID

Conservative Canadian advertisers continue to lag behind their U.S. counterparts when it comes to online advertising, according to a report from the Internet Advertising Bureau. U.S. advertisers are outspending Canadians by a rate of 60 to one, according to the study. Internet ad spending is still growing at a rapid pace, though, with online advertising expenditures estimated to reach about $109 million, a 96% increase from 1999. The main reason for the gap between Canadian and U.S. Internet ad spending, the report says, is the continuing lack of Canadian sites engaged in online selling. According to the study’s authors, Canadian e-tailers should be looking to the Web to attract U.S. consumers north of the border to take advantage of the weak Canadian dollar.

Cannes Lions 2025: Canadians nab more medals on final festival day

Strategy is on the ground in Cannes, bringing you the latest news, wins and conference highlights all week long. Catch all the coverage here.

Friday’s batch of Silver and Bronze winners included the oldest category at the Cannes festival, Film, as well as Sustainable Development Goals, Dan Wieden Titanium, Glass: The Lion for Change and Grand Prix for Good. Canadians were recognized with four Lions today: two Silver and a Bronze in Film, as well as a Bronze in Sustainable Development Goals.

FCB Toronto was given yet another nod for its work, “The Count,” for SickKids, bringing the medal count for that campaign to four, including a Gold for Health & Wellness. Another Canadian agency recognized on the final day of the festival was Klick Health Toronto, which earned a Silver in Film for its work “Love Captured” for Human Trafficking Awareness and a Bronze for “18 Months” for Second Nurture. And over in Sustainable Development Goals, the Bronze went to Publicis Canada and its “Wildfire Watchtowers” work for Rogers.

Another massive win for Canada included not one, but two Young Lions (pictured above) taking home medals in the annual competition. In Design, the Gold Young Lion was awarded to Rethink’s senior motion designer Jesse Shaw and ACD Zoë Boudreau. The second, a Bronze in Media, went to Cossette Media’s business intelligence analyst Samuel David-Durocher and product development supervisor Tristan Bonnot-Parent.

Film (2 Silver, 1 Bronze)

1 SILVER: “The  Count” by FCB Toronto for SickKids Foundation

“The Count,” a striking campaign from FCB Toronto for SickKids Foundation, has earned 1 Gold, 2 Bronze and now 1 Silver for Film at Cannes. If you watch it, it’s easy to see why. The collaboration between brand and agency honoured the hospital’s “VS” platform, while steering it in a new direction from its initial development by previous AOR Cossette. The creative celebrates childhood cancer patients who have to fight for every birthday, while honouring the hospital’s own milestone – 150 years and counting.

 

1 Silver: “Love Captured” by Klick Health Toronto for The Exodus Road

Klick Health Toronto added to its medal tally with a Silver in Film for it’s work “Love Captured” for The Exodus Road. The creative features a romantic getaway that isn’t what it seems in an experiential short film for the global anti-trafficking organization. The experience takes viewers through a tragic and twisting experience of exploitation.

 

1 BRONZE: “18 Months” by Klick Health Toronto for Second Nurture

Klick Health Toronto also won a Bronze in the Film category for its work, “18 Months,” done for the charity organization Second Nurture. The animated film is based on a real-life story in which a same-sex couple adopts a baby found in a subway station, and the 18-month journey into a story of hope.

Sustainable Development Goals (1 Bronze)

1 BRONZE: “Wildfire Watchtowers” by Publicis Canada for Rogers

Publicis Canada landed on the winners board for its work, “Wildfire Watchtowers,” for Rogers. The Canadian-developed wildfire-detection tech – which has been billed as “a fire alarm in the forest” – uses AI-powered sensors installed on 5G towers to monitor vast remote areas in real time. By scanning, identifying and reporting early signs of wildfires (up to 16 minutes faster than other systems), the technology helped prevent 54 fires in 2024 alone.

Catch the Gold winners later today when they’re revealed at the gala in Cannes.