Industry shows its worth with Cannes Pro Bono event

The exhibition is being put together by an organisation called Advertising Community Together, or ACT. It was set up in the wake of the 2001 terrorist attacks in New York by employees of the industry website Adforum.com.

The original purpose of ACT was to find a way for the global advertising community to express solidarity with the victims of the attacks, by donating work to the funds collecting money for the families affected by the tragedy.

Less than a month later, ACT had received nearly 100 campaigns from all over the world, with media, production and marketing firms offering their services.

This year, ACT hopes that it can show the public that advertising is not a negative force in the world.

Herve de Clerck, founder of Adforum and ACT, says: "A danger has been identified that the public may see advertising as an unscrupulous tool to create demand for products that have a negative effect upon the environment, society, and potentially human rights -- particularly in developing nations."

The past year has seen industries come under fire for their advertising. One salient example is the fast food industry, which is facing questions over the way it market its products as the problem of obesity rises, and in many countries parents and health bodies are calling for a ban on junk food advertising.

However, de Clerck argues: "The reality is, of course, that advertising is also a force for good and has effectively communicated on a wide range of 'good causes' for government, NGOs and pressure groups of all types either on a fee or a pro-bono basis."

From the UK, Ogilvy & Mather will be showing work for suicide prevention charity The Samaritans, and the WWF, which campaigns on environmental issues and has a relationship with Ogilvy going back decades.

David Muir, group development director at Ogilvy, says that there are a variety of reasons why the agency is involved in pro-bono work.

He says that commercial organisations should display show that they are responsible, and that pro-bono work helps staff to feel like they are giving back. But another of the rewards is that the work is a challenge.

"These organisations throw out really tough, difficult challenges and operate in a very competitive environment," he says. "The sheer intellectual and creative challenge is one of the best things about doing pro-bono work."

An ad from Euro RSCG Switzerland campaigns for Free Tibet in a TV spot showing five shots being fired against a wall. The holes form a version of the Olympic flag, and the ad reads: "The Games of Beijing. With Tibet. Free Tibet." French agency Hemisphere Droit has entered a print campaign for the charity Human Rights.

Other agencies promote issues closer to home, with BBDO R.K. Swamy's "Children are not for sale" campaign in India and Arnold Worldwide in China promoting hepatitis awareness via a print campaign.

The Pro Bono Collection will be launched at Cannes with an exhibition inside the Palais des Festival.

A jury will examine the work for quality and to root out any "scam" advertising -- a problem that has plagued the not-for-profit sector in the past. The Pro Bono Collection will be the only part of the Cannes Lions festival open to the public.

There will also be an online collection, hosted by AdForum, with further plans to create an online library which can be access free by anyone interested in the campaigns.

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