What makes a Cannes case study win
With juries more skeptical than ever, the difference between a Grand Prix and a pass often comes down to submission craft
Happy June ☀️ It’s Parker from Ad Age, with the lowdown on what will surely be the first of multiple Cannes Lions-oriented stories this month. Putting together a great case study can be the difference between a bronze and a Grand Prix-winning submission. And Senior Agency Reporter Brian Bonilla spoke with the case study editor that agency execs are clamoring to hire to make their awards case studies.
I asked him what he finds most interesting about this evolving story:
“Case studies and sizzle reels are crucial not just for winning awards but also for winning new business pitches. It shows that creativity matters even in case studies, and while some might argue it’s unfortunate agencies have to invest this much time and effort into the videos, I think it shows how valuable storytelling still is.” —Brian Bonilla, senior reporter, Ad Age
TL;DR
Brei Monteiro, co-founder of Short Ribs, has edited award-winning case studies for FCB, Ogilvy and Gut.
Case studies run up to two minutes, and jurors may watch as many as 20 in a row; the cost of a Short Ribs case study runs $30,000–$40,000.
After controversies during last year’s Cannes Lions festival over inflated metrics, juries are approaching entries with more scrutiny than they have in years.
Need to know
The case study has evolved from a formality to a discipline. Monteiro’s core argument is that most agencies lose juries not because the work is weak, but because the case study buries it. Overloaded scripts, assumed cultural context and editors brought in too late are the most common failure points. With Cannes juries now actively flagging misrepresentation, the stakes for getting this wrong have risen beyond a lost trophy: an embellished entry can shadow an agency’s reputation for years.
Implement it
Treat the case study as an argument, not a recap. Limit your script to a maximum of five claims and cut the rest. More points dilute the case; they don’t strengthen it.
Write for a global room. Plain language and obvious connections travel; cultural shorthand and inside-industry framing often don’t register with international juries.
Audit every claim before submission. Unsupportable metrics are a reputational risk in the current Cannes climate.
Watch this space
Whether the rising cost and craft expectations for case studies start to disadvantage smaller, independent agencies that can’t match network-level production budgets.
How Cannes Lions responds to last year’s metrics controversies, and whether formal verification requirements are coming for future entries.
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