At the 2018 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, Rothco captured the Creative Data Grand Prix for its artificial intelligence (AI)-led campaign ‘JFK Unsilenced’ for The Times / News UK & Ireland. The Grand Prix was Rothco’s seventh Lion, spanning four categories. Created by IAPI member Rothco, part of Accenture Interactive, the campaign used specialized AI technology to create the speech the 35th US president was meant to make in Dallas on the day he was assassinated – The Dallas Trade Mart speech.
The campaign swept the Lions throughout the week-long festival, garnering seven awards:
- Grand Prix: Creative Data Lions
- Gold, Radio & Audio Lions: Innovation – Use of Audio Technology
- Silver, Radio & Audio Lions: Sector: Media/Entertainment
- Silver: Digital Craft Lions – Technological Achievement
- Silver: Film Craft - Sound Design
- Bronze: Radio & Audio Lions – Sound Design
- Bronze: Digital Craft Lions – Music / Sound Design
Patrick Hickey, CEO Rothco said “’JFK Unsilenced’ celebrates data aggregation as an art and science. In most cases, data sharpens a story; however, in this case, it made it possible to tell it. Fifty-five years later, through advanced sound technology, JFK’s unspoken speech captivates a new generation. We’re thrilled to have this work recognized with a Grand Prix for its ability to combine data, creativity and technology to deliver profound human impact.”
Launched in spring 2018, the ‘JFK Unsilenced’ film generated more than 4.5K registrations to The Times & The Sunday Times, as well as a 51 million Twitter reach and one billion media impressions globally. Many of The Times’ competitors covered the campaign, including The Guardian, Daily Mail, The Sun, The Daily Mirror, The Washington Post, The Independent, The Evening Standard, plus many more.
The Lions are the latest industry accolades for ‘JFK Unsilenced.’ In June, Rothco picked up two Gold Pencils at the One Show in New York; and, in April, the campaign garnered three coveted D&AD Pencils in London.
In addition to this, the campaign’s breakthrough audio technique has been adopted by companies around the world to help ALS sufferers rediscover their voice.
Learn more about Rothco’s amazing campaign with the video below:
