The Gillette's of the world will put you in their box and you come out programmed to create more ways to insult the intelligent. You will learn to put the desired response as a reaction from one of the actors...in this quicksand you will drown...unless you do something else that will never be legit ...doesn't fit strategy...branding...brand footprint crap. But for a brief moment the idea lets you know that you are alive...if that is a scam well I choose that versus death by boredom.

Sorry to come in this late but then why not just come up with ideas randomly? Or take up a hobby to avoid boredom? Basically we are justifying cheating. Simple.
I see it more as a failure of the system to produce account executives who can 'sell' ideas rather than spewing inane jargon and sucking up to clients.
If AEs sold ideas the question of scam ads would not arise.

The Gillette's of the world will put you in their box and you come out programmed to create more ways to insult the intelligent. You will learn to put the desired response as a reaction from one of the actors...in this quicksand you will drown...unless you do something else that will never be legit ...doesn't fit strategy...branding...brand footprint crap. But for a brief moment the idea lets you know that you are alive...if that is a scam well I choose that versus death by boredom.

"But awarding scam hurts the rest of us who work on real briefs for real clients in the real world. The scam winners end up surfing their lies throughout their career and into higher paying jobs, and--if we're really unlucky--may even become our bosses.
"

Not everyone is lucky enough to work in an agency where projects might have a chance to win awards,

If you're in a crap agency, producing crap work for crap clients it might be the only way to get work you're happy with produced and even have a remote chance to win an award.

I think of it more as a sign of ambition

Advertising awards are the Catwalks of Advertising. Stop moaning about scam ads. What does it matter A good idea is a good idea.

btw - I heard a rumor that the Grand Prix poster winner was a hoax.
Anyone else hear that?

Basically, you're telling the jurors not to be hungover.. right?

On the nasty gossip side of it all, Resume has an interview/article with a former juror where he reports that the jury in Cannes is bribed

Ulf Sandberg from starcom said
"It's an event that everyone feels the calling for. Nobody dares raise even the slightest critical voice. There is a risk that the truth will emerge then, about what really happens, and nobody who is going down there or hopes to go down there some year to participate in teh spectacle wants"
He explains wat went on when he himself sat in the jury a few years back. According to Sandberg few jury-members understood English, the awardshows top dogs wanted to lower the ambitionlevel, and everything was about having different countries negotiating with each other to give support in the nominations.
The jurors couldn't bother looking at all the work either, and instead only checked what was on videotape.
"The main part of jurywork is during the evening. Everyone wants to give you stuff, buy you drinks, champagne, dinners, receptions and presents. And thick envelopes full of cash."

Hoaxes are wrong. It's an advertising festival, not a nice idea festival.
But I'm not sure advertising festivals are still necessary. I doubt it. It's a money making industry in itself and doesn't do the advertising world any good. Whether you'll produce award winning stuff is usually only for 10% dependant on your creative talent. So it's a bit strange to judge creatives by awards. You can only judge them by the ideas the come up with in the day to day work situation. But that's not what happens Win a biggie and make money. That's rather short sighted.