Cannes 2011 - Is it the year of Independent Small Agencies?

Cannes 2011 is coming and am sure you're all waiting for good news. 2011 seems like the year of small agencies. Small agencies with big, bold and brave work.

Here are some of the best works of 2011:

1. Adidas: Sid Lee, Amsterdam

2. Chrysler: W+K, Portland

3. Volkswagen: Deutsch, USA

4. Jim Beam: Strawberry Frog, NY

5. DirecTV: Grey, NY

6. All State: Leo Burnett, Chicago

7. BBC Books: Unknown

8. Ray-Ban: Cutwater, San Francisco

9. Method + Virgin America: Unknown

Enjoy. Btw, which one do you think will walk out with the top prize?

Considered Design - The Next Wave

In the beginning of 2010, when I was writing my thesis paper on Sustainability and intelligent ways of using resources, how it is becoming the most important and critical factor is developing a global brand, seldom did I know that Nike was actively creating a Considered Index Calculator as part of their Environmental Apparel Design Tool. You should also check out their Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability report, one of the best data visualization report I've come across.

I was so happy to find out that Nike is playing a leadership role in this area and together with brands like Patagonia, Adidas, Espirit, Levi Strauss, JC Penny, Walmart, H&M, M&S, Target, Timberland along with Outdoor Industry Association, Duke University, Environmental Defense Fund and US Environmental Protection Agency and many others in creating the first Sustainable Apparel Coalition. The new Sustainable Apparel Coalition will establish a common index setting industry wide benchmarks for ecological credentials of clothing and footwear.

Am sure we'll see more companies, universities and govt. bodies coming together from across industries to create coalition indexes and benchmarks together. Personally I think in India, the telecom giants should come together to create an Index that delivers meaningful Value Added Service. I also think all the Life Insurance companies in India should come together to create a Claim Transparency Index. Its seems like a great proposal but the later is highly impossible given banking and transparency don't go together. But when you give it a serious thought, you will see, how deeply it can impact the lives of our people.

Do share your thoughts and comments.

FIFA Special...