Bridgestone TV Commercials Make Cannes Shortlist

What do “The Pianist,” “Pulp Fiction” and Bridgestone brand commercials featuring a screaming squirrel and a lucky dog have in common? All four works have been finalists at prestigious festivals in Cannes.

Inspired by the Cannes Film Festival, the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival is held each year to recognise creativity in advertising from around the globe. Though they didn’t win the festivals’ top prizes like “The Pianist” and “Pulp Fiction” did, the two US Bridgestone brand commercials were chosen as finalists, placing them among the top 10 per cent of the more than 4,600 entries from 85 countries in this year’s advertising festival.

For Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, LLC (BFNT), which produced the ads, a well used award-show adage sums up the feeling perfectly: “In this case, it truly is an honour just to be nominated,” said Phil Pacsi, vice president of Consumer Marketing for BFNT. “One of the driving forces of our Bridgestone brand team, including our teammates in advertising and marketing, is a shared passion for excellence, and these ads hit that standard. To receive this level of recognition at such a prestigious festival is remarkable.”

In the “Scream” commercial, which debuted during this year’s Super Bowl, more than 20 woodland friends exercise their lungs and count their blessings that a car passing through their home is riding on Bridgestone brand tyres. In the “Lucky Dog” commercial, a hungry dog goes on an unexpected journey, running inside a tyre towards an unexpected and lucky ending.

The entries that were chosen as finalists were divided into 32 different product/service categories; the Bridgestone brand commercials were two of the 10 finalists for the Film Lions awards in the automotive products and services category.