This set my brain off on an icon search of its own. Couldn’t beat his selection. Well done, Rob [:ed]

The deluge on Instagram has calmed to a trickle. The trophies are in pride of place on reception desks. The press releases are all, errrrr… released. The Croisette is finally quiet.

As someone who was fortunate enough to be at the 70th Cannes Lions, I can report there was amazing work on display. But it also got me thinking. Every Cannes winner is super impressive but, in our day-to-day world, some ideas are so iconic they’re not even seen as advertising.

So, beyond Adland, what are the best examples of communication? What are our GOATs?

Announcing the first awarding of the ICONs – aka Independent-Clarity-Of-Nouse awards. The judging criteria for the ICONs is pretty simple. No entry forms. No expensive fees. No shortlists. No late-night arguments. I get to choose.

Here we go.

ICON for Best Product Placement: DB5 for 007 Aston Martin

It’s easy to forget the first two James Bond films didn’t feature the iconic car. Bond drove a Sunbeam in Dr No and a Bentley in From Russia with Love – yikes. As the story goes, Aston Martin were reluctant to permit filmmakers to use their cars – even though Fleming wrote the Mark III into his books. Eventually a product placement deal was done and Aston built a stunning brand off the back of that one decision.

ICON for Best Unbranded Content: Le Tour Tourism France

Imagine being briefed to showcase the beauty of all things French. Imagine the client then demands the campaign shows everything – mountains, cities, beaches, farms, castles. Each year had to showcase somewhere slightly different. And it had to cost nothing for 22days’ worth of hours of live broadcast all over the world. Put simply, if Le Tour didn’t already exist, it would be impossible to make. It’s the perfect postcard.

ICON for Best Sponsored Content: TV and Radio Drama for Soap

Ever wonder why they’re called ‘Soap Operas’? It’s no accident. Soap and toiletries companies in the ‘30s leapt on the opportunity to sponsor serial radio dramas. When television appeared in the ‘50s, it was a natural progression for soap companies to transition to the new visual medium. The early ads (live reads and pre-recorded) were for soap powders. It’s an iconic piece of media strategy.

ICON for Best Tagline: “Make America Great Again” Trump for President

I know, controversial choice but take the politics out of it. These four-words have emotionally connected with billions of people. It’s active. It’s memorable. It works on hats and t-shirts and flags. It’s even a strong call to action. Plus, it abbreviates to an original acronym. If you were trying to write an ownable hashtag, you couldn’t do better than #maga.

ICON for Best Logo: The Cross for the Christian Church

All the best logos are simple. The Nike swoosh. The Fedex arrow. The Apple, errrrr… apple. The Cross is two simple lines – vertical meets horizontal. It’s timeless. It translates across cultures and languages. It has a compelling story behind it. A brilliant ‘Why?’. Most impressive of all is how consistently it’s been used over centuries. It’s not evolved with each new CMO. You could argue the Christian Church should also win best influencer strategy, best long content (written) and best retail chain.

Agree? Disagree? Either way, at least you can now compare your current idea to an ICON.

(For the record, I’m passionately anti-religion and lean left politically. But I recognise game.)

Rob Morrison is a rarity in advertising – a grey-haired creative. Rob’s experience includes time as a Creative Director at Ogilvy, BWM (now Dentsu Creative), George Patts (now VML), Campaign Palace and Wunderman. He now runs his own consultancy – morrison.collective.

Here are two more opinion pieces from Rob Morrison: