Their creative idea, Good Cents, stemmed from answering the brief of Lead the Fight Against Extreme Poverty issued by Cannes Chimera. The team is making our country and industry proud by being one of only eight winning ideas to come out of an amazing 900 individual entries across 79 different countries. The ideas chosen each receive a prize of up to US$100,000 for development.
Good Cents aims to help alleviate poverty via a 'Good Cents' button at the bottom of all online bank statements. With one click, it would allow users to round their bank balance off, and donate their surplus of cents to a dedicated fund. After all, the cents of one won't do much, but the good cents of many will do great things.
Cannes Chimera, in its third year running, saw creative entries go through a rigorous judging process facilitated by Cannes Lions, led by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and - most importantly - judged by the Cannes Chimera Jury, comprised of the Grand Prix Lions winners from Cannes 2013.
"This is without doubt the biggest creative achievement in Joe Public's history, more so because it could potentially make a difference to millions of people's lives. It proves that advertising has a greater purpose within the world we live in and is also firmly aligned to our growth purpose and vision as a business," says Pepe Marais, Chief Creative Officer, Joe Public.
The team has been invited to attend a two-day workshop in Seattle in March, where they will have the opportunity to develop their idea further with the assistance of the Chimera Jury.
The purpose of the workshop is to refine the idea further so that they can return to the Gates Foundation for additional funding of up to $1-million to bring the idea to life.
The team said: "There are no words to describe how honoured we're feeling right now, and how thrilled we are to be a part of this experience. We are looking forward to learning from some of the best international creative talent in the industry. And to play our part in changing the world."
More information on Cannes Chimera winners: http://www.canneschimera.com/challenges/2013/winners/
Jury profiles are available here:
http://www.canneschimera.com/chimera/#2013
