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While most ads are of the annoying, intrusive ilk that make you want to throw your television out the window, good commercial is always thought-provoking, whether it makes you live or cry. An effective commercial is never forgotten, speaks to its audience and tells an intriguing story they can relate to.

This year, l’Association des professionnels de la communication et du marketing is organizing this year’s screening of the winners from the 57th edition of the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival at Cinema du Parc.

Every year, judges from the most prestigious advertising agencies worldwide come together to view and compare the best ads in the world. The products range from insurance, car, telephone, television channel, sports apparel, deodorant and food businesses to public awareness campaigns that target issues like Cancer and AIDS. Awards are given out honouring every aspect of making a commercial, from best video to acting or copywriting.

An effective commercial is never forgotten, speaks to its audience and tells an intriguing story they can relate to.

The “Young Director’s Award” is a must-see. A mother and her daughter get pulled over by the police for speeding. While she reaches in her bag for the papers, the policeman asks the daughter if her mother was in a hurry. The daughter whispers in horror, “that’s not my mommy,” and draws “Help’ on a piece of paper. The daughter playfully smiles and the commercial ends with the line “Born to create drama.”

The French anti-AIDS advert, featuring a graffiti penis on a bathroom stall, is also outrageous, witty and creative. The penis meets an also drawn vagina and tries to have sex with her. The vagina runs away from him until a young girl notices the penis and draws a condom around his head. Then, all the graffitied vaginas in the bathroom jump on the penis. “Protégez-vous” is a playful reminder to use protection before having sex.

The “Axe Detailer: Cleans your Balls” commercial does the trick with some good ol’ sexual innuendo. Jaime Pressly plays an ex-tennis player turned professional ball cleaner on a talk show, demonstrating how the Axe Detailer “can make any balls sparkly and new.” The host then exclaims, “Wow, I could play with these balls all day!”

While most commercials are light-hearted and amusing, some have a more dramatic impact on the audience. An Australian health insurance commercial sensitizes the viewers to the awful reality of cancer. A mother explains how her life has changed ever since her husband was diagnosed with the condition. She is hoping for things “to go back to the way they used to be.”

There is a great chance you will find yourself with shivers down your spine after watching the commercial for the Canadian Cancer Society. Individuals speak about how cancer has ruined their lives by killing their loved ones. “You destroy families, you destroy mind. . . You kill innocent people. For all the people who fight this fight, you will be defeated,” say those involved as the commercial rapidly cycles through cancer survivors and those who have lost loved ones to the condition.

In the press release for the awards, Mathieu Bédard, vice-president of Défi Marketing and member of the APCM Board of Directors stated that this year’s crop of ads indicate a change influenced by the Internet generation: “It is a very special year where we can feel the growing influence of social media on ads intended for the general public.”

While we are living our daily lives, advertisers brainstorm in a room for days about how they can pass on a message to us in 30 seconds. Sometimes, half a minute is all we need to feel shivers rolling down our spine, to put a smile on our face, or send tears down our cheeks. Touché.

The best ads in the world from the 2010 Cannes Lions will be screened at Cinema Du Parc starting Nov. 19. For more info, check out www.cinemaduparc.com.

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