Cannes Lions says to bring your worst employees to the festival instead of firing them because it's 'cheaper than severance'.

Every single creative in every country around the world desperately want to win the Glass Lion. Everyone knows that. But what to do with your worst-performing employees? Reward them with a trip to the Cannes Lions festival in the south of France this summer! That's the tongue-in-cheek message of the festival's official ad campaign, which launches Monday. Don't think of it as a reward. Think of it as an investment in creativity. After all, as the tagline points out, sending underperforming staff to Cannes as delegates is "cheaper than severance."

Photographer Dan Burn-Forti shot both the print ads and the online videos, created by McCann London. "Although our campaign is humorous, it makes a very sensible point. Why should being a Cannes Lions delegate be the preserve of the already excellent?" says Rob Doubal, co-president and chief creative officer of McCann London. "If we really want a more creative world, as we all profess, we should also be encouraging the not-so-excellent performers to be inspired by Cannes Lions." So, if your boss hasn't penciled you in for a Cannes trip, now's the time to evolve your approach from sucking up to just plain sucking.

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Sources:
www.Adweek.com