What is SAWA
SAWA is the Global Cinema Advertising Association – the worlwide trade body of Cinema Advertising Companies and Associated Companies that supply services to the Cinema Advertising industry.
The role of SAWA is to develop international standards and best practices for the Cinema medium and to improve communication between Cinema Advertising companies around the world. This facilitates the easier buying of the Cinema medium for advertisers and agencies.
The Cinema Advertising medium has always been uniquely positioned. Featured in an immersive environment, Cinema offers high quality on-screen images, state-of-the-art sound, highly targeted, captive audiences, and brand safety. This has positioned Cinema advertising as a powerful medium with high attention. Albeit small in percentage terms of main media expenditure, reaches one of the most highly sought after audiences delivered today.
SAWA has been established for more than 65 years. The membership body is comprised of Cinema Advertising companies who sell the medium of Cinema, research companies that analyze and collect data on behalf of the medium, and technology companies who supply products and services to the business.
The Trade body is seen as very proactive, continually building the profile of the Cinema Advertising Medium through research, setting of standards, and marketing initiatives. Today, SAWA’s attention measurement committee is leading the way in bringing clear focus around how Cinema can own, define, and drive the Attention Revolution. Previously, SAWA’s Digital Committee brought together world leading technology companies and the Cinema Advertising industry to pioneer the setting of standards and recommendations, as the Digital world became a reality for the medium. SAWA has since released its 3rd edition of the standards and recommendations and to date, many companies have adopted these principles when going Digital.
Our History: SAWA & Cannes Lions Inspiring Creativity on Cinema for over 60 years
Inspired & motivated by the first International Film Festival in Cannes; a group of Cinema Advertising contractors who belonged to SAWA felt that the makers of advertising films should be similarly recognized and have their own show, so they established and held the first ‘International Advertising Film’ festival in 1954, not in Cannes but in Venice. The big prize was a lion trophy, inspired by the lion monument in Piazza San Marcos in Venice. The festival later moved to Cannes and is now renamed as the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. Cannes Lions is the world’s greatest celebration of creative communications in all its forms. Each year in June, the whole creative industry gathers to learn from the best and to celebrate the work that is changing the communications landscape. Each year, it welcomes thousands of entries from more than 90 countries. www.canneslions.com
SAWA’s registered address is Screen Advertising World Association Ltd, 2nd Floor Corinthian House, 279 Tottenham Court Road, London @1T 7rJ. SAWA can be reached by emailing the SAWA CEO, Julian Pinn via email jpinn@sawa.com.