Jeff Goodby of San Francisco agency Goodby Silverstein has blasted the awards culture, saying some ads are outright fakes (that is, for clients that don't exist or don't use that particular agency). Others are paid for by the agency not the client just so they can be entered for awards while most of the rest never see the light of day often enough to impinge on consumers. Which might just give some of the jurors at this week's Cannes Golden Lions awards food for thought. This is pretty damning stuff but Goodby says it's a key reason why what is regarded as 'good' advertising is known only to agencies, not most clients or the public. Which, he surmises, is one reason why advertising is no longer as influential or enjoyable as it used to be. So what's to be done? Then it becomes more difficult of course but he suggests that 'famousness' should be an entry criteria, which presumably means that there should be some input from the public or at least a minimum spend criterion. Creatives, of course, hate those awards where consumers vote for their favourites because the winners tend not to be very cutting edge or appealing to professionals. But he has a point. Especially considering the way that advertising is being marginalised as a core business activity.