Baffled about 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.

The print ads:

The videos: