Cannes Lions Is About Connection and Artistic Appreciation
For the primary time in my 14 years in a row attending Cannes Lions, I spent many of the first half of the competition within the bowels of the Martinez, sitting in convention rooms, some with none home windows. However it was pure pleasure as a result of we had the great fortune of getting to organize for Titanium, Glass and Innovation Lions shows. The involvement, care and focus this required made it one of many highlights of my week. Concepts form in another way, relationships and bonding between purchasers and company get stronger and campaigns immediately have a second life. It was nice. All of us, collectively, targeted on the work.
After I lastly deserted these beige-carpeted rooms, I discovered a special image. Listed below are my ideas on the 2024 Cannes Lions.
Calendar obligations took over
We have been busy this 12 months. Nobody appeared to have time for something as if an evil AI replace had taken over our calendars to steer us away from an important factor: seeing and speaking in regards to the artistic work.
That is our personal doing. Because the competition has grown to incorporate extra activations, extra entrepreneurs, tech platforms, media giants and social media creators, it could’t drive us to go downstairs within the Palais and stroll round to see the work. We’ve to impose it on ourselves, in opposition to our loopy ambitions to fulfill each potential customer, shine in three totally different panels on the identical time and provides free hugs to everybody.
And it’s a should. Going to the Palais and experiencing folks’s reactions to the work in actual life reminds us of the influence of our creativity and our efforts. Observing our purchasers’ pleasure (or plain jealousy) over nice concepts is the validation we have to maintain pushing. Lacking that as a result of we’re operating from assembly to assembly is a disgrace.
So, first takeaway: We have to make extra room to collectively expertise the superb work whereas we’re right here.
The one different moments to take action are the Galas. McCann Worldgroup had the collective expertise to see the Golds and Grand Prix within the Award Galas, launched by the booming voice of media persona Juan Señor, the Lions’ resident emcee.
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We missed laughing
Second takeaway: Humor is again in all varieties from quirky to bizarre to darkish. 4 of the largest winners (Grand Prix) have been really humorous campaigns: “The Final Barf Bag” for Dramamine; Specsavers’ “The Misheard Model” with Rick Astley, CeraVe’s “Michael Cerave” and Weber Shandwick’s “Edible Mascot” marketing campaign for Pop Tarts. Additionally, the cute “Marina Prieto,” with out being strictly humorous, combines a Spanish little city sensibility with social media ambitions.
These winners present that comedy and a light-hearted tone of voice could be transformative for a model. Specsavers has a historical past of nice comedy, however they have been capable of channel that into a brand new demographic for these with listening to loss. CeraVe, not in a class that usually stands out throughout the Tremendous Bowl, however grew to become the discuss of the (promoting) recreation. Kellanova’s Pop-Tarts reached a completely new viewers by injecting darkish humor to toaster pastries and giving the world one thing really meme-able.
And that’s simply the humorous stuff. Different massive winners, like what we did for Mastercard with “Room for Everybody” and Xbox’s “On a regular basis Tactician” in addition to W+Ok’s Titanium Grand Prix winner, the Doordash Tremendous Bowl marketing campaign that averted viewers’ consideration away from the sport itself and onto all the adverts, have been concepts that impressed an array of feelings. Empathy, triumph, even greed!
In the long run, these executions make a degree you could lengthen to the competition: Once we snicker, when our limitations are introduced down by an surprising twist or a shocking human connection, we’re extra capable of really feel.
That is the precise motive we come to Cannes: we need to really feel, in actual life, what it’s prefer to belong to this trade, to be on the profitable facet and have fun, to be on the not-winning facet and recharge ourselves with envy because the gas, to be amazed about what individuals who do the identical job as us are able to reaching and query ourselves.
Feeling is what separates us from, sure, machines. At the very least for now.
So, (ultimate takeaway) it’s on us to maintain coming right here. Let’s proceed our day-to-day jobs to attach with these feelings by means of the one factor that justifies the existence of Cannes or every other competition: The work we love.
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