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Cannes Diaries: A snapshot of the awards so far
24 Jun
By: Malati Siniah
Before I headed off to Cannes for the festival they call the ‘Oscars of Advertising’, my boss Professor Harmandar Singh, a Cannes veteran having been there for over 10 times, gave me a single piece of advice.
“Learn, explore and soak up the experience”
And for the past 5 days under the blistering heat and azure blue waters of the South of France, I have been doing just that.
Hearing the insights from both advertising veterans, technology experts, content creators and superstars who all seemed to have one common mission- helping the world tell better stories.
This year’s Cannes winners have been pulling out all the stops in not only wowing consumers with creative executions but also championing important causes and making a difference with their work. While we will be featuring insights from these talks and case studies from the winners over the next few weeks here is a quick glimpse into the festival through the lens of my Samsung Note5…
The iconic red carpet which is where the world’s top actors are usually photographed on during the Cannes Film Festival is now graced by the world’s top creative talents who (hopefully) will walk down those steps with a Lion in tow. Above the steps is a widescreen which broadcasts a live feed of the awards ceremony happening inside the Lumiere Theatre.
Hard to miss this gigantic Snapchat Ferris wheel situated right in front of the main festival. Apart from this showstopper, the tech brand allowed attendees to try their latest innovation the Snapchat glasses.
A clever ad spotted while on top of the Ferris wheel. Good job Tom!
The festival is segmented into three blocks of events- Lions Health, Innovation and Entertainment. During these sessions, delegates have a chance to experience hands on some of the latest technological advancements available and also listen to some of the leading minds in these fields, some of them include designer Alexander Wang, Host and producer Ryan Seacrest, ad veteran Sir John Hegarty, singer Ellie Goulding and more.
Sheryl Sandberg Facebook’s COO together with Jonathan Mildenhall Airbnb’s CMO speaking on how together they are building meaningful communities to strengthen their brand and produce ‘thumb stopping creatives’ to engage their consumers. Both agree that brands should no longer think about standardising products rather its now about standardising human value.
Prolific actor Sir Ian McKellen shared how coming out and being more open with his sexuality helped him to tell better stories. During his session, Sir Ian challenged brands to take a stand and not be afraid to champion a cause as it would help them better build their voice in this crowded space.
Having been in the global advertising scene for nearly six decades the name Sir John Hegarty a one known to many, however, the new influencer agency, Whalar, which he is now the chairman off and introduced during his session is barely a year old. Whalar brings together a curated panel of influencers who then create original content for various brands.
Sharing his views on how the advertising landscape has changed, Sir John argued that the idea of brands being the sole custodian of their brand is wrong,
“The brand’s role is to inspire. More than anything we need to be confident of our creativity and believe that the work you are putting out there will inspire others.”
At Cannes Lion’s blue is the new red with the teal blue carpet rolled out all across the venue marking both the festival’s location and the various sponsor’s cabanas.
Facebook pulled out no stops with a private beach for delegates to chill out, network and attend their private breakout sessions.
The whole town becomes one giant advertising billboard with every square inch of the town being transformed to represent either the festival or by those trying to catch the eyes of the attending delegates.
That’s all for now, stay tuned for more updates from the festival!
31 SENIOR MARKETERS. 54 MARKETING CASE STUDIES. 2 DAYS LIKE AN MBA IN MARKETING!
APPIES Malaysia is an annual 2-day Marketing Congress and Awards Festival showcasing, sharing and celebrating the country’s best marketing campaigns. Shortlisted entries will be judged by 30 leaders in the Marketing industry who will put the presenter’s knowledge to the test in a unique Live Presentation environment.
Date: 6 & 7 July, 2017
Venue: Grand Ballroom, Eastin Hotel, Petaling Jaya.
