Contagious’ Post

While everyone (looking at you Michael Thill) is off enjoying the sun and creativity at Cannes Lions, here I am, not jealous at all. Seriously, not one bit jealous. Not even a little. For those unfamiliar, the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity is a premier event in the advertising and communications industry. It runs from June 17-21 this year and features over 150 hours of content with around 500 speakers from across the globe. Icons like Deepak Chopra, Jay Shetty, and representatives from top companies like Google and P&G are sharing insights and innovations that are shaping the industry. https://lnkd.in/gv7s3rQH Why do we flock to events like this? The draw is in both the recognition and the opportunity for professional growth. From a behavioral science perspective, humans have a deep-seated desire for validation and acknowledgment. Awards like the Cannes Lions provide a platform to be judged and, hopefully, celebrated for our creativity and hard work. But why do we want to be judged? The answer lies in the psychological satisfaction of recognition, which can enhance self-esteem and motivate continued excellence. Beyond personal satisfaction, there are significant business reasons for pursuing these accolades. Winning at Cannes can enhance a company’s reputation, attract new clients, and justify higher fees for services. In essence, these awards are a tangible marker of success and a powerful marketing tool. However, at Havas Edge we believe that the best award is the trust and loyalty of our clients. While it's great to be recognized on such a prestigious stage, our ultimate goal is to consistently deliver value and results for our clients, day in and day out. That, to us, is the most meaningful accolade of all. Still, would be nice to be there.

Enjoyed the DEI discussion at the Marketing Society brunch and the 3 big themes: 1. You must ‘show up’ before you ‘show off’, 2. You need to be bold and stay bold, 3. There is rightly a big expectation on CMO’s to jointly lead on this.

Thank you Festival of Media for an amazing opportunity to be a part of the judging panel for the 2024 awards! After reading countless global entries, scoring them, watching case study videos over six hours, and having a spirited dialogue on brand work, here is what I took away: 1. There is an art to debating with people - It's a conversational sparring match in which intellectual intentions yield respectful disagreements and civil resolutions. 2. Human truths add meaning to lifeless products - Not every product from a brand has a needed purpose in our lives. The products aren't the star of the lifestyle show we all individually star in ("Previously on Being Me") and often need an injection of humanity to make it make sense. 3. Internal bias is a reflection of our absorbed experiences - That voice inside your head, the internal dialogue and debate you have within yourself to be heard, to be right, to be loudest, to be fastest, to be better, to be smarter, CONSTANTLY needs to be checked. Shelving my psychological proclivities in place of the actual definition of the award category being judged and listening to my gut instinct when it comes to inclusivity and marginalized experiences being catapulted into the mainstream via advertising. 4. The global outlook on life > the local lens on life - In other parts of the world, brands show up in a way that replaces or challenges the government. They provide philanthropic solutions for those with no way forward or connect people to possibilities that change the immediate quality of their lives. Thank you Leah Mellard for the coordination throughout the entire process! #wavemaker #awards #media #judge #panel #creative

Top Tips for #Cannes? Look no further. Our CSO Mel Arrow gives MoreAboutAdvertising the run down of what campaigns she believes will bag some Lions in just a few weeks time. "No article about Cannes 2024 would be complete without saying the word ‘humour’ as quickly as possible, and it only took me thirteen words, so arguably, I should win something for that. With the introduction of a new humour category, the world’s most prestigious advertising awards appear to be encouraging the industry out of its purpose-filled era (and boy has it been a long one…) and into a lighter chapter. Our chortle era, if you will. With that said, however, it’s probably quite telling that only one of my picks is funny. There’s been a lot of humour talk, and not a lot of funny trousers. The others do, at least, still shun purpose. They’re bold, single-minded, iconic and unapologetically branded. C’est simple. In fact, it’s so simple, I feel almost exactly the same way about them all.." Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/e_jtriS9 #TruthWellTold #McCanners McCann Worldgroup Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity

ICYMI: Cannes may be over, but the Adland is still buzzing with insights and debriefs on the groundbreaking work showcased at the festival this year. Ben Essen has shared some thoughts on how creativity thrives on reimagining the past, featured in his piece for Campaign. He states, "...all the ground-breaking Grand Prix winners contain recognisable fragments of great ideas that have come before." He continues, "A [better] question for any creative review is: "We know this worked before, so how do we twist it for a new context?" This lets us leverage the proven effectiveness of past campaigns while infusing them with contemporary relevance." Read his analysis and explore the trends and winning work that filled the Croisette conversation: https://lnkd.in/ecYZXVfn #CannesLions #Creativity #Adland

🌟 Maximize Your Cannes Lions Investment! 🚀 Hurray, the dust has settled after the intense Cannes Lions submission process. You've invested heavily in creating standout case films and presentation boards. But what happens to these assets now? Their usefulness shouldn't stop there! 📝 I've just shared a new blog post detailing how you can repurpose your Cannes Lions campaign assets to continue gaining value from them throughout the year. From leveraging them for case studies to entering them into upcoming award shows like the The Gerety Awards, The Drum Awards, Festival of Media's M&M Global Awards and more, there are numerous ways to extend their lifespan and effectiveness. 🏆 Plus, a resource that can’t be missed: Our Ultimate, Always Up-to-Date Marketing, Media, and Advertising Awards Show Directory. This comprehensive guide is your gateway to over 40 relevant award shows and preparing your entries to maximize their potential. 🔗 Read the full blog here https://lnkd.in/dFxgk8pz and discover how to keep your campaign assets working hard for you! 💬 Interested in the Awards Show Directory? DM us "Access" for a special introductory offer! Let's ensure your creative work continues to receive the accolades it deserves. #CannesLions #Marketing #Advertising #AwardShows #CreativeIndustry

On Cannes, Part 2. To get the most out of your Cannes experience, a few pointers from someone who has been there, done that, many times (me below, keynoting on my favorite topic - brand narrative and storytelling, in the world of the ephemeral web): 1. Look at the Work - take a day, or two, to really look at the work. It's a trope to believe that all the inspo, comes from listening to panel discussions about how long walks on the beach fuel someone's creativity. No doubt, it does. But, pass on a few and take the time, to really look at the work. Absorb it, study it, learn about how it was made. Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity does an amazing job of exhibiting all of the award entries, so take the time to explore. 2. Schedule Key Meetings, Ahead of Time - Cannes publishes a list of all the attendees. Rarely are most key players in our industry, gathered in one place for so long. Do take the time to set up one on one meetings, with the folks that really matter to you. Equal parts, business and inspiration. 3. Avoid the Gutter Bar - yes, I've been there. I know the scene. If you do go, leave by 22:00. Late nights and hangovers, are better left for your time back home. Make the most of Cannes - and the dollars being spent on you to attend - by being on your best form, well-rested and clear-eyed to properly digest all that Cannes has to offer. 4. Take Notes, Share Notes - if you take notes as if you're in Uni, you'll better absorb the material being shared. You'll be more present in the moment, engrossed in the creative discussions happening all about you. Yes, your friends and colleagues back home will delight in seeing you holding a Rose at a beach party...but they'll be forever indebted, if you impart some wisdom and help them better understand, what was discussed. SHARE your notes. Nothing creates better absorption of material, than sharing your pov and takeaways, with your colleagues and mates. Record to share, and apply your pov - because your take on the event, is value-added indeed. Ok...more soon! SOCIALDEVIANT #Cannes #Creativity #Lessons #Advertising #CreativeAwards

Curious about what the fuss is around Cannes? Well, I watched this week’s Cannes Lions Contenders webinar hosted by Contagious IQ, where they shared some interesting thoughts around what work has a shot at winning this year. You can watch the webinar here: https://lnkd.in/esZp27uK The approaches varied massively. From advertising that gets around legal loopholes to advertise cannabis shops in Canada, to French ads using VFX to challenge perceptions of gender and promote women’s football (a subject close to our hearts at bbd with Visa’s sponsorship activity). I particularly liked BMW’s iJack campaign in the UAE where they photobombed electric charging stations to show a new BMW at every one of the charging points on Google maps. It was done under the radar, but quickly went viral. Genius idea. As you’ll know, Cannes is a global, inclusive and yet highly exclusive (and therefore expensive) event, which means it’s kind of like the Oscars for ad types. And winning is a big deal - last year alone there were over 27,000 entries! There is so much to look through you could spend a year researching, which is why webinars like this are a great starting point. Heinz did some impressive work releasing a new ‘limited edition’ product line in just two days after Taylor Swift mixed Ketchup with Ranch sauce. Because of the traction from their fast response, it went big and became a genuine new product. All because they responded in the moment to a ‘moment’ on social. As to who will win? Who knows. Purposeful campaigns always seem to do well at Cannes, but a lot more humour is beginning to find its way into more work which is nice to see. I’ve always been a fan of ads that entertain. I loved the Specsavers Rick-rolling campaign where they got him to re-record ‘Never gonna give you up’ with all the most popular mis-heard lyrics - to encourage people to book hearing tests. It absolutely smashed the objectives, and got so much media, with absolutely no media spend. So many angles, so much work. Really exciting as a creative just to see how other people approach often simple problems in a unique way. More often than not, a truth and an insight lies at the heart of the best ones, for me at least. Excited to see what the judges think… PS. As a side note, I do think it’s especially interesting that all entries now have to disclose any use of AI in campaigns - I’m always keen to see how and where other agencies are using tech in the creative space.

Heading to Cannes this month? Join executives from Nielsen and TikTok as they discuss how marketers can measure success in the ever-changing digital landscape.

Heading to #canneslions next week ? Let's meet to talk about the current & future #adtech industry challenges as well as solutions to help you boost your yield while improving UX and ads quality on your medias ! Send me a DM or book a time slot in our agenda https://lnkd.in/gmk2QFdq #canneslions #advertising #adtech #programmatic