Ravid Kuperberg’s Post

The closest I got to the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity last week was a drive down ATL’s Ponce de Leon Avenue, which we pronounce pahns duh lee-ahn, exactly how someone in the south of France would mock someone in the south of America. From a safe distance of 4,723 miles, here’s a short list of what I think I think. 1. I think Cannes never fails to smell of a boondoggle – self-congratulatory, overindulgent, indefensible during tough economic times, and often awarding work no human not called a juror has ever seen before. 2. I also think Cannes never fails to deliver an earnest and important celebration of an industry that loves what it does, of moving marketing art and science forward, and of a community wishing nothing more than to use creativity for the good of craft and commerce and cause. So net-net, c'est la vie. 3. Humor isn’t back just yet, but it's trying. Of 28 Grand Prix Lions, I conservatively counted 6. I think the world needs more barf bag documentaries (thank you Dramamine) and edible mascots (thank you Pop-Tarts). 4. I think this is my non-scientific longevity/hype scale: AI > VR > Metaverse > NFTs > skywriting > Clubhouse. 5. The AI train has long left the station, but I think we’d all be wise to keep in touch with Tinx. 6. I think there's an inverse correlation between the number of speakers on a panel and odds of learning something new. 7. I think creative effectiveness is no less worthy of Cannes-level attention and celebration. Do the powers that be at Effie Worldwide ever dream of a Festival of their own? (In Atlanta? Because Atlanta Influences Everything.) 8. I think the Cannes mission warrants making it possible for smaller agencies to more easily get in on l’action. $4500 for a Festival pass, whether you're a $200mm agency, $20mm agency or a $2mm agency. 9. I think little is as frustrating as an idea you couldn't quite sell in then winning a Lion (a very high-profile Lion, to boot) for someone else. Happy for them, truly. But also merde. 10. But also, je pense nous reviendrons. #advertisingindustry, #brandenergy, #marketing, #agency, #advertising, #canneslions, #atlantainfluenceseverything

Attending Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity this year? Keep 30 mins on Tuesday mng free & come over to the Forum stage. Gautam Reghunath and I ragebait on Pricing Creativity - the karma, curse and cure to our strangely priced industry. On how we got here over 6 decades. On what the employee-hour based pricing has done to us. Why it's at the core of every other issue the industry faces. And what cures for a confident, high-risk, high-growth future for advertising actually looks like. PS - We MIGHT also dish out free beer as part of the act 🍻 https://lnkd.in/gGZfWfUa

Hey guys, it's one of my favourite times of the year. It's Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity Week(June 17-25)! The most anticipated time (With the Super Bowl ads in close second) for creatives and advertising folks worldwide. If you are one of the unlucky people that won't be in France, then get ready to be peppered with loads of unmissable events. From speeches, masterclasses from idols you will never meet, to awards you only dream of winning, and after parties that are better than most wedding ceremonies, you will be missing them all. #fact. Don't blame yourself, it may not be totally your fault. Maybe, you did some great work but your agency was too broke or stingy to submit your entry. Maybe they did and you didn't make the shortlist #Sorry, better luck next time. But if you didn't do any great work, I am sure you have accepted your faith in enjoying every moment via the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity page on this app. Just like people drool over other people's lives on the gram, you too can live vicariously through the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity page. How do I know this? I know, because I attended the festival last year via my LinkedIn page and I intend on doing it again this year because going to Cannes is cost! It's not child's play when you are paying over an average of 5,000 Euros just for tickets to the festival. Let's even say I’m on a diet and intend to fast for a week, we haven’t bought flight tickets or booked hotel rooms! #Itiswell Truth is, attending and winning @ Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity is one of the top ranking things on my bucket list and I intend on making that happen one day but until then, I have mounted my bed on the streets of LinkedIn because I'm not missing a beat. So to everyone attending, please share pictures, recordings and everything shareable for us humble kids. Good luck to everyone, every agency shortlisted and cheers to a great week. P.S. Since you guys have no plans of attending Cannes this year(not like you can if you wanted to 😜) , you may as well click the link https://lnkd.in/dRzGPcrb and hop over to Advertising Anonymous Podcast and listen to some Cannes winning guest over there😎. Cheers

Yes You Cannes* In what is now a bit of a tradition, I typically write my annual "why its not a good use of time or energy to go to Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity for me." But, who likes predictability. So, I thought I would write this, my 6th edition of this note from a different perspective...which is....HOW IT COULD MAKE SENSE FOR YOU TO BE AT CANNES THIS YEAR: 1) If you are one of many brilliant creatives that poured their actual hearts into the work that is being in celebrated...it could make sense for you to be at Cannes this year. 2) If you can afford the trip/hotel/food as a company/division, and you are NOT at the same time scrimping on raises or promotions while sending executives to Cannes...then...it could make sense for you to be at Cannes this year. 3) If you did not have to go out to some trendy store that you googled "trendy clothes for Cannes" to find and now are obsessively looking in the mirror to see if your white pants seem natural....it could make sense for you to go to Cannes this year. 4) If you have a pure reason like learning, experience, wonder...that is deeply and sincerely rooted in curiosity...and you have an honest learning plan woven in between your drinking...well...it could make sense for you to be at Cannes this year. 5) If the top 10 meetings you are taking are not ones you could have had more affordably in NYC...well...it could make sense for you to be at Cannes this year. 6) If you are releasing news that is NOT about convergence, attention, cookie-less scary pants information, a random ad-tech feature that will blend with the other 1,000, or your hot take on retail media's growth....and you have something original to share...well, it could make sense for you to be at. Cannes this year. 7) If you are not going simply to be on a panel with 3 other people, that only 20 others will attend, 18 of which are there because your bosses boss made them come...but the photo op will be amazing, because it will be cropped and it will seem super important...cause you see the Cannes logo and the water and a super slick mini-stage...but its not....well, as long as that is not you....then it could make sense for you to be at Cannes. So, there. Don't tell me old dogs cant learn new tricks. After so many years of writing why I would not be in France, I figured, I had to ease off that stance a bit and help people find the lens by which they could:) To all those there, kidding aside, you are lucky. I hope its valuable. To those of us grinding away on client/internal work these next days, I salute you. To those of you warrior poets who did the actual work that is getting celebrated...you have killer talent I wish I had. To those of you younger and looking at all the pictures of people wearing white pants and looking super confident with a microphone in their hands....I can only share one piece of wisdom...they are not. Nobody is. This is a tough industry. Speak soon, Jared

Being on the ground at Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, here’s my initial dispatch: In 2010, Cannes Lions dropped the word “advertising.” It made sense at the time because there were starting to be so many new forms of advertising that didn’t fit the old mold. Branding-wise, I believe it was a great positioning move. Since then, the festival has grown tremendously. It now attracts so many people from so many different job functions and companies, not just agencies and production companies. So many new categories have been added also. Naturally, I thought there would be way more creative work entered into the show. Not so. Almost 40% less creative work. Does that mean this industry is now less about the work and creativity? Creatives used to own the word creativity. That may have been true in the context of advertising. However, in a borderless, always-on world where anyone can create, creativity no longer belongs to creatives only. I made this point to a strategist friend of mine near the Croisette today. He said candidly. It never did. #CannesLions #creativity #advertising

Heineken Ireland launched a creative campaign at Cannes Lions 2024 to save Irish culture. The result? Cannes Lions is an international event that celebrates creativity in communication, advertising, and related fields. This year, one of the best campaigns that stood out was 'Pub Museums' by Heineken. The aim of the campaign was to transform historic pubs into interactive museums. These pubs are the heart of Irish culture. They are full of history and have beautiful collections of important cultural and social objects. By getting them recognized as museums, they could receive government grants and tax breaks to keep their legacy alive. Heineken partnered with Publicis Dublin, LePub Milan, and Thinkhouse to create this campaign. 📍They used AR to highlight the stories behind historic waterholes, including Sean’s Bar, which is the oldest pub in the world. 📍You can scan a QR code on a sign outside the pubs to see AR stories about their local legends.    📍Inside, the app uses indoor navigation and the pub's location to show 3D models of historical object, made with photogrammetry. It secured: ➡️4 golds in outdoor, creative B2B, direct, brand experience, and activation  ➡️4 silvers in outdoor, radio and audio, brand experience and activation, and PR ➡️Also shortlisted for a Titanium Award   Heineken managed to create a campaign that's: 👉Culturally relevant 👉Technically innovative 👉Driving an important cause The campaign rocked, and I hope it’ll also be able to achieve its ultimate objective! Do you think creative campaigns like this help preserve cultural institutions? #innovation #marketing

Cannes Lions markets itself as the ‘International Festival of Creativity’, but I don’t understand how you can celebrate true creativity if creativity = the size of your wallet. I’ve never entered the Cannes Lions awards before, but this year I thought I’d give it a go. That is until I saw the extortionate entry fees and debated if the kudos of winning this so called ‘prestigious award’ was worth me selling a kidney. There are lots of small independent agencies that are creating ground-breaking campaigns, but they will never be able to financially compete with the larger more established beasts. As a result you have brilliant creative that deserves awards but isn't recognised due to the creation of these elitist and exclusive environments. Organisations like D&AD and The Gerety Awards recognise this, and they offer a 30% discount to small indies which proves that a more equal playing field can be created - you just have to want to do it. But when I asked Cannes Lions if they have a similar incentive, their response was: ‘As a completely neutral party when it comes to awarding, we are unable to provide any discounts or waive fees for any entrants.’ I’m sorry but offering discounts to small indies doesn't sacrifice your neutrality – and it should have no bearing on the judging process itself – what it can offer is a wider, more diverse selection of creative for judges to consider. Which can only be a good thing for the industry and for Cannes Lions itself. How will we ever celebrate fresh perspectives and underrepresented voices if these systemic barriers remain? And the award entry fee is just the tip of the iceberg – throw in the entry to the Palais on top and the extortionate travel and accommodation fees for the South of France in June, and there’s no point even considering it. And then there’s the judging itself. Apparently, you can only judge Cannes Lions if you have won a Cannes Lions. And that my friends is the vicious cycle of elitism at its finest. What should be the high watermark for creative excellence in our industry becomes a wealthy mutual back-slapping exercise between past winners and rich agencies. Maybe I’m alone on this, but I personally think Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity really needs to take a long, hard look at what its current structure is saying to the industry – because all I can see is the perpetuation of inequalities that already exist and the promotion of the same work by the same big agencies, judged by the same people every year. Thus closing the door on diversity. If you really believe in creating a more inclusive landscape that genuinely celebrates the best work that our industry has to offer, you need to put your money where your mouth is. Not ours. #canneslions #equality #diversityandinclusion #awardsandrecognition

Cannes In Cairns has come to a close! Known as the “Antipodean Festival of Creativity,” the Cannes in Cairns Festival has established itself as one of the premier industry events in Australia. Supported by several partners, including News Corp Australia, some of our News Xtend team had the privilege of participating in this special four-day event. With over 100 speakers and 10 fantastic networking events, the festival brought together experts in advertising, media, marketing, tech, and more. Here were some of the key takeaways: 1. Accessibility in #advertising: Advertisers are potentially missing out on $13 trillion globally by not making ads accessible. Adding captions or using easy-to-read fonts can help businesses engage with a wider audience. 2. "One way in, one way out" approach: Hushidar Kharas, Head of Prime Video Australia and New Zealand, shared this innovative strategy. It involves testing new ideas in teams with calculated risks and quickly moving on if they don't work. Hushidar emphasised that some of Prime Video’s/Amazon’s most significant successes have come from this approach fostering a culture of continuous improvement and minimising resource waste. 3. Inclusivity, diversity, and responsibility: There is a strong emphasis on these values in advertising. It’s important to think about where your brand or business can make the most impact and focus on providing solutions. We can’t wait to attend next year. Thanks, #CannesinCairns for having us! #NewsXtend #NewsCorpAustralia #CannesinCairns2024 Belinda MacPherson Karen Gill Matt Paine Edgardo (Jed) Tallada Amelia Faulkner Lisa Gillman Medha Mittal Mady Mitsoulas Anthony Christian Jacob Hoskins Sophie Madden Tristan Paul C. Andy Reeves Hannah Myers Emily Walker James Comino

This year, I once again watched the spectacle of Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity 2024 unfold with awe. Though I wasn't able to attend in person, I’ve been kept up to date by Ella Butler, my social feeds and of course, the BizBash annual round up from Claire Hoffman - which never fails to highlight best in class. Here’s five key activations that really stood out for me: 1.⁠ ⁠Pinterest Manifestival: Pinterest's transformation of the Carlton Beach Club into a real-life version of their digital platform is always a pleasure to behold. They nailed it again this year! 2.⁠ ⁠LinkedIn: The Place to B2B: LinkedIn's clever play on words perfectly encapsulated their activation's purpose. They took over three floors of the Carlton hotel, to create a hub for professional connections and creativity. 3.⁠ ⁠Meta Beach: Meta's focus on connections and the possibilities of their technology was expertly executed. The standout Reels Cinema, emerging from the sand was such a great idea. Nice work Jack Morton Worldwide! 4.⁠ ⁠Spotify Beach: Spotify's round-the-clock activation hub was a masterclass in blending thought leadership with entertainment. 5.⁠ ⁠Netflix: The giant Netflix 'N' towering over the Croisette is now a Cannes Lions staple, serving as a constant reminder of the streaming giant's presence. Their rooftop takeover, featured vignettes inspired by their most popular shows. Another incredible experience by Seen Presents. Did anyone meet our Squid Game actors, by the way? A huge shout out to ALL the brand ambassadors, event managers, and support staff who are the unsung heroes of Cannes Lions, ensuring that every interaction leaves a lasting impression. With thanks to our teams supporting our clients Amplify, 160over90, Chase, United Airlines, Seen Presents and Netflix. Check out the BizBash article here: https://lnkd.in/eEeTDgQs #KruLive #BrandExperiences #EventProfs #EventStaffing #LoveForPeople

Topics considered polarizing will likely not find centerstage at Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. Marla Kaplowitz, CEO of the 4A's, put it like this: “People like to go [to Cannes] and escape and avoid the realities of what's going on in the world for a few days. There's so much that we're all dealing with as an industry…but if [people] have a glass rosé in their hand, they're really not going to want to get into a serious discussion about it. We're in an industry where it's easy for people to put blinders on and not really think about those things." Read more on Campaign US: https://bit.ly/3zfw8Kc #canneslions #cannes #cannesfilmfestival #cannesfrance #advertising #marketing #cannesisyours #cannesfestival #festivaldecannes #creative #creativity