McCann London’s Post

The Cannes Lions – the major global advertising festival – has just completed and prizes have been awarded. See this AdWeek story about who won what and for what ideas. This is a remarkable event, that showcases the best of what creative minds have generated over the previous year in numerous categories – but all are surprising and impactful with their ingenuity.   Read this and you can pick your own winner – maybe it is the Peruvian cement company, that designed city pathway tiles, that help visually impaired people? What a simple and yet powerful idea. Or maybe it is the Pedigree adoptable dog campaign, that uses artificial intelligence in a helpful and lovely way. There are moving ads that elevate the role of women and girls in sports and societies and also more classic – brand or product selling campaigns, that are beautifully executed, like the Magnum ice cream outdoor campaign.   These campaigns are important not just from a marketing perspective – I think they have a greater societal meaning, as they always deal with relevant issues and blend the traditional media and the latest technology. See the full AdWeek story here:   https://lnkd.in/d2EKiCag   #creativity #advertising #branding #marketing #idea #canneslions #visualcommunication #communication #brandvalue

🌟 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

One of the boldest presentations at the Cannes Festival was Mark Ritson's. In a packed room, Ritson questioned the true importance of creativity in advertising. His standout chart was bold: Cannes-awarded creatives from the past three years, measured by System 1, haven't outperformed the market average. This highlights a critical lesson: we often award creativity for its own sake, not its business impact. Cannes celebrates creativity, but Ritson's analysis challenges us to rethink our priorities. Creativity is important, but it's only one element of an entire marketing strategy and, when measured, is not one of the leading factors of success. #CannesFestival #MarkRitson #CreativityInAdvertising #BusinessImpact #MarketingInsights #RethinkPriorities

While the glitterati descends at Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, spare a thought for those who haven't and will not make it there. No hobnobing with the who's who of the ad world! What a miss.Damn!! What should they feel about themselves and the ads they worked on. The tireless efforts they put into their work, which in fact made real impact for the brand, goes unrecognized. Does it amount to nothing. Certainly not. The human tendency is ' I'm not good enough, this ad is not good enough'. 'I'm not recognized among my peers. I'm a failure.' Hold on. You entered advertising not to win awards, you entered advertising to do some great work that made a 'difference' for the brands, customers and the world at large. You shaped narratives, you made the needle move. Not getting a Lion, Tiger or a Panther shouldn't stop you from doing what you love the most. * Advertising *. So, hop on that saddle and gallop to things that are more important.🐎🏇While they get their Lion, you get the Lion's share. Happy hunting🏹🦁 For that matter, we aren't sure if the memorable ad posted by us a day earlier made it to the Cannes. Who cares. It made it to our #hearts. That's all that matters. #advertising #publicrelations #creativity #marketing #Cannes #branding #socialmedia #digitalmarketing

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

Cannes Lions has its own ‘walled garden’ – but is it a bug or a feature? In my final column covering this year’s festival, I ask why there is still a (very physical) disconnect between the creative and media industries here in Cannes - and why creativity isn't just a realm for the ‘big ideas’ visionaries. With even the Lions judges themselves saying that the standard of some entries “just wasn’t exceptional” and with creatively awarded ads now performing ‘average’ compared to previous years, do we need a rethink on what modern marketing creativity actually is? And is this a way to build a more joined up festival next year? Read my full column in the comments below, FREE TO READ today alongside my five daily travelogue articles written on the ground in Cannes Lions 2024. Just login or create a free account for early bird access to all 6 articles. Thank you to... Hugh Stevens, LiveRamp, Orlando Wood, System1, Sir John Hegarty, The Garage Soho, Charlotte Rawlings, Campaign UK, Andrew Tindall, System1 ...for their input and/or inspiration in writing this article. Joseph Arthur Jyoti Rambhai Reem Makari Celine Yaseen Samantha Johnston Jess MacDermot #performancemarketing #canneslions #marketing #creativity

Divided on Cannes My Linkedin feed has been stuffed full of updates from last week’s Cannes advertising festival - so this will be my last on that. What really struck me though, was how divided people’s views seem. One post gushing and full of praise for the fact that it felt different from previous years - more joyful, inclusive and celebratory. The next post incredulous that the world’s largest plastic polluter could pick up a Grand Prix award for telling people to recycle more. Then a post with a delighted group winning on stage. A big career moment. Followed by a post about how tone deaf the spending of the big brands and networks felt in a year when a huge number of people working in advertising and marketing have been laid off and are struggling to find employment. I guess what you make of Cannes comes down to where you’re standing.  What’s clear is that the place is not ‘together’. Cannes has always been a juxtaposition of advertising industry extremes.   On the one hand, creative, inspiring and exciting - and on the other hand, self-congratulatory, out of touch and with a serious lack of self-awareness. It is an industry where there remains an incredible amount of creative talent. Imagine if we could wean ourselves off the Pavlovian conditioning for awards and work beyond the old frameworks and institutions of advertising, to help create some real, positive change. I think that could be incredibly powerful. And is definitely doable too. What do you think?  #Advertising #Marketing #Cannes #Awards #Sustainability #ClimateChange #Purpose

Why I didn’t bash Cannes this year. I get it. The price of entry, the boats, the parties. It all looks and sounds pretty ridiculous. But I think that’s actually what makes Cannes so important. Not as an example of effectiveness or creativity but as a colosseum where advertising's gladiators clash, bare their teeth, and assert their dominance. And in that sense, Cannes is actually really important. It’s is important to a lot of clients. It's important to agencies to attract talent. It's important to agencies to attract business clients. It’s important to creatives to pad their resumes. It’s also important to the industry as whole. And while you scoff at the lavish parties, the wasteful spending, and the shameless self-promotion that is letting loose implies, have you considered that this excess is precisely the point? Every industry has one big event a year. Even the National Dentist Association. People need an opportunity to let loose and talk about things. And a world drowning in noise, where attention is the scarcest resource, Cannes is advertising's largest stage upon which it can scream: "We still matter, dammit!"I As such, it’s also the stage upon which important industry changing discussions need to take place. I'm not gonna lie. It' would be nice to have a reason to come down from the mountain with my hammer and mirror and go next year. Even if it's just to force the industry to take a look at itself and smash it. Which, in the end probably wouldn’t really accomplish much. For as anyone who’s ever worked in this industry long enough knows, today's cynic is tomorrow's Cannes Lion winner. X&O 😘 #NotAnAdvertisingAgency #CannesLions #AdIndustry #PowerDynamics #Disruption

What’s #DeloitteDigital Creative Director Shamel Washington’s top advice for fellow jurors heading into the #CannesLions2024 deliberation room? 📣“Advocate for the work you truly believe deserves recognition because it can change someone’s life.” Washington, a 2024 Pharma Lions juror, shared thoughts about his upcoming judging duties with SHOOT Magazine / SHOOTonline : Q: What have you learned from your prior experience at Cannes that you will apply to this year's tour of duty? ✅ That no matter how much time you are spending reviewing a piece of work, keep in mind that the creators spent so much more time creating it. Q: What’s the appeal of serving on the Pharma Lions Jury? ✅ We are in the midst of a creative renaissance in the pharma field. Campaigns are getting bolder and the skill level is on par with any other category in the field. Q: What’s your take on the value of the in-person jury room dynamic? ✅ I love hearing how other jurors perceive work and how it aligns (or clashes) with my perception. Q: How does judging a competition like this inform you and your agency? ✅ It furthers my appreciation for the process of getting an idea to the award show level. We must always find new and innovative ways to keep jurors engaged and break through the clutter. Read Washington’s full interview in SHOOT Online ➡️ https://deloi.tt/4ebO2h6 See you soon at Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity!

It's almost time for Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity.   For most attendees, the event is about toasting the efforts of creative departments, and getting a few deals underway (with some employing an approach of rosé-powered persuasion).   I love Cannes because it's a bellwether for the ad industry - and for business more broadly.   This week I wrote a column for The Drum about that very thing.   You'll find the link - as always - in the comments.   #cannes #advertising #creativity #ape