Enter the Lions' den 🦁
Last week was the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, the largest gathering for those who work in creative communications, advertising and related industries. The week-long event celebrated the best in advertising with the Lions awards and educated attendees with talks on industry trends. Some of the key branding takeaways:
🤖 AI is here to stay
Artificial intelligence and its impact on the industry was heavily discussed with many brand activations at the festival involving the usage of AI. While some talked about the capabilities that allowed for better work, others talked about the pitfalls such as the lack of diversity in AI-generated images.
🤝 The business case for inclusivity
Due to diversity fatigue and culture wars, many companies have begun defunding their diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. However, one panel at the festival highlighted the commercial benefits of more progressive advertising, citing it helps brands sell more and retain customers.
⚖️ Brands can’t shy away from politics
Sessions highlighted the importance of brands getting involved in politics. According to Research Live, 60% of consumers buy brands based on their politics.
🎨 The power of the creator economy
This year was the first time the festival included a Creator Pass, an initiative designed specifically for content creators to learn about the advertising industry. Simon Cook, the CEO of Lions, acknowledged the major contributions influencers have had in advertising and the potential growth of the creator economy. Creators with a real connection to their audience are who brands should be partnering with, not necessarily the biggest names.
🏎️ Embrace the now
The “Coors Lights Out” ad campaign, born from a pure accident that went viral, was a Lions Award winner. Shohei Ohtani, a baseball player, damaged a billboard featuring a Coors Light ad with a foul ball, and within 48 hours, Coors responded with a special edition can that replicated the damaged ad. Brands should be moving fast to capitalize on what’s happening in culture.
Want to learn more about the Cannes Lions Festival? Visit canneslions.com
📸 Contagious
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Brand Campaigns Manager
3moGreat feedback and very relevant. Really aligned with many of things we observed on the ground as well like the stand out execution of Pinterest with very high direct engagement. Not sure if anyone noticed, but barely anyone was looking at their telephones when they were busy doing manual activities at the Pinterest Beach. Wow, now that is engagement and attention! I also loved your comments on the work life integration; I did see a few families there and it was surprising but I really thought it was just people passing through and did not connect it with Lions attendees. That's a fascinating shift. And of course, AI was definitely the big elephant in the room. Jose's comment on the impact it has on first timers was spot on; you're blown away and you know you're going to come back.