Ironic that in a time when most marketers are calling for increased transparency, here at Cannes Lions 2018, Burger King has become famous by doing precisely the opposite.
This contrarian philosophy has resulted in some incredible work, all created by following hacker “rules”.
In the last two years we’ve seen BK hack Google Home and Wikipedia so a :15 second TV spot would trigger a full explanation of the Whopper’s ingredients. They’ve hacked McHappy Day by refusing to sell Whoppers that day, and sending the business to McD’s instead. They’ve redefined the burger emoji, and they’ve sold cheap airline tickets so Romanians can experience the only BK in Romania – which happens to be at the airport beyond the security gates.
Brilliant. Hence my continued adoration of all things Burger King.
Androids Make Us Nervous
The early aft session included “Androids. AI and the Future of Human Creativity.” We really didn’t get to the creativity aspect but it was thought-provoking. AI has caught up to movies and science fiction, and is “destined to surpass mankind” – whatever the hell that means. AI confronts our quest for immortality. Will that be defined as “inorganic intelligent life"? Many of us are already walking, talking partial robots (especially after a long week, but I digress). Will robots free us of labour? So, what’s the answer? It’s a work in progress, most of it chilling – just like the android on stage.
Headshaking Question
Publicis is here in force as attendees, judges and finalists for Lions after announcing they were sitting this year out. What the hell?!?
Only in Cannes.
Frozen rosé. Enough said.
Final Word for Today
Goes to the wondrous David Droga and his killer opening session. This man has never lost his awe of our business, which is one of the 67 reasons I love him. He talked about how creatives aren’t well enough compensated for what they do vs the guys clutching the purse strings. So ironic given that creative is the lifeblood of an agency. Well said, David. Well said.
