Not Cannes Lions. Day Three.

Culture defines our business. We reflect it. We shape it. We are of it. That is why non-Cannes this year is such an emotional rollercoaster. It is equal measure anger, inspiration and giddy hope. The long, sad shadow cast by the pandemic is coupled with the rage ignited by the murder of George Floyd,

Courage is beautiful
Edelman and Unilever encouraged brands to be “super solvers” and use their forces for good – a now deeply familiar theme.

But an empathetic voice must be flanked by action ­– especially in these times of loss of life, of health, of livelihood. The change this year has been profound and global. We are united in our mass mandatory cocooning. Our “personal” connection is now digital. Cash-strapped is the universal norm. As such, our priorities have shifted.

Edelman’s Trust Barometer reveals there has been a massive reordering of trust since January 2020. With Covid-19 has created a time when we all have a moral obligation to act. Don’t just say something. Do something. Here is one of my favourites from this year that captures the power of courage.

Creativity is a Force for Good
P&G’s Marc Prichard is always one of my favourite speakers. I have an ad crush on him. He approaches our world in a deeply thoughtful manner. Today he urged us to use our power of creativity to be a force for good. This is the dominant message at non-Cannes this year, and one he has always preached. He practically invented the p-word. (Purpose, of course). To heal the world, to create a world of equality for all, we can and must fight together to make a difference. This awakening is 400 years in the making. Pritchard shared P&G’s commitment is detail including an accountability framework; racial equality roadmap. In closing he entreats us to educate ourselves, to step up for equality, justice and action. And most of all, to unleash the remarkable power of creativity. He pledged P&G’s commitment to do the same.

P&G’s Marc Prichard entreats us to educate ourselves, to step up for equality, justice and action

 A little thoughtful viewing for you:

P&G continues its series of thought-provoking films on bias and racism with "The Choice," an invitation to the often-silent majority to become allies.

"The Pause" is calling out the struggle of hesitation that the LGBTQ+ community experiences every day before deciding how much of themselves to reveal

.

Originally debuted in 2017, "The Talk" highlights a painful, but necessary conversations Black parents have with their children.

Wisdom from Chelsea Clinton on improving the world:
“Optimism is the only moral choice.”

 Wisdom from her dad on improving the world:
“Get caught trying to make a difference.”

Stay tuned for more.

Not Cannes Lions. Day Two.

As I sit here not watching the sun set over the Mediterranean, the second day of virtual Cannes Lions draws to an end offering some pronounced themes. Past years we have spoken of the need for diversity. This year shifted full throttle into the fight for social justice, and the urgent need for racial equality.

 Covid-19 casts its long shadow across every aspect of our lives. It has changed our business forever, and those who are nimble will thrive. Interestingly, the restrictiveness of the plague seems to have fed defiance, and the will to create no matter what.

Witness Mi Pandemia, a global short film series created during lockdown in collaboration with director Luis Aguer.

J. Lo’s other squeeze
Alex Rodriguez was today’s celebrity cat nip. Charming as he was, the greatest insight I can offer you is that he was able to squeeze into wife J. Lo’s white sheathe for TikTok fame.

Give me yesterday
Future Sculpting by Dentsu was a very unsettling presentation. A disembodied voice intoned that “placing value on personal impulse” led to greater creativity. It cited the example of prototyping of food to look like Lego, and a “tuna-scope” that allowed you to assess tuna without ever even touching it or seeing it. Unlabelled is a garment created for those fearful of excessive monitoring. And finally, AI that allows you to create performances by dead people. If this is the future of creativity, stop the car and let me out now.

Laying in wait for 2021

Quirky is as quirky does
Trevor Robinson, creative director and founder of the Quiet Storm agency was intriguing. His topic was The Importance of You. Why Self is the Most Important Tool in Your Creativity Box.

He champions figuring out who you are and finding where you belong versus trying to fit in a holding company-dictated pigeon hole as the path to greatness. His wonderfully risqué sense of humour has led to some great creative over the years. He’s a fan of using adversity to fuel positivity and urges us to use it to add to our armour.

Quote of the Day
“Your Instagram won’t save lives. Do something dammit.”

Overheard on a Yacht
Nothing.

Cannes. Almost Live. Day One.

How very odd to be attending Cannes Lions this year from the solitude of my dining room table. It lacks the frantic buzz, and there’s nary a yacht in sight. But choosing which event to attend is much easier when there’s so few to choose from. I tucked my FOMO gently aside.

Let’s jump in.

Pivot is the word du jour. I have heard it used no less than 63 times today. I have even chanted it quietly a few times myself. But Rei Inamoto shared the four key pivots for businesses to grow in the new normal. His fascinating parallel was a world-famous high-end restaurant. Anything involving a pricy bento box has my immediate attention.

In the year ahead, creativity is non-negotiable for survival and success. We need to “unstatus quo” all we do. Today at Apple was cited as a remarkable example for their pivot (there it is) from mere bricks and mortar to educational hubs that celebrated creativity. Which leads me to an inevitable Steve Jobs quote, “Give people what they want before they know they want it.”

Big themes today included brand commerce’s evolution to “me commerce”; the future of work in the wake of WFH; the “Covid Mantra”of react, respond, rebuild.

Alex Bennett-Grant tackled advertising’s dirty laundry; racist casting, and what it will take to make a difference. Deeply thought-provoking, and timely.

Spotify highlighted the power audio as an antidote to the screen exhaustion we have all been experiencing. The under-30s are now binge-podcast listening. From an advertiser’s perspective it is also interesting to note that 81% of audio ad listeners take action. Sounds like podcasts are having a moment. It’s about time.  

Most thought-provoking quote of the day. Regarding the introduction of KFC’s new “pocket stores” in China (a pocket store, for the uninitiated, mobile ordering taken to an entirely new level) “KFC is a tech company disguised as a fried chicken store.”

Today’s events closed with a sax-playing sasquatch, called, appropriately enough, Saxsquatch. It was oddly soothing.

And finally, I’ve always believed that return on emotion is the new ROI. In these strange times, I was reminded of how much I loved this wonderfully empathetic work this year from Facebook. Enjoy. See you à demain. 

IN HOUSE OR OUT HOUSE?

I kicked a hornet’s nest. I blame it on P&G’s Global CMO Marc Pritchard. I’ve long been a fan, he’s a big thinker. Pritchard was one of the earliest marketers to embrace the power of purpose. In my books, marketing pearls typically drop from his mouth.

But this year he broke my heart. At a session in Cannes, he revealed himself to be a lusty and vocal fan of in-housing. In-housing!? This beacon of global creativity? For those unfamiliar with the term, “in-housing” is a euphemism  for “the client takes their creative in-house”.

In-housing is having a moment after years of a lull.  The number of companies choosing to in-house has almost doubled in the last ten years. So it’s kind of like whack-a-mole. 

My gut reaction was disbelief. I posted a chippy comment about in-housing being the bastion of the B League, a harbour for those whose who really didn’t give a shit about great creative. It was a triumph of budget over big ideas. You get the idea. It was a bit of tirade. The blowback was fierce. There are many frustrated clients out there.

The number one reason clients cut their agency is money. With tremendous pressure to deliver results for shareholders, many marketers feel their budget is better served bringing creative in-house. Some feel agencies have become too layered (read: expensive), and they are not providing sufficient value (again read: expensive). The cost of production is one issue according to James Bliss, Vice President Marketing + Communications at University Health Foundation. He feels it strains the corporate purse strings. Others lament that agencies care only about winning awards, not business results.

Agencies wanting to do award-winning work for their clients are doing what is exactly right for business. Studies by McKinsey have demonstrated repeatedly that the kind of creative that wins awards also drives business. 

In-housing can also come from a more positive place. Clients such as ATB Financial’s SVP of Brand Carol Shymgol value the encoded brand DNA, the tight internal relationships it builds. She feels everyone is mutually aligned on goals and vision and are fully invested in future success, and that they respect the power of creative.

Other marketers have embraced but fine-tuned the in-housing model. Disney has addressed the common concern about the quality of creative by tapping Canada’s much-awarded Helen Pak to run Disney’s internal agency Yellow Shoes. 

But sadly, for the majority, it’s strictly about the bottom line. For them the quality of creative is the acceptable sacrificial lamb. I am not even sure they’re aware of the compromise they are making. We’ve all seen it done wrong so many times. 

What about external agency partners? Agencies wanting to do award-winning work for their clients are doing what is exactly right for business. Studies by McKinsey have demonstrated repeatedly that the kind of creative that wins awards also drives business. 

That’s because remarkable creative smacks itself onto our collective radar screens. As someone who has judged every major award show, I know that stellar ideas are unforgettable. They shoulder their way past the tech-toggling ADD culture we now live in and rise above the clatter of the 5000 or more messages that bombard us daily. Competition is fierce, so we need good work now more than ever.

One of our greatest values as an agency is we aren’t you. Because in-housing done wrong can, at times, be myopic. It’s the same people, day-in-day out, sharing the same corporate world view. Our job as an agency is to challenge and question that. We bring fresh eyes to the table and represent the consumer’s voice. We share your pain, objectives and goals, but we sit outside your circle. Sometimes contrarian but often the balance needed to provide clarity in decision-making. 

We offer cross-pollination by sharing priceless learning from other categories because we so often work across many sectors. Agencies are typically deeply multi-media literate, bringing the critical bench strength to TV, digital, radio and OOH. We are immersed in craft of execution. And when clients build long-term relationships with us, we too speak their brand shorthand. So if not in-housing, what?

Consider sharing candid feedback with your agency. Work with a consultant to get back on track. In some cases, agencies need to pick up their game. In some cases, clients do. Often it’s a little of both. Failing that, you may need a new agency more aligned to your needs. 

Perhaps the perfect answer may lay in compromise; straddle both worlds. Have an ad agency for the heavy lifting, the big strategic thinking, the long-term projects that require fierce objectivity and deep creative expertise from conception to flawless execution. But flank it with in-housing for more of the day-to-day needs.

Let’s not all give up on the agency model. Not yet. It still has a vitally strategic role to play. Let’s just make it better.

Movember mo-ments in a virtual world

For generations to come, 2020 will be remembered as a year of innovation, reinvention and collaboration – among businesses, people, even governments. Strategy is taking a page out of the books of many others during the crisis, and doing its part to help organizations today survive for tomorrow.

Our new “Cause Doctors” is the cousin of “Brand Doctors,” a series from strategy’s archives that enlisted marketing vets to devise solutions for a brand facing new and ongoing struggles. Now, we’re turning experts’ attention to vulnerable non-profits, which are suffering from major disruptions that hinder their ability to fund life-changing programs.

Strategy asked a dozen creatives, marketers, academics, consultants and strategists to offer their guidance. And we’ll share their recommendations, one cause brand at a time, throughout the month. So check back regularly to see the advice our experts have given other non-profits, and make sure to visit CauseConnect to find out how you can personally give (and get) help.

• Non-profit: Movember

• Backstory: The organization exists to change the face of men’s health – to help men live happier, healthier, longer lives. Since 2003, Movember has funded more than 1,250 men’s health projects around the world, challenging the status quo, shaking up men’s health research and transforming the way health services reach and support men.

• The challenge: The organization is looking to develop a contingency plan to pivot its marquis November fundraising campaign should the current pandemic continues to impact fundraising events into the fall.

Frank Palmer, CEO, Elevator Strategy

Too many young men die because of prostate and testicular cancer. While there are so many worthwhile causes, everyone’s attention is focused on the COVID-19 virus pandemic. Motivating people to support Movember at this time is a tough task, given everything they’re dealing with almost 24/7.

COVID-19 has changed our entire day-to-day and social lives. If there is anything good that comes from staying at home, maybe it it’s that we become better parents, listen more, learn how important friends are and just how grateful we should be that we can communicate with them through technology.

Can you imagine how much stress we would be under if we couldn’t see or talk with loved ones? Because we are at home, all the usual things or events we are used to doing, aren’t open or available. No concerts, no sporting events, no group gatherings.

But, also, no visits to the barber or hairdresser. Maybe because of that inability to get a haircut, there’s an opportunity for all of us at home to assist with raising money for Movember?

So, here’s the challenge: donate some or all your hair salon savings from the quarantine to Movember.

Donate the money that you are saving by not going to the barber or salon for styling, cutting and colouring. Some statistics indicate that women spend $100 per month or more, and men spend $25-$30 per visit. That’s $1200 for women and about $200 or more for men as they go about six times per year.

We all know that women outlive us men. Maybe they can out-donate us this Movember too!

Now, is there an advertising agency willing to create the campaign?

Karen Howe, Founder, The Township

Movember and its hirsute reinvention of November has been part of the Canadian charitable landscape since 2007. In fact, Canada is the largest contributor of the 20 participating countries around the world.

Movember’s mission is “to change the face of men’s health,” an important subject that too often flies under the radar. Movember, as a brand, has built a strong annual platform. It also anchors a dreary month that needs all the help it can get.

As a Cause Doctor, my diagnosis involved consultations with regular Movember participants like Connor Leach. For him, community was key. Participation was effortless: don’t shave part of your face. The ribbing he and his “Mo Bros” got for looking like they belonged in a bad ’80s action movie was half the fun.

But this is a tough year for charities. Layoffs and wage cuts are rampant, and purse strings have tightened. It’s a hard time for organizations to ask for money. This year we should consider a pandemic pivot. With men being almost twice as susceptible to COVID-19, and headlines growing bleaker daily, the toll on mental health is profound.

Leach felt that Movember leads the charge for that important conversation.

The marquis Mo should be elevated to “priceless health equipment” status. We need to support each other on all social platforms. Thought-starters include creating Mo-ments on IGTV with participating celebrities, everyone from beloved chefs to local heroes. Follow the lead of TikTok and invoke the involvement of medical front-liners. Feature a fundraising leaderboard as a welcome distraction from coronavirus stats.

While even micro-donations are welcome – and have the power to help – what this campaign can really do is unite Canadians. Once again it can prove that a little moustache has the power to make a big difference – one that extends well beyond your upper lip.