2021 Cannes Lions Wrap Up. The big themes.

 Cannes Lions is not just an awards show it is a cultural dissection. It provides tremendous insight into what matters to us. Creative is the canary in the cultural coal mine.

Covid’s tentacles were everywhere. Every speaker, session, and jury acknowledged it. Now we have hope and vaccines, but last spring we had neither. And you could traceCovid’s lifeline through the work.

Early ideas like Nike’s You Can’t Stop Us rallied our spirits. While Heineken’s Shutters helped small bars survive lockdown by paying to advertise on their shutters. it was a brilliant reinvention, and created a brandable moment.

Thai Airways turned isolation into rewards by rewarding people for staying home.

But there is permission to laugh again. The cheese dust-riddled Cheetos Can’t Touch This spot with MC Hammer won largely because people want to be silly again.

Brands are now expected to support social change. This year the juries mandated action over words. It’s an evolution whose time has come, evolving us beyond Lion bait. That is the magic of ideas like Michelob Ultra’s Contract for Change. It was a long-term commitment to farmers to convert to organic farming.

Cross-pollination is its own kind of magic. PR companies continued to morph into agencies, and it showed on the podium.

The juries and work are no longer one colour, creed, gender or sexual orientation. The murder of George Floyd shook the world and the subsequent rise of BLM led to the most stunning piece this year; Beats by Dre’s “You Love Me”. It posed the question: you love my culture, but do you love me?

The remaining “ism” is ageism. Given the aging population and power of the Boomer wallet we still aren’t seeing age reflected or talked to in a meaningful way by many brands. This is a real opportunity.

Gaming has risen sharply in importance. Fortnite reinvented itself to became a platform to help children recognize and report abuse. Will brands continue to flock to gaming? I am betting yes.

The use of deepfake resulted in #stillspeakingup, featuring a murdered journalist digitally resurrected to fight government corruption. Fiction and reality blurs yet again.

This year the most dominant themes are those that are keeping us all up at night: climate change, sustainability and a planet choking in plastic. The Credit Card Diet laid it bare in a way that you cannot forget. The biggest issues we face were woven through every single category.

Creativity can help save the world

Yes, we help people wash their clothes, clean their hair and choose the right bank. But creativity is a powerhouse that goes much, much further. It helps cure illnesses, fight wrongs, and change minds.

I believe creativity has the power to transform any obstacle into an opportunity.

Just look at the Cannes Lions winners. I rest my case.

Day 4 - Cannes 2021: Ryan Reynolds brings us Fastvertising and Diet Storytelling, plus a deliciously fun Marmite spot

Finally! Our mandatory dose of Cannes celebrity.

Canada’s national treasure, actor Ryan Reynolds, is an agency owner who also helms Aviation Gin and Mint Mobile. I blame him for some of the funniest advertising this year. His secret (besides him) is “fastvertising”.  He deploys rapidly when he senses a cultural flashpoint. Case in point, he built an Aviation Gin spot around the lead actor in the universally despised Pelaton ad, faster than you could say “global mockery”. Ryan’s theory is that speed removes layers, allowing good ideas to find life faster.

Reynolds also offered the best definition of advertising ever heard. He calls it “diet storytelling”. Our craft is creating micro-stories. We construct a story with a beginning, middle and end stuffed into a few seconds. In that blink of an eye we spur our audiences to buy, or consider our cause or change their minds. It’s an art. Or maybe it’s magic. Likely a bit of each.

Speaking of magic, I bring you Marmite – the most polarizing spread on planet Earth. You love or loathe it, there is no middle ground. In this brilliant activation they went beyond subliminal seduction and went straight to mind control. They hired a famous hypnotist to convert avowed Marmite haters. Unable to air the spot, the agency took it into research, filmed, and shared the results.

If you are in need of a smile today have a peek. You can thank me later.

Many brands made their mark this year by helping others during Covid. Some chose to help small struggling businesses cope, others showed support for healthcare workers. The Brussels local transit had a special bus carry messages to loved ones in lock down. Recliner Radio really stood out. The pandemic exacerbated an issue facing many seniors: isolation. Agency Luckie created a pirate radio station called Recliner Radio, and retirement home residents became its DJs. They created a 1-800 number to phone in requests and dedications. It’s an utterly new spin on the golden age of radio.

Best buzzwords on Day Four (thank you Ryan Reynolds)

• Fastvertising

• Diet storytelling

Lots more to share tomorrow, on our final day. Canada is on a roll, by the way. We have now exceeded the most Lions we’ve ever won. Congratulations to everyone. We are crazy proud.

Day 3 - Cannes 2021: Blurring the line between PR and advertising, long format content and Nobody is Normal

In a year where activations were scarce, an Irish organization drew attention to the plight of homeless veterans with Sleeping Flags. They sewed sleeping bags from Irish flags and handed them out, while also staging a “sleep out” in front of the Assembly of Ireland. It spurred increased donations and government funding.

Where is your finish line? What if you didn’t have one? As the line between PR and ad agencies continues to blur, Edelman won their first Grand Prix for Eternal Run for Asics. Founded on the insight that every runner runs for their own reasons (so true) they created a race with no finish line to showcase new Asics technology. So smart.

Content has evolved in a way the flies in the face of our assumption that attention spans are diminished. The inverse is true and longer format is increasingly popular. Perhaps it’s in part due to our migration to subscription services and streaming but most of the top winners in Content were long format. Apple’s WFH was 7 minutes long.

Nobody is Normal

Cheetos won for Creative Strategy for a zany spot starring M.C. Hammer singing, “Can’t Touch This.” The real winner should have been this incredibly insightful spot from Childline in the UK. This organization helps kids dealing with bullying, abuse and just life in general. This gem is called Nobody is Normal. It is perfect in every way. Quite possibly the best spot this year.

Day 2 - Cannes 2021: Gaming is on fire, Dogvertising and a pollution eating billboard

TREND ALERT: Gaming is on fire.

I now have my theory confirmed by every Jury President. Gaming is on fire. In fact, gamers represent a huge global community, as they play to meet others around the world – not just to play.  It represents a powerful platform that brands are now tapping into. For example. we have Wendy’s gamifying their gal in RPG’s Feast of Legends.

Burger King’s sponsoring of the lowly Stevenage team, transformed them into online heroes while also vaulting BK into the fray at the same time.

This year Xbox met travel guides and they created a brilliant baby: Gaming Tourism. A brilliant travel guide to gaming worlds.

With The Uncensored Library for Reporter Without Borders, Minecraft became a loophole to bypass press censorship. In a space where young people can be educated, it provided them with a powerful tool to fight oppression: truth.

Data ethics is a hot topic. Juries awarded ideas that used data ethically. However, ethics are defined very differently country-by-country.

Canal+ met the criteria across the board with entry Winning Delays. Whoever said the joy is in the journey apparently hasn’t experienced flight delays. Well now, thanks to Canal+, waiting is worth it. Using flight data informed by your flight number they paired up entertainment timed to fit your delay. It seemed to walk a comfortable razor’s edge of privacy.

Innovative Media Shout-outs:

Dogvertising rings the bell, and it was likely Pavlov’s, because we are now conditioned to expect great ideas from Pedigree. They did not disappoint. The Dentastix outdoor campaign delivered customized messaging to dogs walking by, tailored to breed and size.

An outdoor board as clean as the car. This clever billboard for a new VW was created with paint that removes traffic pollution from the air.  Great innovated use of outdoor.

Changemaker Madonna Badger of Badger Winters is the reason awards juries, including at Cannes Lions, are now 50% women. She has changed the work that is awarded. “When you understand the harm that objectifying women in advertising does to young girls, you stop doing it, “ offered Badger. She is world famous for the igniting the unforgettable #WomenNotObjects movement.

Buzzwords du Jour:

Gaming. Gaming. Did I mention GAMING?

Day 1 - Cannes 2021: Packvertising, Shoppertainment and more.

2020 was the year that changed everything.  Every Cannes Lions speaker and topic explored how the plague has changed our lives, our expectations and our business. The Covid-driven ascendancy of virtual extends to almost every aspect of our life.

In McKinsey’s Creative Crossover session, Futurist Tracy Fellows observed that during Covid the gamer’s world became our world. Virtual experience replaced real ones.

Big Day One themes include sustainability, climate change, and plastic, plastic, PLASTIC. NFTs made an appearance, as predicted. 

Standout creative:

We ingest 100,000 pieces of microplastics a year – the equivalent of a credit card every week. This shocking fact was revealed by World Wildlife Federation. The Credit Card Diet champions the need for a global policy to reduce plastics and brings it to life in an unforgettable way.

NotPla technology makes plastic packaging disappear by creating it from seaweed instead. Genius.

Shift4Payments CEO Jared Isaacman bought all four spaces on Elon Musk’s upcoming first all-civilian mission to space and used them as the world’s most unique fundraiser.

Its commercial was first for travel to space and opened new territory for brands. “Brands will compete on an intergalactic scale now.” Ross Martin CEO of Known, the agency for Inspiration4.

Carla Buzasi WGSN on consumer trends.

We are craving certainty in an uncertain time. It has led to the rise of nostalgia. We seek the games and food of our childhood, when things were more predictable.

Companies noted a 48% increase in productivity during Covid. Yet some boom towns turned to gloom towns. Culture shifted. Those who could not get a seat at the table decided instead to build their own table. Support local became paramount. We have an increased sense of community.

“Shoppertainment” has become increasingly important with the shift from in-store shopping to online. During Covid people shopped for entertainment and that trend is expected to continue.

“Packvertising” is the newest buzzword. Packaging now flexes its muscles and helps with the heavy lifting of brand building.

Your desk is a dangerous place according to Unilever’s Connie Braams. Marketers need a bigger view of the world. The post-Covid reality? Business as usual is over. More than ever is expected of brands.

WaterLight by Edina leads the clean energy revolution by converting saltwater to electrical power. It’s sustainable. All you need is ½ litre of salt water for 45 days of electricity. Brilliant.

Neil Lindsay from Amazon and Yuval Noah Harari (Sapiens author) on what a brand is:
Nations, money, gods, religions...they’re all brands. They’ re a result of storytelling. What holds human beings unique from all other mammals is their ability to co-operate with each and create a system. That is what builds cathedrals and hospitals and creates art and inspires crusades.  

TREND ALERT
In China 25% of TikTok users are now 40+. Are we seeing a social platform shift that will extend across the globe?

Work I am glad to see awarded at Cannes this year:
Ogilvy’s Dove Courage is Beautiful. I’m not biased because it’s Canadian. It’s because it’s wonderful.