Cannes 2013: Sun, sea, storytelling and social purpose
Ash Bendelow, managing director of Brave, reflects on this year's Cannes Lions festival, where the best - and worst - of the industry was on show.
Ash Bendelow shares his thoughts on Cannes 2013
At Cannes 2013, strolling down La Croisette, the most striking impression is the seismic power shift from the big agency names to the most progressive brands. Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr... they all have significant physical presence as the branded bastions of creative community. Whether beach or gutter bar takeovers, it is these guys who are seemingly shaping the creative agenda – and the trend continues inside the Palais where nearly all of them have speaker slots in the grand audi.
Inside the Palais (and arguably on the Carlton terrace), you see the best and worst of our global industry. Seminars and talks range from amazing to absurd, from superficial to profound, with the worst proving cringeworthy, unashamed ‘selling’ of agencies and brand owners. However, a few key themes definitely emerged:
Storytelling is the zeitgeist
Commentators at every seminar I attended mentioned storytelling as the way in which the entire advertising paradigm is evolving for brands to better connect with people. As storytelling has been the heart of our proposition for so years, it is bittersweet to see it validated on such a mass, global level!
Cannes Lions v. SXSW – the celebration of innovation
The most exciting thing about our industry is the way it constantly shape-shifts and re-invents itself. The most dynamic and progressive agencies create products, platforms and services – not just words and pictures – for their clients. This may be the first time Innovation has had its own stage at Cannes but it will inevitably steal more of the show in future years, fuelling debate about what the Lions offer compared to SXSW in terms of awards, seminars and learning.
The industry as a force for good
The cynic in me would question whether some of the briefs genuinely existed in the first place, as it is standard practice for agencies to create work themselves with the agenda to purely win here in Cannes. However I’m not sure that even matters when some of this year’s winners had social purpose that created such a profound positive cultural, social and even in some cases political effect on the world.
The dominance of the networks and the integrity of the Lions
South America, particularly Brazil, is unquestionably a current hotbed of creative talent. An IPA seminar earlier this year, hosted by Cannes CEO Philip Thomas, tried to dispel the myths of who wins at Cannes; yet when you flick through the shortlists and read down the columns, it is sad to see the sheer muscle of the network agencies compared to independents. With judging panels (quite rightly) dominated by senior network executives, you can understand the rumours of tactical voting and juror spats – but I’m not alone in trusting the Lions to ensure that great work and ideas rise to the top.
As I reflect on Cannes 2013, while liberating the collection of wristbands that has been building up over the week, I recall an amazing experience. It is refreshingly sobering (if slightly surreal) to see people from all over the world present genuinely moving work at Oscar-esque ceremonies – and then collect their Gold Lions in shorts and flip flops!
While we might not be quite the dominant Cannes force we once were, it was gratifying to see the UK box well above its weight, scooping 30 per cent of the creative effectiveness golds. And it was touching to see the sheer breadth of UK creativity typified by the presence of two inspirational, yet very different, forces from either end of the age spectrum – the sharp, 17-year-old Summly creator Nick D’Aloisio and the enchanting, 72-year-old Vivienne Westwood.
You can follow Ash on Twitter @ashleybbrave