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Cannes Lions

Creativity in a multi-screen world dominates Monday at Cannes

By Marc Galens |

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June 17, 2014 | 3 min read

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Day two of the 61st annual Cannes Lions has come and gone and so far everything has been better than advertised. Monday’s theme was “Creativity in a Multi-Screen World,” and considering the plethora of tablets, phones, and wearables at the conference, it’s certainly a fitting theme.

Instead of focusing on the technology that enables cross-device media planning and buying, the various sessions focused on storytelling. Dunkin' Donuts showed examples of TV commercials that were inspired by customer tweets, while Sharethrough explained how the “feed” has enabled brands to use headlines as a storytelling device. As we further develop our understanding of how people consume media across devices, we’ll likely begin to see more and more creative tailored specifically for each medium.

The cross-device phenomenon begs a great question: as traditional media is de-silo’d and technology companies play an increasingly larger role, people have asked if this means that agencies will be shut out of the brand’s plans. Across the board, though, we’re seeing both brands and tech companies consistently emphasise that the increasing emergence and integration of technology in media will actually drive the brands closer to the media and creative agencies.

Nowhere was this more apparent than at a panel co-hosted by TubeMogul and SpotXchange – “A Programmatic View From the Rooftop.” Most panels feature either agency executives or publishers or brands – but rarely a combination of the three.

Featuring Bonin Bough (Mondelez), Ron Amram (Heineken), Josh Jacobs (Accuen), and Michael Salerno (Turner Broadcasting), this panel was interesting, insightful, and thought-provoking.

When asked point-blank about the evolving role of technology companies and media agencies, both Bough and Amram affirmed that despite the fact that their brands have taken an increased interest in retaining ownership of their data, agencies still play – and will continue to play – an integral part in their advertising strategies. Their experience aligns brands' marketing objectives with current viewership trends, knowledge of emerging technology, and a holistic view of the entire advertising ecosystem.

Interestingly, John Costello, president of global marketing at Dunkin Brands Inc., shared this same sentiment: “As we’ve gone deeper into digital, it’s only strengthenedÍ our relationship with our agency,” explained Costello. “Our agency and our internal marketing department work seamlessly together.”

Josh Jacobs, CEO of Accuen, echoed the sentiments: “We have an integrated team of digital specialists and traditional media and that's a very strong compliment to programmatic.” In other words, they understand that they need to get rid of the traditional TV and digital silos and plan holistically without regard to medium – more importantly; they’ve already started the process.

This is one worth following.

Marc Galens is senior vice president of international sales at TubeMogul

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