The first two and a half days of the Festival have been a blur of activity. As in years past, the majority of attendees appear to be more interested in seminars, workshops, and screenings than the actual award shows. The days (and the auditoriums) are packed with discussion of digital, mobile, brand integration and the agency model of the future -- topics we have been discussing and debating over and over for years.
I would argue that the best conversations are the ones being had after a long day of these presentations. You can go to seminars and screenings all day, but nothing compares to the depth of knowledge shared this week through face-to-face communication. Which is why you'll find a great number of the more seasoned marketers hanging out on the Carlton Patio -- the center of the advertising universe during the Cannes Lions.
Early scuttlebutt has centered around the topic we have all been discussing as of late -- what method of communication is most relevant to consumers today? As my friend Chris Rossiter, director of production for Leo Burnett US, put it, "We are living the dream of Orson Welles -- reaching everybody in every form imaginable."
So, who's to say there is one best method? That branded content trumps a TV spot? Or that print is dead or digital is king? Maybe we should stop trying to name a winner and start coming up with more ideas worth talking about.
According to director, film-maker and creative genius Spike Jonze, "No one genre connects best with consumers. It's all about the idea." He believes that the idea must come first and then we can decide how best to communicate it. I don't think you'll find many people here that disagree with that. At least, I hope you won't.
Interestingly, that notion has led to a great deal of discussion around the kind of people we want to work with and that we want working for us. Maybe that's why Cannes feels like one long round of speed dating.
So, after my first few days here, the biggest reminder I am giving myself is that it all comes down to people. The people that develop the ideas, buy the ideas, and ultimately, the people that engage with our ideas, pass them along, buy our products and of course, talk about them with their friends.
Lisa Bennett
Chief Creative Officer of DDB West
DDB San Francisco
The Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival has long been viewed as the "Oscars of Advertising." The creme de la creme of award shows in our industry. But rather than one single night of festivities, the very wise staff of the Cannes Lions created a week-long event consisting of not one, but four award shows, hundreds of screenings and dozens of seminars. The festival that was once known as a gathering for industry creative types and the directors and production companies that bring their ideas to life, gradually transformed into a conference worthy of global marketers such as Microsoft, McDonald's, P&G, Yahoo!, HP and Google.
Clients everywhere caught wind of this phenomena and soon, those at the top of the advertising food chain were not only attending, but actively participating in seminars and conducting workshops throughout the week. These savvy marketers recognized the value of immersing themselves in creativity occurring in their industry and others around the globe. And it certainly didn't hurt that the festival was taking place in the French Riviera. The sessions and seminars comprising the Cannes Lions gradually became more focused on the changing media landscape and trends in marketing attracting not just creatives, but clients, client service types, reporters, and so on. Very wise indeed.
Needless to say, the third week of June in Cannes, France is now teeming with clients, creatives, directors, producers, planners, recruiters and reporters from all over the world. It's a regular who's who of marketing. And with that type of crowd, one can only imagine the conversations taking place up and down la Croisette -- the main boulevard in Cannes that runs alongside the waterfront. The patios of the hotels and bars that line the boulevard are a hotbed of social activity. Talk of what ideas will take home the biggest prize, which agencies are the hottest, which marketers have the highest get it factor, and of course, rumors, gossip and speculation on the next big thing.
So, I've decided to blog this week on the "scuttlebutt" in Cannes. According to trusty old Wikipedia, the term scuttlebutt corresponds to the iconic colloquial concept of a water cooler, which becomes the locus of congregation and casual discussion. Seems appropriate. After all, Cannes does become one giant water cooler during the Festival. Or for some, one giant wine cooler.
Lisa Bennett Chief Creative Officer of DDB West DDB San Francisco
Social connectivity is the driver behind the greatest leap in human and brand evolution so far this century. Social media is the single greatest agent of change in both the wider world today and specific commercial channels. From the news being reported real-time through Twitter, to brands developing and altering their products based upon social feedback and democratically enabled creativity and utility - the meek have truly begun to inherit the earth.
Bernbach said: “Word of mouth is the most powerful medium of all.”
Trusted conversation, referrals and advocacy are the most powerful purchasing factors in the marketplace, making social media the most important but least defined of the digital channel tiers. Those that get the fundamentals right will be the most powerful brands of the new century.
In this Cannes seminar, delegates learned how to best leverage social media. In addition to drawing on examples from across the industry, TribalDDB highlighted client Hasbro, and delegates heard a leading brand’s beliefs on this new age of social media as well as how those are informing future business and marketing decisions. They also heard about the latest social media practicalities: the way that brands can harness the social power of Joe Public, create marketing mechanics and experiences wherein public opinion is facilitated and incentivized in order to reach a specific campaign goal, and how to best facilitate this social creativity.
It’s time to start thinking beyond viral and even beyond mobile, at least as we think of them now. In this blog post, I’ll talk about how to enable new forms of creativity by harnesssing emerging technologies to elevate the OOH consumer brand experience.
Experience Proximity Series
The Experience Proximity series is an interactive 3-D media platform designed to redefine the out-of-home consumer experience. The Experience Proximity series presents first-of-its-kind mixed-reality digital signage that is capable of transforming both time and three-dimensional space. The only limitation to augmenting any physical location is the creative vision of the designers.
The Experience Proximity consumer experience platform uses proprietary technology to spatially register and align a targeted physical area with one-to-one, millimeter-to-millimeter precision. By tracking the dynamic viewpoint of the observer, the Experience Proximity Lens allows 3-D virtual content to be spatially aligned with and immersed within the surrounding environment. As the observer moves, the content is dynamically repositioned, creating a window-like viewing experience.
OOH Interactive Signage
KABOOM! This larger-than-life superhero smashes into your theater lobby. As an observer enters the “proximity zone,” the experience proximity display transforms into its immersive mode, engaging the movie patron by using full body tracking and in-world registration. Advanced 3-D rendering capabilities and dynamic gesture recognition allow the observer to cross into this imaginative world by interacting with the characters and engaging in a full micro-gaming experience.
Retail Consumer Experiences
Merchandise comes to life as stunning lifelike visuals and audio transport your customer into a remote natural paradise. By engaging the natural senses, experience proximity can capture the customer’s attention and provide an emotional connection to the product. Allow this experience to become reality by enabling the customer to book a campsite for the weekend.
Lisa Bennett
Matt Ross
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