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


Posted on June 21, 2010 2:59 PM | Permalink

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