Reflections from my Deep Dive into Global Creativity , by WPP Media boss Aimee Buchanan.
I’ve just emerged from an intense few days within the Cannes Lions jury bubble. Three days of focussed discussion, rigorous debate, and deep immersion in some of the world’s most impactful work. For me, coming to Cannes, and particularly serving as a juror, has been a career aspiration since the very beginning of my professional career. Cannes is the epicentre of our industry’s creative output, the pinnacle of our industry. Being part of the Media Lions jury was the perfect way to experience Cannes Lions for my first time.
The journey getting there
Our journey began last Friday, a mammoth trip across time zones. We arrived to the quiet of Cannes, the calm before the festival’s storm. The beach, though still relatively bare, was starting to come alive with preparations for the week ahead.
That evening, we met our fellow jury members by the beach. It was fantastic to connect and finally put faces to names! We represented all four corners of the globe – from Argentina to Dubai, Ghana, Ireland, England, India, the USA, and me, representing Australia and NZ.
The three-day judging process is one of intense focus and Collaboration
Day one
We kicked off at 8 AM on the first morning. Our phones checked into bags hanging at the end of the room, meant they were out of sight and out of reach. This digital detox was, surprisingly, one of the highlights. It offered a rare gift of uninterrupted time and focus. Our jury quickly found a natural rhythm, as we debated, heckled and bantered, we worked our way through a very, very long list of case studies to refine these down to a golden few.
The high-volume of entries are important to highlight here…
Before arriving in Cannes, each juror had already completed two rounds of judging, reviewing over 600 entries each from an initial pool of 2000+ entries. It’s actually quite hard to comprehend. It involved countless hours of watching meticulously made case study videos, analysing detailed media plans, and scrutinising results to ensure a fair and thorough evaluation.
On that first day in Cannes, we started with a longlist of 277 entries, and our job for day one was to refine this down to 210. We moved systematically, category after category, watching the case study videos, digging into the role of media, understanding the challenges, analysing strategy, evaluating the core idea, and critically, assessing the results.
We were clear on what we were looking for. To identify work that genuinely moves our industry forward, setting new benchmarks for how media can drive results, shape culture, and embody true creativity. The opinions were varied, the points of view rich and the discussion and insights truly remarkable. Even working within a global network, opportunities to sit deep in the work and understand it from such a truly global perspective are rare. I came across work I loved, work that made me sit up and take notice, work that I wish my team or I had done, work that made me think, and work that really worked. Day one wrapped up at the civilised time of 9pm, just enough time to grab some dinner and head off to bed in preparation for what was next.
Day two
Day two was dedicated to selecting the work that would ultimately be awarded. Our target was to narrow it down to 65 entries. We sweated every case, painstakingly reviewed every video and cheered loudly when we agreed on our first award. Three hours in, we had only locked in about four winners. We weren’t a fast jury. We wanted to know that we had made the right choices and the work getting spotlighted was the best of the best.
We hit our stride after lunch, becoming more decisive as the truly exceptional work began to shine through. It was like we needed to go through the layers to get to the outcome, but that afternoon was our sweet spot. We got more decisive, the work got clearer, the gems were starting to shine brighter.
Our views were expansive, often revealing diverse viewpoints and a divided room, however there was a strong collective desire to ensure the selected work genuinely represented the media world we live in. We engaged in deep debate about the very definition of media and its role in campaign success. Some cases, while creatively brilliant, relied heavily on the creative idea, with media serving primarily as the vehicle to deliver the message. Others showcased media that was creative, lifting the message, informing the message, or even creating the message. The lines get blurry. With the production quality of the case study videos so consistently high, it can get intense. Some videos must have been watched 20 times by the time we had finished. Day two came to a later end, around 10:30 PM, with our list of 65 metal-worthy entries finalised.
Day Three
Day three, Monday, brought with it a different energy and tone. We were a little more tired, the jetlag was starting to kick in, and the start of the week and the festival brought a new level of busyness outside of the jury room that we had to mentally wrestle with. Cannes Lions’ external buzz began to intensify.
Our final day of judging was anticipated to be long and filled with intense debate. We began by identifying bronze winners, quickly shifting focus to silver and above. By lunchtime, we were meant to have our silvers and above decided, but we only had five. In true form, we returned from lunch with renewed energy and focus. Many of the foundational discussions had already taken place, allowing us to home in on the truly exceptional work and identify the real gems. Alignment on what was considered great and excellent work came faster, and by 5pm, we had our 30 silver Lions locked in.
The next few hours became about panning the gold from the silver to get it down to 12 golds. It was easy to get the first five, with a quick consensus. The remaining entries sparked more intense debate, particularly around what was media, and what wasn’t. Finally, at 10pm, we successfully locked in our gold award winners, met with a resounding cheer!
A quick break outside in the fresh, albeit sweltering night air, with a drone show high above us, was the reset we needed to gain clarity and keep going.
The Grand Prix
The final run of the evening was the Grand Prix. We went to a quick vote for the shortlist and landed on two strong contenders. The room was divided, with passionate arguments for each.
One represented the best of our craft, the craft we have refined over decades. The other embodied the future potential of what our craft could be. Our goal was to select a campaign that truly represented this moment in time that we find ourselves in, one that emulated the potential of what’s possible and pointed to where our industry is headed. After extensive debate, we reached a consensus. Another round of cheers, a celebratory glass of champagne, and our work was complete. It was a bittersweet moment – immensely satisfying to have identified the year’s best global work, touched with sadness at leaving our little bubble of debate and the luxury of wallowing in the work.
With the decision made, we finally left the jury room at 1am!
All good things must come to an end
This entire experience has been truly incredible, and one I will value with gratitude for many years to come. It has powerfully reinforced what makes our industry great, the profound impact our work can have on businesses, on culture, on brands, and on society at large.
Now, released from the jury room, I’m looking forward to experiencing what the broader Cannes Lions festival has to offer. La Croisette is buzzing, the heat sweltering, and the vibrant energy of our industry is truly alive.
