Cannes Recap: Kasparov, Triple Jeopardy And Blowing S#!t Up
Guest writer Sally Kissane from Ogilvy (pictured) is enjoying her stay at the Cannes Festival already, as she discusses her favourite parts of day one of the event held in France.
Despite a gazillion years in advertising, I am a Cannes Festival virgin. I’ve heard the good stories and I’ve heard the bad. What would I make of it firsthand?
Well, I’m only 24 hours in, so early days. But I’ve got to say, so far it has not disappointed one bit.
The setting is amazing. The French Riviera in a heatwave. Not too shabby. Cannes I hear from the wizened pros who come year on year is a vastly different event from the Cannes of old. The days of hedonism are long gone. There are as many clients here as agency people. Does it feel sanitised and boring? For some maybe, but for me, not at all.
It feels like the ultimate celebration of creativity where clients and agencies, production companies and tech businesses mingle and exchange ideas. A great vibe.
In fact, I’m kind of kicking myself for waiting so long to come here.
Day one started with a bizarre flashback. As a fresh-faced junior suit arriving in New York to work on the IBM account, one of the first projects I experienced was the legendary clash between Gary Kasparov and IBM’s Blue Jean. To see Kasparov on stage today opening the show was nothing short of amazing.
He reflected on the last time he was on the very same stage twenty years ago when he simultaneously played chess in ten different countries via satellite link up beaming to big screens at the Palais.
It was a major feat back then. It’s a regular Teams call today. Times have changed.
The talk of Cannes is Ukraine and how we can apply the power of creativity to Defeat the Russians. A fascinating challenge and one that all Ukrainians are rising to.
Kasparov, for so long the best chess player in the world, but now a political activist for Ukraine living in exile from Mother Russia, reminded us of our corporate responsibility to do the right thing to help in this terrible war.
The Edelman data suggests that brands that have exited Russia have improved in favourability by 31% versus those that have stayed behind declining by 38%. Makes business sense to act too.
It was fascinating to see Kasparov and other speakers today refer to “brand Ukraine” fighting the war on values. ‘Regain Ukraine’ is his idea. But we saw some amazing other initiatives from other guest speakers and even a guest video appearance from President Zelensky himself this morning extolling the power of creativity to change the world. It seems this war is the ultimate ‘purpose’ in advertising right now. And rightfully so.
The overarching message is that this is a war that affects every country not just two. Get involved to save democracy. Use your creativity for good. The audience was suitably enthralled, me included.
Next up was the legendary Cindy Gallop, a woman involved in a different kind of war altogether, against stereotypes, toxic masculinity and today, the old models of advertising.
I love Cindy. She did a jam-packed working session on creating the agency model of the future. True to form, she did not mince her words and some of us were squirming in our seats reflecting on how our industry got to where we are today.
For agency leaders there are 3 “simple” questions she posed that are worth sweating over:
How can we be more creative?
How can we make a shit tonne of money?
What about your agency is going to make you terribly happy?
Some of my favourites Cindy take-outs which I’ll take back home were:
Get clients to pitch to work with you – how good would that be!
Profit share ideas
Free food and wine
And stick to a strictly no arseholes policy. No exceptions.
And finally, triple jeopardy. For the ad effectiveness junkies out there, you couldn’t ask for a better line up. Ad effectiveness guru Peter Field, attention economy supremo Karen Nelson-Field and creativity Maestro Orlando Wood argued that increasing share of voice to grow share isn’t cutting it anymore. Mostly because of how the money is being spent on channels and formats that don’t build your brand so greater spend is not necessarily the answer. They even went so far as to challenge the way award shows are judged, including Cannes.
So that’s day one. Nothing it seems is off limits. I like how advertising uses Cannes to take a good long look at itself too whilst at the same time celebrating the work.
Not sure about the sustained drinking of rosé however. Dangerous in this heat.
Please login with linkedin to comment
2022 Cannes LionsLatest News
The Mars Agency Announces Latest Findings Of Retail Media Report Card
The Mars Agency has developed a scorecard that assesses the capabilities of leading platforms across key criteria required to optimally plan, execute, and measure effective retail media programs. The scorecard aims To help brands efficiently evaluate their spending options across retail media networks in Australia (and New Zealand). With spending on retail media advertising in […]
‘It’s The Lesser Of Two Evils’ – NRL Eyes US Betting Market As Aussie Regulators Circle
US betting firms will be delighted by the circa 50,000 Americans who could soon watch the NRL on their favourite app.
A-League In Deep Discussions With New Partner To Keep Games On TV After Production Company Enters Administration
The A-League's insatiable appetite for scoring own goals continues.
TV Ratings (27/03/2024): Jungle Members At War Over Concealed Lipstick
A heated argument between two jungle members did the numbers for Ten last night, with I’m A Celeb obtaining a total national reach of 1,282,000. Fans were delighted as Candice Warner and influencer Skye Wheatley got into it over a stick of lipstick, leading Warner to dub the Instagram star “selfish.” Wheatley, best known for […]
Is The Australian Music Industry In Trouble? Inquiry Launched Following Splendour Cancellation
Earlier this week, an inquiry was launched into the challenges and opportunities currently facing the Australian live music industry in the wake of multiple festival cancellations. On 25 March 2024, the Minister for the Arts, the Hon. Tony Burke MP, asked the Committee on Communications and the Arts to inquire into and report on the […]
Liana Dubois, Leandro Perez, Aimee Buchanan & More Gather For Inaugural Compadres Leadership Event
Didn't get the invite? Perhaps you're not as important as you thought.
Cathay Captures The Unforgettable Thrill Of Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Rugby Sevens, Via Publicis
Nobody does rugby like Hong Kong, apparently. Certainly nobody does it as badly as Australia.
Cocogun Nabs Christine Watts, Kirsty Reynolds & Shev Tan Bolstering Management & Creative Teams
Cocogun bolsters its team with new hires. Committed to purchasing a bigger sofa, too.
The Media Store’s Jacquie Alley & Sam Cousins Take The Plunge With Pro-Bono Work For Cure Cancer
B&T chats with The Media Store bosses about their great pro-bono work and sponsored swim.
Hawke’s Brewing Co. Taps Rocket Comms For PR Agency Following Competitive Pitch
We're expecting Rocket Comms productivity to crash in spectacular fashion following this win.
Spotlight On Sponsors: Patties Serves Up A Taste Of Home For Olympians & South Sydney Rabbitohs Recommit To Gambling Reform
While the Rabbitohs commits to gambling reform, B&T reckons the team should commit to a decent auto sponsor.
Google: “Inevitable” That Bad Actors Will Abuse Ads Platform As Advertiser Account Suspensions Double
Google maintains it's simply impossible for it to entirely stop bad people placing & paying for ads using its service.
Quantcast Expands APAC Sales Team With Appointment Of News Corp Account Manager
No pressure at all when you are appointed as a client success manager.
Publicis Sapient Tests Microsoft-Powered Gen AI Search Tool With Homes & Villas By Marriott Bonvoy
Given Gen AI's record for mangling stuff, B&T cannot see the problem with letting it decide your next holiday digs.
Volkswagen & DDB Group’s “Roo Badge” To Reduce Kangaroo Related Road Collisions
Watch out for RooBadge as Cannes Lions' most debated campaign this year.
Twilio Launches Unified Profiles & Agent Copilot Features To Boost Productivity & Engagement
Agent Copilot sounds like James Bond's less interesting cousin.
Reebok & Honda Among New Clients For onetwo agency
OneTwo finally lives up to its name with this double billing.
Ogilvy Report: Throw Out The Social Strategy Rule Book, The Rules Of The Past No Longer Apply
B&T was puzzled that all 'influencers' aren't, effectively, 'virtual', but here we are.
WhiteGREY & AKQA Merge In Australia, Lee Simpson Departs
Fortunately, the combined agencies aren't opting for a trite portmanteau for the new name.
Splendour In The Grass 2024 Music Festival Cancelled!
Music fans all over the country reportedly relieved they can pack away their rain coats and gumboots for another year.
TV Ratings (26/03/2024): “Fairy Bread, F***ing Disgusting”: Gordon Ramsay Slams Aussie Food In Food Stars Launch
Ramsay not one for mincing his words, even when it comes to minced meat pies.
Paramount+ International Boss Doubles Down On Aussie Content, Says Ad-Tier will Grow Audiences And Revenue
Good news as Paramount will not be binning I’m A Celebrity for re-runs of Frasier.
Brent Smart: Telstra Pushing For 50-50 Brand-Performance Split But Warns Numbers ‘Won’t Look Great’ Initially
The old brand vs performance debate continues. But here, Brent is firmly sitting on the fence.
Crowded House, Tones And I & Dom Dolla Win Big At The Shure Rolling Stone Music Awards
B&T staffer reports back with humdinger of a hangover & feeling seriously uncool after mixing with music types.
Opinion: Dyslexia “A Hidden Gem” For Brands & Agencies
Dyslexics offer underappreciated benefits in the corporate field, according to this op-ed.
David Jones Taps Criteo To Power Online Retail Media Arm
Want to see ads for things you probably can't afford? David Jones has got you covered with new retail media play.
oOh!media Sets Up Team To Target Business Audiences Across Airports & Offices
oOh! wants brands to harass you every minute of your next business trip.
QMS Launches Australian First DOOH & TV Partnership With Samba TV
Samba TV, of course, is not a channel dedicated to dancing. Much to our dismany.
Slew Of New Hires At Amplify
Four new faces join the Amplify offices. Team say desk scarcity becoming "acute".
Adobe Announces Content Authenticity Initiative Expansions To Counter Deep Fakes
Try as they might to enlighten them, we suspect Trump supporters will continue to watch and believe Fox News.
The PR Group Appoints TechCrunch Senior Reporter Catherine Shu As Director Of Content & Media
Catherine Shu makes the bold leap from journalism to PR. Says inevitable pay bump was "unrelated".
HERO Nabs Ebony Santin From AMPR
Rumours Santin cleared out the stationery cupboard before departing are as yet unconfirmed.
Karena Noble Checks Out Of EVT Hotels & Resorts To Launch Comms Consultancy
Noble still managed to squeezed in a continental breakfast before departing.
Canva Acquires Design Platform Affinity To Bring Professional Design Tools To Every Organisation
Canva & Adobe face off continues. We're not picking sides but keenly aware that Canva's office is next door to ours.
“Lean On Our Team To Help You Find An Audience”: Why Understanding Audience Engagement Is Essential In Journalism
Engaging the audience is critical to journos, apparently. We'd thought self-loathing & alcoholism were key.
Adobe Summit: Major Gen AI Developments, Data Concessions & Partnerships
What happens in Vegas stays there. Unless it's the Adobe Summit and then you get to read about in B&T.