The second day of Cannes Lions saw a series of creatives head to the Palais’ terrace, hidden away from the from the Debussy and Lumière stages which have appeared to become the preserve of well-heeled and AI-focused businesses.
Heading to the Terrace were Laura Jordan Bambach, founder and chief creative officer at Uncharted; Rajdeepak Das, chief creative officer of Publicis Groupe, South Asia, and chairman of Leo Burnett, South Asia; Cameron Adams, co-founder and chief product officer of Canva. It was moderated by Chloe Markowicz, editor at Contagious.
Rajdeepak Das: Impacting a Billion Lives
Kicking off the session, Das articulated his ambitious vision for the Publicis Groupe’s, South Asia arm. He spoke about the agency’s commitment to making a positive impact on a billion people’s lives.
“It’s been 15 years but we’ve only just cracked the surface of this country,” Das stated, underscoring the vast potential yet to be tapped.
He conveyed a long-term perspective, asserting, “If we want to reach a billion, we need 20 years.”
His vision encapsulated a commitment to sustainable and impactful growth, aiming for meaningful connections and societal contributions over the coming decades.
Laura Jordan Bambach: Embracing Optimism and Entertainment
Bambach, meanwhile, shifted the conversation towards the ethos and challenges of modern creativity. With her background in digital, she expressed excitement about current global trends, urging for “more optimism and less optimisation.”
Bambach critiqued the current metrics of success, suggesting, “We’re measuring the wrong thing in our work.”
She highlighted the importance of entertainment in building brand trust, advocating for creativity that transcends numbers to make both the work and the world a better place.
“Technology needs to be reinvested in work that matters to create great work,” she concluded, pushing for technology to serve as a means to enrich creative endeavours.
Cameron Adams: Democratizing Creativity with AI
Adams offered a futuristic perspective on creativity, emphasising the transformative potential of AI.
Acknowledging the “existential angst about AI,” he reassured the assembled crowd that AI will “usher in a new world of creativity.”
Adams highlighted Canva’s mission to democratise creative tools, stating, “We find that if we put a democratised tool in people’s hands, it flourishes.”
He did not, however, mention that harebrained rap performance at its recent Canva Create event.
Adams said he envisions a future where creativity is more accessible, diverse, and innovative.
“Creative fields will get larger and more diverse,” he predicted, speaking about the importance of human ingenuity in harnessing new tools.
“Nobody wants to be doing the same thing in 10-20 years,” Adams noted, stressing that innovation is integral to human nature and progress.
A Unified Vision for the Future
The session underscored a unified vision among industry leaders: a commitment to impactful, optimistic, and democratised creativity.
Das’s long-term goal of reaching a billion people, Bambach’s call for meaningful and entertaining creative work, and Adams’s optimistic view on AI and democratisation, together painted a compelling picture of the future.
As the creative landscape continues to evolve, these leaders remind us that the heart of creativity lies in its ability to inspire, entertain, and make a lasting positive impact on society.
Reporting by Chloe Noel De Kerbrech.
