Marketing Beat’s Post

It's almost time for Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity.   For most attendees, the event is about toasting the efforts of creative departments, and getting a few deals underway (with some employing an approach of rosé-powered persuasion).   I love Cannes because it's a bellwether for the ad industry - and for business more broadly.   This week I wrote a column for The Drum about that very thing.   You'll find the link - as always - in the comments.   #cannes #advertising #creativity #ape

The countdown has begun! Join us THIS Wednesday as we get ready for the best week of the year in both advertising and the french riviera! We're talking about everything you need to know about packing, planning, and conquering your week at Cannes! Register to join us for this informational session through the link in the comments! #cannes #events #advertising #marketing #canneslions

Cannes In Cairns has come to a close! Known as the “Antipodean Festival of Creativity,” the Cannes in Cairns Festival has established itself as one of the premier industry events in Australia. Supported by several partners, including News Corp Australia, some of our News Xtend team had the privilege of participating in this special four-day event. With over 100 speakers and 10 fantastic networking events, the festival brought together experts in advertising, media, marketing, tech, and more. Here were some of the key takeaways: 1. Accessibility in #advertising: Advertisers are potentially missing out on $13 trillion globally by not making ads accessible. Adding captions or using easy-to-read fonts can help businesses engage with a wider audience. 2. "One way in, one way out" approach: Hushidar Kharas, Head of Prime Video Australia and New Zealand, shared this innovative strategy. It involves testing new ideas in teams with calculated risks and quickly moving on if they don't work. Hushidar emphasised that some of Prime Video’s/Amazon’s most significant successes have come from this approach fostering a culture of continuous improvement and minimising resource waste. 3. Inclusivity, diversity, and responsibility: There is a strong emphasis on these values in advertising. It’s important to think about where your brand or business can make the most impact and focus on providing solutions. We can’t wait to attend next year. Thanks, #CannesinCairns for having us! #NewsXtend #NewsCorpAustralia #CannesinCairns2024 Belinda MacPherson Karen Gill Matt Paine Edgardo (Jed) Tallada Amelia Faulkner Lisa Gillman Medha Mittal Mady Mitsoulas Anthony Christian Jacob Hoskins Sophie Madden Tristan Paul C. Andy Reeves Hannah Myers Emily Walker James Comino

Enter the Lions' den 🦁 Last week was the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, the largest gathering for those who work in creative communications, advertising and related industries. The week-long event celebrated the best in advertising with the Lions awards and educated attendees with talks on industry trends. Some of the key branding takeaways: 🤖 AI is here to stay Artificial intelligence and its impact on the industry was heavily discussed with many brand activations at the festival involving the usage of AI. While some talked about the capabilities that allowed for better work, others talked about the pitfalls such as the lack of diversity in AI-generated images. 🤝 The business case for inclusivity Due to diversity fatigue and culture wars, many companies have begun defunding their diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. However, one panel at the festival highlighted the commercial benefits of more progressive advertising, citing it helps brands sell more and retain customers. ⚖️ Brands can’t shy away from politics Sessions highlighted the importance of brands getting involved in politics. According to Research Live, 60% of consumers buy brands based on their politics. 🎨 The power of the creator economy This year was the first time the festival included a Creator Pass, an initiative designed specifically for content creators to learn about the advertising industry. Simon Cook, the CEO of Lions, acknowledged the major contributions influencers have had in advertising and the potential growth of the creator economy. Creators with a real connection to their audience are who brands should be partnering with, not necessarily the biggest names. 🏎️ Embrace the now The “Coors Lights Out” ad campaign, born from a pure accident that went viral, was a Lions Award winner. Shohei Ohtani, a baseball player, damaged a billboard featuring a Coors Light ad with a foul ball, and within 48 hours, Coors responded with a special edition can that replicated the damaged ad. Brands should be moving fast to capitalize on what’s happening in culture. Want to learn more about the Cannes Lions Festival? Visit canneslions.com 📸 Contagious ---------- #canneslions #cannes #branding #globalbranding #brandingcontent #brandingmanagement #strategicbranding #brandingforbusiness #professionalbranding #brandingstrategies #svanyc #mastersinbranding #svamastersinbranding #svamib #schoolofvisualarts #sva #svabranding #branding #gradschool #mpsbranding

I attended the D&AD festival last week with TwentyFirstCenturyBrand and I initially came away a little nervous about the state of commercial creativity. Some of the judges shared that the creative was lacking this year. One judge noted ‘I rarely saw something that felt new and disruptive’, another talked about how contrived brand and artist collaborations had become. A few of the talks themselves were so shameless in their self/brand-promotion, I’m pretty sure A.I. had written them. Overall, it felt like the festival was not just a reflection of our uncertain times, but of our paralysing anxiety and fear of the uncertainty. I understand the feeling. I’m scared too. And I know it can be hard to go up on stage and offer a truly new perspective when all the balls are up in the air. The talks that stood out to me though were the ones that highlighted how to take advantage of moments like this. The people and brands who saw the swirl, conflict, and chaos as invitations to imagine something better. Like Lisa Smith from JKR and Leslie Sims from Impossible Foods, who repositioned plant based meat to ‘meat from plants’ and demonstrated how challenging dominant narratives in culture can unlock limitless innovation. Or Sinéad Burke from Tilting The Lens who questioned why ‘accessibility’ is even the end goal for brands attempting to be more inclusive. Why can’t products for people with disabilities function and deliver on craft, beauty, joy? Or the great Peter Saville who acknowledged the everlasting tension between commercial and creative, but urged us all to follow the brief, not the rules. We are undergoing a heightened amount of stress and trauma at the moment. These speakers (and many others) sought to remind us that we are all capable of creating awesome things in times of crisis. They instilled in me a renewed hope for the future of commercial and creative excellence, and I’m very excited to see where we go from here. #twentfirstcenturybrand #brandstrategy #creativeexcellence #marketing #commercialcreativity

One of the boldest presentations at the Cannes Festival was Mark Ritson's. In a packed room, Ritson questioned the true importance of creativity in advertising. His standout chart was bold: Cannes-awarded creatives from the past three years, measured by System 1, haven't outperformed the market average. This highlights a critical lesson: we often award creativity for its own sake, not its business impact. Cannes celebrates creativity, but Ritson's analysis challenges us to rethink our priorities. Creativity is important, but it's only one element of an entire marketing strategy and, when measured, is not one of the leading factors of success. #CannesFestival #MarkRitson #CreativityInAdvertising #BusinessImpact #MarketingInsights #RethinkPriorities

This is WPP picking up Creative Company of the Year at Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity last week. In this weird and wonderful world of ours, this is the biggest prize of them all at the biggest show of them all. Now look at the guy holding up the trophy. He's surrounded by some GREAT people - some of the very best ever to do what we do. I'll pick out Rob Reilly, Liz Taylor, Devika Bulchandani, I bet the legendary Pandeys are up there, and Debbi Vandeven, and leaders from across all the group's agencies. Mark Read of course. They're obviously very happy. They're also saying thank you to the guy with the trophy. That's the orchestrator, connector, assessor, right-hand, left-hand and all-round creative excellence mastermind who played a role no-one outside the group will see. WPP won 160 Lions last week. That needs an extraordinary volume of great work of course. But that's not enough. It can't happen without the kind of intelligence, planning and diligence that Eric brings to that team. He and his team have done it before. They'll do it again. And while he might not be as 'visible' as a Rob or a Nils or an Anselmo or a Piyush or a Rob'n'Lol or a Colleen or a Jeff or a Dave or a Liz or a Margaret or a Cindy - everyone on that stage knows it it wouldn't have happened without him. I love the visibility of this industry, and our collective ability to make change happen. I love many of those leading the charge at the front. I also love that there can be less visible heroes too: the quiet influence and the soft power. Eric Monnet - chapeau mon ami.

A recurring topic at this year’s Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity I believe deserves our attention was the growing disconnect between agency fees and perceived brand value. Many brands voiced concerns that agency fees are too high while they view a lack of value in the work delivered. On the flip side, agencies argued that they are not being compensated enough for their efforts and creativity. Where is this disconnect originating and what could be a proper solution forward? This disconnect seems to stem from several factors: 🚩 Expectation vs. Reality: Brands may have high expectations for the impact of creative campaigns, sometimes unrealistic given budget constraints. 📊 Measurement of Value: There is often a lack of standardized metrics to measure the true value of creative work, leading to subjective evaluations. 🧐 Transparency: A lack of transparency in how fees are structured and how the value is delivered can cause mistrust and dissatisfaction. To bridge this gap, both brands and agencies could benefit from: 🤝 Longer-term Partnerships: Stronger creativity stems from longer-term partnerships, if brands embark on this they can lock in their fees multi-year. 📈 Value Metrics: Developing and agreeing upon the right standardized metrics to assess the value of creative work effectively. 💸 Transparent Pricing: Creating transparent fee structures that both parties understand and agree upon for better or worse. Addressing these issues collaboratively can lead to more successful partnerships and better outcomes for both brands and agencies. What are your thoughts on finding a middle ground in this ongoing debate? #CannesLions2024 #CEOinsights #CMOinsights #Marketing #Branding

Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity has finally arrived! Here are some remarks you will hear every day around the Palais: 1. “Why the hell hasn’t anyone thought about this before?” – proven fact: great ideas make a lot of sense when they are mature and successful. The challenge is appreciating them when they are still young and fragile. 2. “I once had an idea just like this one!” – can I tell you a secret? The person behind this idea probably said that many times as well, about other ideas. So, keep trying until someone else says it about your idea. Also, remember it’s not just about the idea, it’s also about execution and delivery. 3. “Wow! How did they come up with that?” – answer: they weren’t afraid to look for it. They believed in it even when others didn’t. They found a way to sell and/or produce it. 4. “So simple, so smart!” – so hard to come up with! 5. “We would never be able to approve something like this at our agency / for our clients / in our market” – from my experience, people with a long-life span in advertising love the creative thinking process, not just the creative outcome. So… if you still enjoy the thinking part – you are fine. Also… maybe it’s time for you to decide: are you OK with thinking about solid ideas in a more conservative environment (which is not a bad thing) or is time to move to another agency or another market which can cater your hunger for more creative freedom (which is not a bad thing)? 6. “That’s a scam. It was aired maybe once.” – Creative Excellence is about real work for real clients which made a real impact. No argument here! However… there is a difference between “Creative Excellence” and “Creative Thinking Excellence”. “Creative Excellence” awards should celebrate effective creative ads which were approved by clients. “Creative Thinking” awards can also celebrate amazing original disruptive thinking in general. What if… Cannes Lions added a category for exceptional creative thinking? NO RULES. Pure creative thinking. About ideas which a jury believes should be produced, not necessarily ideas a client will approve. The prize: financing the winning idea and bringing it to life. And a Lion. Of course… 7. “Maybe next year…” – YES. There is always next year! Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity #CannesLions2024 #CL2024 #LIONS2024 #Creativity #CreativeThinking #CreativeExcellence MindscapesCreativity

Being on the ground at Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, here’s my initial dispatch: In 2010, Cannes Lions dropped the word “advertising.” It made sense at the time because there were starting to be so many new forms of advertising that didn’t fit the old mold. Branding-wise, I believe it was a great positioning move. Since then, the festival has grown tremendously. It now attracts so many people from so many different job functions and companies, not just agencies and production companies. So many new categories have been added also. Naturally, I thought there would be way more creative work entered into the show. Not so. Almost 40% less creative work. Does that mean this industry is now less about the work and creativity? Creatives used to own the word creativity. That may have been true in the context of advertising. However, in a borderless, always-on world where anyone can create, creativity no longer belongs to creatives only. I made this point to a strategist friend of mine near the Croisette today. He said candidly. It never did. #CannesLions #creativity #advertising