Cannes Lions day 8

The final day of the Cannes Lions festival was a slow one.  With only a few talks sprinkled throughout the once jam-packed schedule and line queues at the Debussy Theatre only barely reaching the top of the stairs (an unthinkably short wait compared to the Wednesday queues that spanned multiple floors and staircases), I thought that the talks I heard today wouldn't be of much interest to me.  However, one in particular turned out to be one of the most thought provoking talks I've heard all week.

"The World's Biggest Asshole."  And insult to some, but for millions, this name is one that inspired a national life saving phenomenon.  Donate Life, an organization dedicated to raising the percentage of those registered to be organ donors, created this absolutely incredible commercial detailing the life (and afterlife) of Colton Sweeney, dubbed the world's biggest asshole.  It was a really funny commercial for such a serious topic as organ donation, but I liked that it broke the mold.  I think that a sad commercial would have been just another one to add to the noise; it takes an unexpected commercial to break through the seas of slow music and sad stories.  Obviously I wasn't the only one that thought this, considering it won multiple Grand Prix awards across many diverse categories.  It was extremely effective as well; the film caused young men to start registering as organ donors in droves.  This session consisted of a panel of the commercial's creators, including executives from Donate Life and the Martin Agency.  They told the story of how the commercial was conceived and created; I was surprised to learn just how much criticism and doubt they received before the commercial even made it to the public.  I had assumed that an idea as bold as this one would receive a little doubt but ultimately be supported; this was not the case in the beginning. 

As the Cannes Lions festival comes to a close, I can't help but reflect on just how much I've learned in the past week.  I expected to come out of this week with a few new techniques and ideas under my belt, but what I got was so much more.  The many speakers that I've seen this week all have one thing in common, and it's that they absolutely radiate passion for the work that they produce and the people that they represent.  If nothing else, I have learned that passion is a beautiful thing that is absolutely vital in this business.  David Droga summed it up perfectly in his acceptance speech at the final awards show on Saturday night: the most important thing that you can do is care about what you're doing and who you're doing it for.  Without caring, your work will be nothing.  I will carry that lesson with me throughout the rest of my career.

Cannes Lions day 7

Friday was a bit of an adjustment. Going into Tuesday's hustle and bustle was a bit of a shock for me; however, I am now inclined to say that going from a crazy busy Thursday to a quiet, calm environment on Friday was even more shocking.  A lot of festival goers had either gone back home or were hungover from the parties the night before; while the the lessened population was a shock, it was also a bit of a pleasant surprise.

The first talk I went to, which actually turned out to be one of my favorite talks all week, featured Maurice Levy of Publicis interviewing Christine LaGarde, who is a lawyer-turned-managing director of the International Monetary Fund.  As the first female managing director of the IMF, LaGarde described the hardships that came with her newfound position.  "It's very difficult for a woman to be taken seriously in a management position," she recounted.  One of the best answers that she gave was when Levy asked how she came about being unanimously voted into her position the first time around.  LaGarde shook her head and laughed, and then went on to say that it was because men don't want the power when things are going poorly.  Her resilience and positive outlook on tough situations are inspirational to me, and I will be sure to take her advice to heart if my abilities are ever doubted simply because I'm a woman.  I will say that I got a bit bored when the conversation turned to financial policies and such, but I guess that's why I'm not a finance major.

The other interesting talk that I went to today was by none other than Burger King, the Cannes Lions Creative Marketer of the Year.  The talk was titled "How to Suck Less as a Client" and featured a performance by the two Burger King mascots.  The talk was extremely fun and kept me awake, but I think that it was also pretty unorganized.  As I look over my notes on this talk, it seems as if the subject changed multiple times.  I personally would have enjoyed a seminar in which Burger King showcased some of their most creative pieces of advertising and explained the thought process that went into them.  Instead, they simply gave random pieces of advice and facts that didn't really flow in an organized way, which is not the way my mind works.

I'm starting to notice that the festival is wrapping up, and I'd be lying if I said that I'm not sad about it.  However, I am still excited to have one day left to experience!

Cannes Lions day 6

Thursday was by far one of my favorite days at the festival! Nearly every session that I went to was extremely interesting to me, evident in my pages and pages worth of notes from each one. 

The first session I went to was the Facebook Blueprint workshop. Facebook Blueprint is essentially a free program through Facebook that allows advertisers to customize and preview video ads in all of the formats that Facebook has to offer. MJ Cos, the head of marketing for Blueprint, gave us an in depth teaching of every video advertisement format that can be used through Facebook and Instagram, including which were most compatible on certain devices and which have proven to be most effective with consumers. The talk was extremely informative as I had no idea just how much the game is changing in the world of advertising on social media, specifically with vertical video formats. MJ shared statistics surrounding vertical advertisements versus horizontal ones of mobile phones that stunned me. I will absolutely be referring back to my notes on this topic in the future. 

The next talk I went to was given by Mattel, discussing how branding and advertising for Barbie has changed and improved over the years thanks to social media. The talk began with a showing of a recent Barbie commercial produced by BBDO entitled "You Can Be Anything," and the CMO of Mattel explained afterwards that the commercial was released to get back to the core theme of inspiring young girls to pursue their dreams. As most know, Barbie's brand has not always garnered the best reputation, specifically in relation to the unrealistic dimensions of the doll's body itself.  Catherine Balsam-Schwaber, Chief Content Officer for the company, also dove into the ways that the company is expanding Barbie's brand to as many platforms as possible, including YouTube ("Barbie Vlogger"), Netflix (Barbie Dreamville show), and even allowing clothing brands to create Barbie versions of their products (Barbie sized Ugg boots, etc.).  Honestly, I was a lot more interested in this talk than I thought I'd be; I particularly liked how Mattel incorporated body diversity after so many years of receiving backlash for Barbie's physique.  It shows that even a company that used to have such antiquated values can change the path of their product to better suit the changing world around us.

The final talk I went to today was centered around Tomorrowland, a mega-music festival in the heart of Belgiu.  Each year, hundreds of thousands of people flock to the "king of all music festivals," and we were lucky enough to hear its founder, Michael Beers, give an in depth overview of how exactly his team can make such a large scale production work so seamlessly.  I enjoyed this session because it truly describes how such a monster of an event can turn out wonderfully if it is planned correctly and precisely; as Beers stated again and again, the devil is in the details, and he works year round to make sure that every single detail of the three day festival is crafted to perfection.  I am personally very interested in the promotional event planning side of marketing, and hearing this talk motivated me to put forth the utmost effort in anything that I plan or do in the future.

Overall, this day was a whirlwind of learning and extremely interesting discussions.  Although I'm sad that the festival is about to start winding down, I'm still excited to see what the next two days will be like, especially because the specialty areas, (Health, Innovation, and Entertainment) have come to a close.  What themes will be present now?

Commercial critique 2

The second commercial that I viewed was an AirBnB commercial entitled "Don't Go There, Live There."  The beginning of the commercial contains several bleak shots of tourists at the Eiffel Tower, the Arc du Triumphe, and other typical Paris landmarks.  With no background music, a female voiceover recites in monotone, "Don't go to Paris.  Don't tour Paris.  And please, don't do Paris." This bleak, condescending tone stands in stark contrast to the shots of the typical tourist destinations, which are usually associated with fun vacations.  This contrast is enough to pull the viewer in, making them wonder why the narrator is saying what she is.

Suddenly, we cut to a bright, warm shot of a young woman knocking on a door and being welcomed into a home.  Upbeat, authentic French music begins to play as shots of families making forts, cooking, and laughing together with friends over wine.  The voiceover then says, in a happier voice, "Live in Paris!" The ads then begin to move outside the home and even outside Paris, quickly comparing and contrasting typical tourist groups and double decker tours to authentic experiences like riding bikes, playing basketball, surfing, and dancing on the street in various other destinations.  The commercial ends with a repeat of the central theme of the ad: "Wherever you go, don't go there; live there.  Even if it's just for a night."

Personally, I thought that the commercial was decently effective.  The second half that explored the fun, authentic ways to experience a different culture was my favorite part.  I think that this second part of the commercial was extremely effective in portraying how an AirBnB could bring these experiences to life.  The feeling and vibe of an adventurous, culturally immersive experience was perfectly crafted; I even found myself wanting to seek out those experiences myself.

However, I do think that the beginning half of the commercial could have been improved significantly.  The advertisement's goal was to create stark contrast with the second half of the commercial by making the "typical" tourist vacation look bland and uneventful.  I think that this could have been better achieved by including shots of a typical, bleak hotel room, especially since the main product being advertised is the ability to stay in an actual home rather than a hotel.  I think that adding the hotel aspect would make the case for the AirBnB stronger, and as a result consumer recall of the brand would significantly increase when it comes to deciding where to stay during a travel experience.

It seems that the two main production elements of this commercial are location and actors.  The beginning of the commercial is in Paris, as evident by the shots in front of popular Paris landmarks; however, as the commercial goes on other cities are mentioned, such as Tokyo, Malibu, Los Angeles, etc.  It's very possible that some scenes were not filmed in these locations, but were simply recreated; for example, the dinner scenes in Tokyo and pool scene in Malibu could have easily been shot in the same location, just framed differently to fit their respective cities.  The commercial also features a large range of different actors; while only included in a couple of shots at a time with no dialogue, a wide array of actors is important for implying diversity and cultural authenticity.

Health Paper

The Lions Health campaign that I chose to analyze was uncoincidentally the one that hit me hardest during the Health awards on Saturday night, a campaign for the Burns & Smiles Foundation in Paris, France.  The organization's goal is to end the stigma of fear often associated with burn victims, as well as providing such victims with support groups and outlets to eliminate feelings of isolation and loneliness.

The ad starts with a view of a man in his house at night, seemingly talking to himself excitedly. We soon learn that the man is a burn victim, evident by the many scars covering his face. It is Halloween, and after handing several children candy he dresses up and goes out for what is apparently the first time in a long time. He walks the streets, rides a ferris wheel, goes out drinking, and dances with a girl at a bar, all while laughing and smiling. Nobody questions his scars or disfigured face because they all assume it's just a costume. It is later explained that Halloween is the only day in which a burn victim feels they can be themselves, and then showcases the Burns & Smiles logo.

Personally, I believe that this ad was extremely effective. After watching it, I truly could not stop thinking about how different life is for a burn victim. Even now, a few days later, I still find myself thinking about the man with the top hat just trying to live a normal life for one day out of the year.

While the ad was effective for me, I do see several ways it could have been potentially improved. For starters, the ad didn't portray how a burn victim is treated on a normal day to day basis. I think that a huge opportunity to teach others how truly different life is for these people was missed by only showing the man on Halloween. I feel that the audience's comparison of the man on a normal day and on Halloween would have been even more effective.

In class, we discussed several models that have been developed to determine the effectiveness of health ads; in this case, I see the Transtheoretical Model falling in step with this particular PSA.  According to the Transtheoretical Model, also called the stages of change theory, people go through several stages following a call to action before they actually begin to complete that action regularly.

The first stage of the Transtheoretical Model is Precontemplation, in which the person in question has not even begun to think of the call to action.  This stage would be equivalent to the time period before being exposed to the Burns and Smiles advertisement.

The second stage is called Contemplation.  In this stage, the person begins considering making a change to their preexisting routine, but is not yet committed to doing so.  This would be equivalent to the period of time just after viewing the advertisement; for me, it was prolonged for the next few days, because my mind would continue to wander back to the touching commercial but I still knew too little about the organization to consider donating or raising awareness.

The next stage in this model is called Preparation, in which the call to action becomes so strong during the Contemplation stage that the person begins actively preparing to change their normal actions towards a particular event or subject.  Personally, I believe that I am still in this stage. I have begun to educate myself on the mission of the Burns and Smiles organization and am still trying to figure out what exactly I can do to help, but have not actually made a conscious action quite yet.

The fourth stage is appropriately titled the Action stage, because it signifies the first time the person in question makes the action that the ad has called them to.  In this case, it would signify the first time someone shares the ad on Facebook or even donates to the foundation, because they are fulfilling the exact actions that the advertisement is calling them to do.

The last stage is the Maintenance stage, which is simply the transition from a one time action to a repeated action.  This could be as simple as continuing to raise awareness for the Burns and Smiles foundation through sharing articles and news on social media or as large as donating on a repetitive basis.

Overall, this campaign was an incredible use of creativity and storytelling to deliver a message and construct a call to action.  Truthfully, before I attended the Lions Health seminars and viewed the work submitted for that particular category, I was not interested in the health industry in the slightest. To me, it was entirely pointless pharmaceutical commercials with side effects dominating eighty percent of the content.  However, after seeing how inspirational and creative health advertisements and PSAs can truly be, I find myself more open to delving into that particular industry in the future.

Cannes Lions day 5

Wednesday was by far the busiest day that I experienced at the festival. While I was thankful to get to bed that night, it was by far one of my favorite days (and not just because of the multiple celebrity encounters we had). 

My favorite interview that I went to was "How Adidas Lost its Stride," featuring Stan Smith, Alexander Wang, and the CMO of Adidas. The talk was about how Adidas constantly rebrands itself and how that method is what has kept it afloat over the past few decades. I am really skeptical of this claim; while rebranding is necessary when a company is going through a prolonged rough patch, I don't think it's necessary to constantly rebrand and rebrand and rebrand, especially if your brand isn't even doing badly to begin with. Why fix something that isn't broken? From the way it was framed in the interview, Adidas's success came mostly from the way that they are able to rebrand themselves through total brand overhauls; however, I question whether the whole story is being told. It seems to me that a brand with such a loyal consumer base as Adidas must be keeping some aspect of its brand around, or else realistically it would have to build its consumers back up again with each total rebrand. 

I also went to a discussion session between truTV's Impractical Jokers and Colin Jost from Saturday Night Live. The talk was supposed to be discussing the concept of the fandom, and how the Jokers built and continue to maintain their fan base. In between hilarious jokes and audience interaction, the Jokers explained that the key to maintaining a fan base in any regard is to break down walls between them and the fans as much as possible. They stressed that staying humble is a key factor in making their fans feel as if they know them personally. I think that this is an important thing to keep in mind, especially if my future career involves a company/personality that relies on loyal consumers/fans. While the content of the beginning of the talk was interesting, Colin Josh's moderation and interviewing skills were extremely lacking and took away from what could have been an incredible talk. He was quite obviously unprepared, even stating once that "well, we have 20 minutes left and I'm out of questions." 

Overall, this day was a lot busier than I imagined that it would be, and while the talks I heard were not the greatest, I still learned a lot of lessons. I'm excited for the days to come!

Cannes Lions day 4

My fourth day at the festival was a whirlwind – things were starting to pick up as we approached the middle of the week, and likewise the sessions I attended and things I learned only continued to increase.  The theme of this day seemed to be branding, both traditional and personal.  While I went to five talks, two of them stuck out to me and left a lasting impression.

The first of these influential talks was “Beyond the Image,” an interview with world famous fashion photographer Mario Testino.  Testino addressed the fact that a personal brand can be an intimidating thing to try and find, and then gave the audience advice on how to go about branding yourself while still staying authentic and true to what you are.  This could not have been more relevant to me; as I approach graduation in a few years and get closer to entering the professional world, I often find myself feeling as if it’s impossible to brand myself.  I could develop the brand of a company or product or person all day long, but if I don’t figure out what my personal brand is it will inevitably hinder my creative abilities as well as the ability to leave my mark on the work that I do.  Testino stressed that he would not have gained the success that he has if he had tried to change his personal brand to fit what others wanted; he cited his work with then unknown (but now supermodels) Gisele Bundchen and Cara Delevigne to prove this, because back when he first decided to photograph them he was widely criticized for not using better-known models.  His talk, while centric on him and his personal journey to find his personal brand, gave me a lot of hope because he said that the path to finding his personal brand was simple: he experimented over and over again, and then continued to do the things that ended up making him the proudest and the happiest of himself.  Hopefully I’ll be able to use the advice he gave to further investigate what I want my brand to reflect about myself.

The other talk that really made me think was “How Halsey Broke Out,” which consisted of Ryan Seacrest interviewing Halsey about how she built her career and her brand.  My favorite part of this talk was when Halsey described the creative marketing techniques that she and her team used to promote her newest album.  She made the characters in her music video essentially come to life by creating Twitter accounts for each character, interacting with fans and dropping hints about the album when the release date began approaching.  She and her team also went a step further by hiding maps and clues all over several cities, including fake real estate listings in newspapers and fake classified ads that only her fans that had been following the Twitter accounts would be able to recognize.  This unconventional marketing, while risky, ended up boosting her album sales by an enormous amount.  “The biggest mistake a director can make is not letting the audience get to know their characters,” the young singer said confidently.  While I did get the vibe that Halsey thought she could do no wrong in the world of marketing and advertising, I had never thought about unconventional marketing for things like music albums before, and her talk inspired me to consider these types of promotion in the future.  

While today was exhausting, it was also a lot of fun and I learned a lot.  I can’t wait to see what experiences and lessons the next half of the festival will bring!