Cannes Lions day 3

If my first two days at the Cannes Lions festival were "busy", then the only word I would be able to use to describe today was absolute mayhem.  Because it was a Monday, most executives were just now arriving to their week at the festival, hence the opening gala and most popular awards show taking place tonight.  While the festival environment was full of exciting hustle and bustle, the seminars definitely blew me away in terms of content and inspiration.

The first talk that we went to was called "Unlocking Real Time Creativity" featuring Tommy Hilfiger senior brand manager Avery Baker.  Baker discussed Tommy Hilfiger's venture into the "see now, buy now" method during runway season, dubbed "TommyNow."  This business model is an extremely difficult one to keep up and operate, as fashion companies typically take weeks or even months to deliver its products to its distribution channels post-runway.  Baker shared her nine steps to success during this risky and difficult business move, and the most interesting to me was step number 5: "it's not about you".  She elaborated on this step by mentioning that as a leader, your success is only as great as your follower's success.  I will definitely bring this concept into my future career; when i begin to have subordinates, I will be sure to remind myself that the recognition is not meant to go towards me; in creative solutions, your team is the most important aspect.

The next session that I went to featured seasoned fashion magazine editor Joanna Coles and supermodel Karlie Kloss.  I was pleasantly surprised by Karlie; her down to earth personality and passion truly inspired me to find my own passions.  Kloss has been a supermodel since the age of fifteen, but before that she was obsessed with math and computer science.  She mentioned that recently, there was a point in her career in which she felt unfulfilled and craved meaning in her life.  As a result she founded "Koding with Klossy," a camp that teaches young girls the basics of coding on all platforms.  The camp has grown exponentially in the last few years.  I noticed during this interview that Karlie struggled with articulating her thoughts when discussing seemingly mundane topics like the fashion industry and editorial work; however, she truly shined when she had the chance to talk about her passions, especially Koding with Klossy.  She has inspired me to try to find my own passions and build my career upon them.

The third session I attended was called "The Changing Face of Original Content," sponsored by YouTube and starring Demi Lovato.  The beginning half of the seminar featured Kevin Allocca, head of culture and trends at YouTube.  He identified different trends that have been prominent in the YouTube community and touched on how important creators and their fans are to the YouTube culture and brand.  My favorite point that he made was that YouTube creators don't try to appeal to the masses; instead, they are focused on appealing to their fans, which typically make up a niche market depending on the creator.  Niche markets are very influential and very prominent in today's market, particularly among the younger generation, so i think it's important to have a firm understanding of how serving them correctly can benefit me as a marketer.

Cannes Lions day 2

My second day at the Cannes Lions festival was much different than my first; maybe it was because I knew the lay of the land a bit better, maybe it was the abundance of rose at Connections Beach’s happy hour.  If the theme of my first day was learning, the theme of my second day would hands-down be experiencing all that the festival and its associated partners have to offer.

The first session I attended was “Stop Liking, Start Doing,” presented by the president of Pinterest, Tim Kendall.  Kendall focused on how the internet has become an addiction in recent years; he even challenged some audience members to put their phones in locked safes for the entirety of his hour-long presentation.  My favorite point that he made was that the promise of the internet was to connect us, but instead it has ended up consuming us.  Kendall prides himself in creating one of the first social media platforms that gets people off their feet by giving them ideas and equipping them with the tools necessary to carry them out.  With a future in digital media, it is important for me to remember that it is extremely unethical to use my content to keep people attached to their phones.

The next talk that I went to was “Health Wars: The Last Doctor & the Rise of Artificial Intelligence” by Dr. Vishal Nangalia.  Nangalia discussed the future of artificial intelligence as it pertains to healthcare and healthcare marketing, the most fascinating being that artificial intelligence could potentially be used to stand in for nurses in the near future.  The most interesting point that he made was that by 2025, many medical positions will be obsolete because of AI, which I find myself questioning.

The last session I went to was called “Mobile-Only Pioneers: What’s Next?” starring Maureen Taylor, Global Creative Director for Spotify.  She discussed how Spotify has begun actually branding their users’ music choices, a campaign entitled “branded moments.”  In essence, Spotify is able to allow marketers to reach whatever target market they want in the exact time that their market would be susceptible to their advertisement (for example, placing a Gatorade ad at the beginning of a workout playlist).  This concept is absolutely mind blowing to me; after all, music is one of the biggest indicators of how we’re feeling and what we are wanting, so branding these moments is absolutely genius because it lessens fear of being obsolete through selective retention by a huge percent.  In my future career in branding, I will be sure to remember how Spotify figured out how to harness what once was considered impossible information to collect: people’s feelings.

Commercial critique 1

The commercial that I viewed for my first critique was advertising the 2017 Honda Utility line of vehicles.  The ad begins by zooming in on one of the Honda Utility vehicles, with the door opening to showcase a Claymation camping scene.  The camera then zooms in on another Honda Utility vehicle that contains another Claymation environment.  This pattern is then repeated once more, showcasing a children’s soccer game and then a tailgate party.  The commercial concludes with a lineup of the four vehicles included in the Honda Utility family, closing out with the brand’s logo and familiar jingle. 

The use of Claymation figures and the upbeat, feel-good music in the background brings forth a family-friendly vibe to the cars that are being showcased, and the activities being portrayed evoke a sense of fun and adventure.  The commercial seems to indicate that a Honda Utility vehicle would make these activities much easier and that owning one of these cars will make a family “look the part” of the fun-loving Claymation families shown.  Honda was clearly trying to go after married couples with children with this advertisement, and I personally believe that it would be extremely effective.

The production of this commercial consisted of almost entirely Claymation figures and environments.  Real images of the Hondas were superimposed into the Claymation setting using some sort of digital animation.  The production of this commercial was likely costly as Claymation films are known for taking a long time to complete, especially when different environments are involved. 

While I believe this ad was effective, one aspect that could use improvement is the very end.  The commercial ends with a simple view of the Honda Utility lineup, which I believe detracts from the wonderful Claymation experience that was being portrayed prior.  I think that a Claymation aspect of some sort, however small it may be, should have been added either during or after the vehicle lineup to fit the theme of the rest of the advertisement.

Cannes Lions day 1

My first day at the Cannes Lions festival was nothing short of inspirational. From the hustle and bustle of the festival to the plethora of branded content to the various seminars I attended, I've already learned more than I could ever imagine about the creative world surrounding me. 

The first session that I attended was "Fighting For Your Creative Life", featuring former NASA astronaut "Astro" Mike Massimo and creative director Jonty Toosey. Massimo spoke of his long journey to becoming an astronaut and the subsequent challenges that he faced. He applied to NASA four separate times over the course of many years, and each time he was rejected he'd find a creative solution to overcome whatever had hindered his acceptance; for example, when NASA medically disqualified him from reapplying due to his poor eyesight, Massimo sought out an optometrist that would provide him with extensive vision training. One of my favorite takeaways from his talk was that as a creative, it's important to "know the difference between the impossible and the unlikely," and that most things that we think are impossible are simply just unlikely. Hearing Massimo put this into perspective was very much needed, especially as a future member of the creative industry. I will definitely revert back to this talk in the future when creative ideas seem as if they're impossible to execute. 

The second session I attended was "How Collaboration Can Turn the Ordinary into the Extraordinary" featuring the two founders of Syn Music: Nick Wood and Simon LeBon, lead singer of Duran Duran. They elaborated on how collaboration in any aspect can be beautiful because it helps to bring in new points of view, which is a lesson that could help to freshen up any campaign that I pursue in my future career. 

My third session was called "If You Love Something, Set It Free" with executives from AIB Bank and Rothco. They talked about AIB Bank's struggle with their reputation in Ireland, which scored a measly 6% on Edelman's "trust scale" (the lowest score ever reported). After their creative department decided to throw process and structure out the window, they came up with a way to boost AIB's brand reputation through sponsorship of Ireland's largest club football tournament. Through their commercial spots and YouTube ads they were able to create ads that sentiment throughout the community towards the club tournament and, indirectly, towards AIB. This seminar taught me the extreme importance that sponsorships and celebrity endorsements have in the world of branding; as an aspiring brand manager, I will be sure to keep these techniques in mind. 

The last session I went to was "Mentalism for Marketers," which was by far one of the most entertaining talks I've seen. The talk featured Keith Barry, one of the most famous mentalists in the world. Through various audience experiments (including calling on one of my friends and saying her mother's maiden name without skipping a beat) and viewing advertisements he's helped to develop, Barry taught us about how an audience can be predispositions to feel, believe, and want certain things from a simple advertisement if it's done the right way. 

Overall, my first day at the Cannes Lions festival was overwhelming in the best way possible. I can't wait to see what I get to see and who I get to meet throughout this week!