Three words were repeated most frequently at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity: storytelling, purpose and big-data.
In his opening remarks at the Cannes representatives meeting in London this morning, Phil Thomas, CEO of Lion Festivals, provided concepts that clearly set trends in the world today.
Purpose. More than ever before, ideas that define the higher purpose of brands and their companies won out. At last year’s Festival, it was clear that jurors looked for creativity that does good. They did so to the extent that if they didn’t, it would be difficult to win a metal last June.
The example of the Grand Prix in Mobile, the first ever for the Philippines, strikes the most used note.
Storytelling. We’ve always known it and that’s why I’m seduced by the idea of evolving into better storytellers every day. However, it is worth mentioning that there are now more people, more companies and more resources dedicated to the creation of original content. In Thomas’ opinion, the day will not be long before advertisers and a commercial message will win an Oscar, just as he anticipates that Hollywood could soon win Cannes Lions.
As it is, an advertising agency won the first Emmy, an award dedicated to television programs, with a series of commercials. These stories promoted by two technology giants, Intel and Toshiba, argue that what is really important is what we are inside. The case deserves to be known from A to Z, and the following video is just a hint.
Big data. As easy and precise as it is to understand the first two concepts, when it comes to the ideas generated by data we find a vague, ambiguous and far from clearly defined area. There is talk of data, Likes, Tweets, clicks and so much more, and as it is, in Cannes this does not seem to be clear yet.
The following case is one of the few that can be found with a precise origin in the use of big data, although it was the third most mentioned concept at the festival.
At Cannes today, clients, production houses, independent creatives, agencies and talent from all corners of the world are winning. There is no doubt that things continue to change at full speed.