Lions Daily News 2024 - Monday June 17

LIONS DAILY NEWS CANNES LIONS

SEMINAR HIGHLIGHTS

10.00 SONG SIMPLIFIES… CREATIVITY AS THE GREAT CONNECTOR ACCENTURE SONG / LUMIERE

10.45 CONVINCE YOUR C-SUITE: THE REAL IMPACT OF CREATIVITY

MCDONALD’S / DEBUSSY

11:00 CONVERSATIONS IN CONTEXT: WHAT INTERNET COMMUNITIES TELL US ABOUT CONSUMERS REDDIT / FORUM

11:45 ON WITH KARA SWISHER – FEATURING JOHN LEGEND AND CHRISSY TEIGEN

VOX MEDIA / DEBUSSY

12:00 CREATIVITY: THE NEW SOURCE OF ENERGY OF SAUDI ARABIA

SAUDI TOURISM AUTHORITY / FORUM

12:30 UNLOCKING

B2B OPPORTUNITIES: WHY FOMU IS GREATER THAN FOMO

LINKEDIN & BAIN / ROTONDE

12:45 DON’T WORK FROM THE GOAL: EXPANDING THE CREATIVE POTENTIAL

DENTSU INC. / DEBUSSY

13:30 INSERT YOUR PREFERRED

DE&I TITLE HERE

MUSLIM GIRL / TERRACE STAGE

14:00 WHEN AI CHALLENGES AND CHAMPIONS

HUMAN CREATIVITY

OPENAI / DEBUSSY

15:30 CREATIVITY

UNLEASHED: BRIDGING MINDS AND MACHINES

NEURO-INSIGHT AND DEEPAK CHOPRA / DEBUSSY

16:30 INNOVATING TO IMPACT: 120 YEARS OF INNOVATION

DENTSU / DEBUSSY

Eyes on the prizes: new awards reflect industry’s bold dynamic

THE 2024 edition of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity has received 26,753 award submissions. Reflecting an industry pivot towards creative marketing, growth categories at this year’s event include Creative Effectiveness, Creative Business Transformation, Creative Commerce and Creative Strategy.

Other positives from this year’s entries include a 6% increase in submission from brands and a 31% increase from media owners. All pieces of work will now compete to establish the global benchmark for excellence in creativity and effectiveness for the year ahead.

Commenting on the pattern of this year’s entries, Simon Cook, CEO, Lions, said: “Our Juries are already curating a body of Lion-worthy work and we look forward to seeing the work that will set the benchmark for another year and show us the way forward. As a barometer

for the industry, this is when we see interesting shifts across the global landscape — we’ve seen continued growth in the Creative Effectiveness Lions, which has received the highest number of submissions since its launch in 2011, demonstrating that there’s a strong commitment to creativity as a growth driver.”

Creative Business Transformation (+8%), Creative Commerce (+18%) and Creative Strategy (+5%) have also seen significant increases year on year.

Elsewhere, the Social & Influencer Lions have grown by 21%, seeing the highest number of entries since the category launched in 2018. Marian Brannelly, global director of awards, Lions, said: “We expanded the categories within the Social & Influencer Lions to better recognise and celebrate the pivotal role content creators play in shaping and amplifying brand messages. The dynamic influence these individuals have on

audiences across social and digital platforms reflects the evolving nature of communication and branding.”

The decision to place greater emphasis on social comes at a time when global social spend is expected to grow an eye-catching 14.3% to $247.3bn (Source: WARC).

Brannelly added: “The growth of this Lion coincides with the launch of the new Lions Creators Pass, providing further evidence of a sector evolving at a rapid pace.”

As always, Cannes Lions has kept its finger on the pulse of creativity by evolving its categories and criteria in 2024. Key developments include the introduction of a humour category to the Cultural & Context sections that sit across the Lions. Work entered into this category will be rewarded for using wit and satire to create memorable, laughter-inducing connections with audiences. Discussing the

THIS IS YOUR MOMENT. MAKE HISTORY

THIS YEAR marks the 71st International Festival of Creativity. We’re delighted to welcome the global creative community from over 90 countries as we come together in Cannes to celebrate the power of creativity.

At Lions, we have over 70 years worth of insight and data that shows us that when we embed creativity into our businesses, our culture and our marketing, we drive progress. Over the next five days we look forward to having the conversations that will shine a spotlight on the role creativity can play as a tangible driver of growth in our industry. This week, the Lions award winners will set the global benchmark in creative excellence and effectiveness once again. And across our stages, we’ll hear from creatives, brands, monks, comedians, artists, filmmakers,

Simon Cook

Jacques Séguéla

She too, is truly humbled.

Post a pic of your lion with the #LionsforCats and, for every post, Whiskas will donate €100 to support cats in need.

Up to a maximum of €20,000

category, Brannelly said: “Work into the new Use of Humour category, which sits across 13 Lions, makes up 5% of all entries within those Lions, demonstrating a rise of effective commercial work designed to entertain. As BBDO’s Andrew Robertson said on stage last year, ‘humour works’.”

Another addition is the inaugural Luxury & Lifestyle Lions. Announced in late 2023, the new Lion has been launched to provide a global benchmark for brands in the luxury space, recognising and celebrating the most impactful creative work, experiences and creative business solutions for the luxury and lifestyle sector.

In its first year, just under a quarter of submissions for the category have come directly from brands.

Recent research from Euromonitor and Ipsos shows that sales in the luxury category have bounced back post-COVID and have exceeded pre-pandemic levels as China activity normalises. Charles Georges-Picot, global CEO at Marcel and Publicis Luxe, global client lead, who is Jury President of the new Lion, said: “At a time when the luxury sector must constantly reinvent, transform and honour brand heritage with a keen eye on the future, the introduction of a Luxury & Lifestyle Lions will help set a new creative benchmark for this highly disrupted and exciting sector. We know that creativity has the power to push boundaries and progress sectors and disciplines. We’re excited about a new industry standard that will redefine how we look at branded communications, business models and creative transformation in this dynamic space.”

With regard to changes to the

Lions, Brannelly said: “It’s important that the awards reflect the current landscape and pave the way forward, so as well as evolving the Lions, it’s equally important for us to retire Lions when necessary.” This year the Mobile Lions has been retired, following consultation with Lions Juries. “Mobile devices are embedded in work across every channel and discipline, and over the past number of years, mobile-led creativity has been expanding into almost every Lion,” Brannelly said.

In a similar vein, the Innovation Lions has been expanded to include spaces for environmental, societal and financial innovation. This has led to an impressive 52% rise in entries for 2024. Audio & Radio Lions has also been restructured to place more emphasis on audio, while the popular PR Lions has been refreshed. In order to ensure that the Lions award programme maintains its standards of excellence, changes are also made across the categories to ensure relevance. This year there is an AI disclaimer and increased emphasis on DEI.

Last year, Lions introduced a question about cultural context, to help Jurors better understand the nuances of entered work. The Juries found it so valuable that this year the question is a compulsory element.

In terms of stalwart categories, key areas of growth include the Outdoor Lions, up 6% YOY, reflective of a medium that is evolving at pace, with the adoption of data engagement and emerging technologies to help brands think beyond billboards. The Audio & Radio Lions are also up 6%, while Direct is up 4.4% at 2,025 entries. Brand Experience & Activation, the largest category in

2024, saw a modest rise in entries — as did the prestigious Film category. Media was up almost 2%. The Dan Wieden Titanium Lions is having its best year since COVID, with entries up by 13.6%.

This is your moment. Make history/cont.

We know that creativity has the power to push boundaries and progress sectors and disciplines

Other critical elements of the Cannes Lions week include the Health & Good Tracks. As always, the Health Track celebrates creativity in this highly innovative but fiercely regulated sector — with its unique power to truly change lives. This year sees 1,252 entries to the Health & Wellness Lions and 232 to Pharma. There is also an award for the Healthcare Agency of the Year, decided by points accumulated across categories. The Good Track consists of the Sustainable Development Goals Lions and Glass: The Lion for Change. The latter, which has 165 entries this year, recognises work that implicitly or explicitly addresses issues of gender inequality or prejudice. As for 2024’s geographic breakdown, there are healthy increases in entries from major markets including Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Mexico, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Netherlands, Turkey and the UAE. There are also eye-catching increases from Costa Rica, Croatia, Ecuador, Finland, Hungary, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Morocco, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Taiwan. And, there are welcome entries from African nations including Ghana, Ivory Coast and Zambia. The success of the Lions awards programme depends hugely on its Juries, made up of leading executives from around the world. This year’s line-up of Jury Presidents is arguably the most diverse ever. All told, 15 markets are represented, with six Presidents based in Asia-Pacific,

scientists, economists, trend forecasters and Paralympians — reflecting the multifaceted nature of creativity, from around the world. The agenda has been curated to provide our community with the evidence, data and tools they need to make the case for creativity, and connect creative marketing with the boardroom growth agenda.

Through our new Equity, Representation and Accessibility Pass we’ve prioritised supporting underrepresented communities because we know that the more lived experiences, perspectives and voices that we can bring to the Festival, the more our community and industry can grow, progress and thrive. In the Cannes Lions School, as well as across our talent initiatives like See It Be It, rising talent across all career levels will gain the knowledge, skills, and the confidence they need to take a step forward and pave the way as the new creative leaders of tomorrow. We hope you enjoy the week. This is your moment. Make history.

Simon Cook CEO Lions

Maria Ressa

Ynon Kreiz

Esi Eggleston Bracey

the highest number ever. Among highlights, Cindy Gallop returns as the Glass: The Lion for Change Jury President for its 10th edition, after leading the first edition. Previous Lion of St. Mark honouree Prasoon Pandey is Film Craft President. Other Jury Presidents include Tor Myhren, who will serve as the Film Lions Jury President – the first time Apple has been represented. GUT’s Anselmo Ramos is confirmed as the Brand Experience & Activation Lions President after a series of historic wins in 2023, and Debbi Vandeven has been announced as Jury President of the Dan Wieden Titanium Lions, representing the largest creative agency network in the world, VML. Lions CEO Simon Cook said: “Our Jury Presidents play a crucial role in the existence of the Lions. Their knowledge, skills and incredible talent, combined with the commitment and leadership that they will bring to their roles, bring integrity and rigour to the Lions. We have an exceptional line-up of talent from across the world.”

Alongside the work, Cannes Lions also celebrates the achievements of leading individuals and brands through a series of prestigious awards.

This year’s recipients include Mattel’s chairman and chief executive officer, Ynon Kreiz, 2024’s Entertainment Person of the Year. Presented in recognition of the vital role that entertainment plays in the marketing and communications landscape, the award celebrates the creativity that inspires others to produce truly compelling, meaningful and entertaining content.

Kreiz has led a multi-year transformation strategy that established Mattel as an IP-driven, high-performing product and entertainment company. Under his leadership, Mattel Films has announced 16 motion pictures in active development with major studio partners. Its first movie, Barbie, became a cultural phenomenon, achieving the largest global box-office in 2023. Mattel also has a growing entertainment offering in television, consumer products, digital games, live events and experiences, publishing and music. Kreiz, who will also deliver a keynote seminar on Friday, said: “At its core, Mattel is a creative company fueled by innovation and guided by our purpose. We are driven by the knowledge that the people who buy our products are more than consumers, they

are fans with an emotional connection to our brands. It is an incredible honour to be recognised by Cannes Lions, and to share this with the team at Mattel.”

This year also sees veteran Jacques Séguéla secure the Lion of St. Mark award. With a career spanning more than 60 years, Séguéla has produced consistently iconic work for brands like Air France, Apple, Carrefour, Citroën, Louis Vuitton and Microsoft, as well as highly successful political campaigns. Philip Thomas, chairman, Lions, said: “Jacques Séguéla turned 90 this year, and still comes into the office every single day to work on campaigns for his clients. The word is overused, but Jacques is an icon. He is bold, passionate and creative — all with a tremendous sense of warmth and humour.”

As for brands, Unilever is celebrating being named the 2024 Creative Marketer of the Year. Unilever was last honoured as Creative Marketer of the Year in 2010 and in the intervening years has amassed hundreds of Lions for brands including Dove, Hellmann’s, Persil, Skip and OMO, Magnum, Vaseline, Marmite and Pot Noodle. Esi Eggleston Bracey, chief growth and marketing of-

The LionHeart reminds us that imagination and creativity — sparking empathy — are crucial to get us through these dark times

MARIA RESSA

ficer, Unilever, said: “Our commitment to bold, brave, and more creative marketing is unwavering. Creativity that starts with inspiration, connects to commerce at every moment and resonates with people to build desirable and unmissably superior brands. It is a huge honour to accept this award.”

Reinforcing Cannes Lions’ ambition to contribute to making the world a better place, it has also named Maria Ressa, co-founder and CEO of Philippines news site Rappler, as the 2024 Cannes LionHeart recipient. This accolade is given to a person who has harnessed their position to make a significant, positive difference to the world around us. Ressa, who will take to the Debussy stage on Friday, has led the battle for truth and democracy, and has endured constant political harassment and arrests. She said: “We’re standing on the rubble of the world that was: where technology, violence and war challenge our humanity. The Cannes LionHeart reminds us that imagination and creativity — sparking empathy — are crucial to get us through these dark times; that power and money are not enough; and that inspiration ignites the good in each of us.”

COMMERCE

X CREATIVITY

MAKING THE TRANSACTIONAL

TUESDAY JUNE 18 / 12:30PM

TIFFANY ROLFE R/GA

CHAIR, GLOBAL CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER

JERIAD ZOGHBY IPG ROTONDE STAGE / ROTONDE

CHIEF COMMERCE STRATEGY OFFICER CONVERSATIONAL PERSONAL AND INSPIRATIONAL

CC:DC ambassadors here to spread the word on diversity

NOW IN its sixth year, the Cannes Can: Diversity Collective (CC:DC) was created to provide access and opportunity for people of colour and underrepresented communities in the marketing, advertising, communications and creative industries. Originally just a small group, it has grown into a dynamic cohort of more than 100 people from five continents. Founded by Adrianne Smith, now chief diversity and inclusion officer at FleishmanHillard, the CC:DC made history by becoming the first standalone activations at Cannes Lions and Davos, with its Inkwell Beach thought leadership platform. Smith and her team are back at Lions this week with a star-studded line-up that includes John Legend and Queen Latifah. For the first time, the fast-growing and purpose-driven outfit is also a Cannes Lions sponsor. Smith continues to advocate robustly for a creative industry that looks more like the world we live and operate in. Against this backdrop, this year’s Inkwell Beach will present an exciting roster of events under the banner: “Don’t Believe the Hype: DEI will never DIE”.

As CC:DC has grown, it has established a network of talented ambassadors, who support the organisation’s ambitions — while also taking advantage of the many learning opportunities on offer. Lo Harris, who attended Cannes Lions as a 2023 CC:DC ambassador, said: “I was captivated by Adrianne’s

vision and her mission to bring young, promising, diverse talent to an industry event that has historically skewed older, whiter and more senior-level.”

Harris explained that CC:DC “changed my life. I came to Cannes Lions for the first time in 2022 with limited connections and no real understanding of what that opportunity really meant. Since then I’ve gotten to tour top agencies and meet creatives from the MENA region at Dubai Lynx, break bread with change-makers and visionaries in Martha’s Vineyard, and return to Cannes (twice!) to colead the CC:DC ambassador programme and make sure that more diverse creatives have the opportunity to get face time with top talent in the industry.”

This year, the CC:DC ambassadors will participate in intensive AI training, workshops and lectures as part of an ‘AI Hothouse’ activation. Among this year’s cohort of ambassadors is Anthony Williams II, who said: “After hearing the compelling ambassadors’ testimonies from previous years, I was drawn to participate. Their experiences appeared to be enriching and fruitful, fueling my passion to become immersed within this organisation.” Looking to the future, he plans to “leverage the knowledge, insights and wisdom gained from this experience to further my role as a DEI practitioner in my daily endeavours.”

Another 2024 ambassador, Angela Guidry, said she was “passionate about

increasing the representation of people of colour in our industry. I’ve noticed that people my age, particularly Black women in their 50s, are often underrepresented at events like Cannes Lions. I plan to use the knowledge and connections I gain at CC:DC’s Inkwell Beach and Cannes Lions to mentor and support individuals like me, helping them become trailblazers.”

Another of the class of 2024, Dasia Jones, said she was “looking forward to soaking up all the thought leadership on the beach. It’s clichéd, but I’m a sucker for new ideas and different approaches to culture. I find my creative spark the brightest after listening to the greats share their philosophies. It’s also so amazing to see such a breadth of age diversity.”

Hope Bryant, also a 2024 ambassador, said organisations and activations like CC:DC and Inkwell Beach were “crucial for the next generation because they create inclusive spaces where diverse voices and perspectives can be heard and celebrated. These platforms provide essential opportunities for underrepresented individuals to network, learn and collaborate.”

As a New Zealand Maori, CC:DC ambassador Léon Bristow said: “I’ve definitely had to battle issues of discrimination, underrepresentation and exclusion — which shaped who I am today. I’m now working in a job I’m passionate about, but I see that same marginalisation happening in our industry. However, I also see that Cannes Can: Diversity Collective is actively committed to challenging this problem.”

Anthony Williams II

Lo Harris

Léon Bristow

Hope Bryant

Dasia Jones

Angela Guidry

Saudi tourism chief at Lions to showcase young creatives

NEARLY 70% of Saudi Ara-

bia’s population is under 35, including a new generation of creatives making work that they hope will gain global recognition.

The Saudi Tourism Authority (STA) is at Cannes Lions for the first time this year, pitching the merits of its youthful talent as well as encouraging international creatives to visit the kingdom.

“Today our youth are leading the charge at lightning speed as we harvest creativity to find solutions to the challenges that come with rapid development,” said Fahd Hamidaddin, CEO of the STA.

“The very nature of youth

globally is that they are armed with fearless ambition, experimentation and innovation and today in Saudi they are more empowered and enabled than ever.”

The drive to promote Saudi creativity in recent years has seen the kingdom submit its first film to the Oscars, as well as being represented at the Cannes Film Festival and the Lions.

“The pace of change is unprecedented, as evidenced by a host of projects that are reshaping our landscape and our stories — both literally and metaphorically,” Hamidaddin said.

The STA has brought a

group of creatives from Saudi Arabia to Cannes Lions this year to learn and network. It has also partnered with the Roger Hatchuel Student Acad -

emy: evidence, according to Hamidaddin, of the willingness to collaborate.

“As a country, and more pertinently, as an organisation, we at STA value creativity and are always looking to work with big thinkers who are unafraid to venture to new horizons,” he said.

The next horizon for young Saudi big thinkers will hopefully be recognition in the form of awards, he said.

“Of course, the ultimate goal and testament would be to see some of our homegrown creatives win here,” he said. “That is why our team is at Cannes Lions — we want to be able to compete creatively and win.” Hamidaddin’s Creativity: The New Source of Energy of Saudi Arabia session takes place at 12.00 today at The Palais’ Forum.

PERFORMANCES BY:

Drew Watson, Global Chief Growth Officer – MEDIAHUB

Nicole Estebanell, Global Chief Client Officer and Melissa Gordon-Ring, Global President, Health – INITIATIVE

Liz Rutgersson, CEO, North America – iPROSPECT

Mike Bregman. Chief Activation Officer – HAVAS MEDIA GROUP AND MORE

FAHD HAMIDADDIN

R/GA teams up with IPG for launch of Commerce Design

HAVING created commerce platforms for brands including Nike, Samsung and Moncler, R/ GA’s next move is to merge marketing and purchasing — with an AI twist.

The agency has teamed up with Interpublic Group (IPG) to launch its Commerce Design capability this week in Cannes. The aim is to tear down walls between brands’ marketing and commerce activities, promising “full stack D2C innovation” that will take customers on the journey from social platforms and digital chan -

nels to basket and checkout as fluidly as possible.

R/GA will put its new capability to work building commerce experiences for clients. Commerce Design will also sit within IPG’s Total Commerce ecosystem. “Creativity and innovation must be at the heart of the next generation of commerce solutions, to drive differentiation for brands,” said Tiffany Rolfe, R/GA’s chair and global chief creative officer. “We see commerce as a creative expression of a brand, with technology enabling new experiences

that intersect culture and behaviours to serve and surprise in ways we’ve never imagined.”

R/GA’s Commerce Design

capability will also make use of generative AI technologies, a field in which IPG is already active. In March, it became the first company

More punch for Creative Impact

FOR BRANDS and agencies, understanding the value and effectiveness of their creative investment has always been a crucial but elusive goal. This is arguably more so than ever, now AI and data analytics promise a process-driven path to marketing success. Against this backdrop, one of the must-attend elements at Cannes Lions 2024 is the Creative Impact content stream, co-curated with research consultancy WARC. This is year two of the Creative Impact stream and “we’re doubling down on it”, said WARC’s senior vice-president of content, David Tiltman. “WARC has been putting on content sessions for six or seven years, but there’s such an appetite for this kind of content that we have decided to really embed the stream in the Festival.”

Understanding the how and why of creative impact is a year-round job for Tiltman and his team, but it takes on a special significance at the Cannes Lions: “We all love creativity at Cannes Lions. But if you want to use it in a commercial context, how do you do it? When does it make sense? What are the levers you need to pull it to make it work?”

All these questions and more will be addressed in a series of high-powered sessions this week. Tiltman said he is looking forward to tomorrow’s session, Creativity Is Not Enough, which features marketing commentator Mark Ritson. “We’ve also got lots of panels with really significant brands like McDonald’s, Kraft, Heinz and Guinness. And I’m also excited by the sessions featuring the types

to integrate Adobe’s GenStudio, a suite of generative AI tools for brands and creatives, into its marketing technology platform.

“Growth in GenAI has introduced a new customer -centricity and experience era, disrupting most businessas-usual commerce tactics and platform strategies,” said Jeriad Zoghby, chief commerce strategy officer at IPG. “R/GA’s experience and history in leveraging such new technologies means it’s well placed to help brands to connect more meaningfully to their customers.”

Rolfe and Zoghby will be talking about the Commerce Design launch tomorrow at 12.30 on the Rotonde Stage in R/GA’s Innovation Unwrapped session, Commerce X Creativity: Making The Transactional Inspirational.

of brand that we need to be selling creativity into — digital-native and new-economy brands like DoorDash and Instacart.”

Alongside thought leadership, Tiltman said WARC and its partners will be revealing a lot of new research during the Creative Impact track. “One really important piece of work will be shared in [tomorrow’s] The Extraordinary Cost Of Dull,” he added. “This attempts to flip the script by demonstrating how being boring can cost brands more money.”

The WARC content chief also urged delegates to attend Thursday’s session Creative Impact Sprint. “Here, we have gathered five new pieces of research, all looking at creative effectiveness in different ways. I would also point people to Effectiveness: The New Frontier on Wednesday, which looks at how creativity influences pricing power.”

WARC’s David Tiltman

R/GA’s Tiffany Rolfe and IPG’s Jeriad Zoghby

The Weather Company helps ad industry in unsettled times

WITH A changing climate that is challenging the seasonal norms, it is more vital than ever for brands to be equipped with weather data to inform their business decisions. That is the message from Sheri Bachstein, CEO at The Weather Company.

“What we’re trying to get across is weather’s impact on business,” she told Lions Daily News. “It has an impact not only on the marketing side of business but all across the enterprise.” With climate change having an increasing effect on what were once predictable weather pattern, there are few businesses that are not affected in some way, which is where having reliable data and a weather strategy comes in. “Our climate is changing,” she said. “2023 was the hottest year on record. Globally we’re looking now at about $5tn in economic impact due to weather last year. And then as we look at this year, in the Atlantic we are bracing for what could be a very powerful hurricane season. So all of these weather events are catching businesses off guard. But then it also can help with their bottom line and make them more competitive.”

Bachstein cites the example of SC Johnson who part-

nered with The Weather Company for one of their brands which helps people evade mosquitoes. Weather data better predicts when the climate and conditions are right for hatching, and where and when mosquitoes are likely to be prevalent. The partnership will be utilising the company’s new Weather Engine platform designed to offer weather insights and intelligence to inform commercial decisions, such as when and where to target media campaigns.

Brands have also uncovered some surprising consumer patterns thanks to weather data. “We worked with a CPG brand, an ice cream brand, and, of course, they know ice cream sells in the summer. I mean that’s just obvious,” Bachstein said. But what the data also showed is there’s a spike in the wintertime in places like Ohio. Why is that happening in the winter? “It’s because when you hunker down, in the winter you want comfort food. Ice cream is the number one comfort food — an ‘aha’ moment.”

Inevitably it is advanced technology and AI that is driving the powerful new weather tools available to marketers, although, according to Bachstein, artifi-

The United Nations Development Pro gramme (UNDP) and The Weather Com pany will address the issue of climate change and extreme weather in a session titled What Will The Weather Forecast Be In Cannes in 2050? in the Debussy Thea tre, on Wednesday at 10.45. The panel will explore why marketers need to address the climate emergency and consider what impact it can have on their brand, their customers and their sales, and consider how business can take a lead in responding to the climate change crisis. Among the speakers will be ten-year-old Deon Gjoni from the UNDP Weather Kids Campaign as the session takes a look at the challenges through the eyes of children.

cial intelligence is nothing newfor The Weather Company which has been using it for decades. “We take a lot of information, different weather models, including one of our own, and we use AI to figure out what’s the best deterministic forecast,” she said.

AI is central to the com

Sheri bachstein

Artificial intelligence vs real creatives

AI is transforming every aspect of how brands build their communications — including their relationship with human creatives. Cristian Vergara , editor for Latin America at PRODU | MKTG, asks how Latin American agencies are balancing the risks and rewards of the most disruptive technology yet

EVERYTHING from a small piece of promotional copy to the most complex data analysis now involves a magical collaboration between humans and machines. Of course, summarising what’s happening is easy enough. But the rapid pace of change is also causing a great deal of uncertainty and anxiety among those working in our industry. Is my job even necessary anymore? It’s a scary question that has certainly been on the minds of thousands of people over the past year.

Tanya De Poli and Checha Agost Carreño, founders and chief operating officers of Founders, say the constant search for efficiency is the key that is opening more doors to AI every day. It’s normal to feel that jobs are under threat, they add, but point out that “we must keep in mind that the limits of AI have to do largely with human connection and sensibility”.

Fernanda Rivera, head of performance at Teads México, says that, while AI has fragmented the advertising industry, this has led to the emergence of new players with the technology to perform various roles. “Whereas the industry had been dominated by just a handful of technologies, it’s now made up of many [different ones],” she says, adding that “AI is available to all”. And while technological tools are indeed having an impact on the creative industry, AI is part of a larger transformation. “AI is ushering in a cultural change,” says Horacio Genolet, CEO of Ogilvy Latina. “It’s not just a matter of technology.” Its impact is apparent in three areas, he adds: inspiration, automation and data optimisation. “In other words, it boosts creativity, makes content generation more efficient and helps ensure greater effectiveness.”

The transparency issue

One common dilemma concerns the need to safeguard human work from the encroachment of AI.

Alberto Pardo, CEO and founder of Adsmovil, says the question of AI regulation is currently a big unknown: “The copyright issue, for example, remains a challenge. And there are several other aspects that AI has been putting on the table.” Pardo adds that, while it’s normal for technology to outpace the law,

“the challenge for the industry is to exercise self-regulation and ethical control over every action we take for our clients”.

Felipe del Sol, CEO and co-founder of Admetricks, a subsidiary of Similarweb, takes the same position, observing that transparency problems are nothing new in the advertising industry. “The debate over whether it’s appropriate for companies to charge based on their own measurements is something that’s been discussed for several years,” he says. “Nevertheless, there are now third parties that verify and deliver validated information. In other words, the industry is regulating itself in its search for efficiency.”

In this context, it is clear that human vision is the foundation and ultimate end of any technological tool, says Santiago Darmandail, Epsilon’s chief operating officer for LatAm and US multicultural. “AI is as good or bad as the data we feed it,” he adds. “That’s why it’s essential to have a skilled team that can make the most of the AI tools. By itself, it can’t deliver tangible results to clients. It

“The challenge for the industry is to exercise selfregulation and ethical control over every action we take for our clients”

Alberto Pardo

can’t build new business models or solve human problems.”

Xavier Serrano, CEO of Grupo DDB Colombia, says all his agency’s work with AI is reviewed and assessed by people who know and understand the consumer and the buyer. “Although we’re using the tools, what we’re not going to do away with is [the fact that] people are the ones who will make the decisions about the content our clients’ buyers and consumers see,” he adds. Within these parameters, it is evident that AI

Luis Machorro

Alejandro de Luis

Alvaro Pastor

Xavier Serrano

Anne Marie Dono

Fernanda Rivera

Tanya De Poli and Checha Agost Carreño

If you’re ignoring the need for a weather strategy, we hope you make the most out of your last trip to Cannes.

Fondly,

Your Chief Weather Officer

Monday, June 17, 2024

Greetings esteemed colleagues,

The idea of a Chief Weather Officer may sound outlandish, even silly from your vantage point. But then, there was a time they scoffed at the idea of giving marketers a seat at the table. And here we are, on the streets of Cannes celebrating your contributions to creativity and the bottom line. Enjoying lovely weather, I might add.

The use of advanced weather insights to help shape business strategy, projections, and the like are not commonplace yet. But we gather your company doesn’t send common people to Cannes. An individual like yourself can extrapolate how weather influences many parts of your business already, and how the novelty of a weather strategy in your industry can be a competitive advantage.

So, while your competitors tarry to bring back little more than a sunburn and swag to the home office, I urge you to consider putting Mother Nature in your corner. Enjoy your trip here in the South of France, and be sure to take measures it’s not your last.

Consider us your Chief Weather Officer

can only be a catalyst for change if it is used transparently and with a strong ethical commitment. As Alvaro Pastor, chief marketing officer at EXTE, puts it: “Ethically trained contextual targeting is essential to having accurate user-based data points that ensure that optimisation is not only precise, but also ethical and respectful of user privacy”.

Creativity under threat?

So where does that leave creativity?

Federico Russi, chief creative officer of Publicis Groupe MX, is emphatic that creative culture is not going away. He notes that the advertising industry has gone through many different transformations that appeared threatening at the time but that ultimately served to strengthen it. “We incorporate different technologies that help give us a better understanding of people and what moves them,” he adds. “Creative culture and technology have been walking hand-in-hand for years and the arrival of AI is no exception.” AI is therefore not something that will ever fully replace the creative culture of advertising work teams. According to Anne

“AI is like a Formula One car. Some know how to drive it, while others crash at the first corner”

Lucas Panizza

Marie Dono, Kinesso’s CEO for LatAm: “It’s key to find a balance and good practices in the use of tools that help us generate innovative ideas and optimise the time we spend on repetitive tasks. But there are aspects that are impossible to replace.”

In that same vein, the question turns to the evolution of agencies’ creative leadership. Luis ‘Madruga’ Enriquez, chief creative officer

of VML México, says he has wondered in recent years how prudent it is for the industry to discard the role of creative directors. “I regard and value more highly the action of a creative leader,” he adds. “It’s a higher step up. These are people who are interested in other people’s careers. They not only guide people at work, but they also end up serving in that capacity on a personal level. A leader’s vision is deeper, more sensitive than before.”

Lucas Panizza, Creyentes’ executive creative director, believes that AI will transform the role of creative director and make it more relevant than ever before: “The main change with AI is that we’re moving from creators to curators. Experience and taste will be key values in the future. AI is like a Formula One car. Some know how to drive it, while others crash at the first corner. We’d love to say we aspire to be like Verstappen, but the truth is our heart is with Checo.”

Along the same lines, Luis Machorro, CEO for Mexico and managing director for Hispanic America at McCann Worldgroup, observes that the current efforts to integrate AI means that chief creative officers bear greater responsibility. “We need precise guidance in implementing these tools because this significantly impacts the bottom line,” he adds. Finally, Alejandro de Luis, VML México’s chief experience officer and enterprise solutions lead, says the future for creative directors will be very bright if they take advantage of AI. “If used appropriately, AI is very useful in accelerating certain aspects of the creative process, thereby giving teams the time to generate original and innovative ideas,” he adds. Ultimately, it is clear the Latin American advertising industry has reached a turning point. AI adoption represents an exciting opportunity, but it also poses significant challenges that require a careful and thoughtful approach. Preserving the creative spark that has driven the region’s success will be key to ensuring that Latin America remains a creative powerhouse on the global stage.

Felipe del Sol

Lucas Panizza

Horacio Genolet

Luis ‘Madruga’ Enriquez

Santiago Darmandail

Federico Russi

The next frontier

For brands, the streaming platforms are a new territory to conquer. But the landscape is fragmented and agencies must read and react to shifting trends if they want to make the most of the opportunities, writes Liz

Unamo , US Hispanic editor of PRODU

‘Love is a Roller Coaster’, from the Parque de la Costa campaign

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THIS YEAR marked the beginning of the ad-supported streaming wars. The streaming platforms, from Netflix and Disney+ to SkyShowtime and HBO Max, all carry ads yet all employ different strategies. Digital video is projected to surpass linear television for the first time (52% compared to 48%, according to IAB NewFronts 2024). The streaming-video market is valued at more than $500bn and 83% of US households are projected to have a subscription to at least one streaming service in 2024. All of this underscores the need for a shift in mindset and the exploration of new video-advertising strategies. Streaming platforms offer brands a plethora of opportunities, especially when it comes to reaching new audiences on a large and profitable scale — and not just market niches, but large markets like those that make up multicultural America.

According to those interviewed for this report, the streaming platforms have completely changed the rules of the game for brands, especially in the US Hispanic market. In the era of hypertargeting, streaming platforms are giving brands the opportunity they have been waiting for: the ability to target their media campaigns at a granular level.

“Some of these streaming media are crossing their data with purchase habits. Amazon Prime, for example, has the edge on this matter,” says Carlos Tornell, Casanova// McCann’s vice-president, creative director. He adds: “Because they have the purchase habits of people on Amazon [the website], they know if people like sports and what kind of sports — motor sports, water sports, winter sports? They can then expose them to a super-specific ad they know will resonate with that person, in that area, in that region of that state. And then they can add an interactive button to buy it on Amazon. This is just a tiny example of what is already happening.”

Brands can be highly targeted because these platforms collect vast amounts of data on viewer preferences and behaviours. “By understanding people’s preferences in movies and TV shows, we can craft more bespoke messages. The

time of day they watch shows is also crucial for deciding when to run our ads,” says Luciano ‘Chany’ D’Amelio, chief creative officer and partner at Archer Troy Miami. Canela.TV, for example, offers a wide range of more immersive and innovative advertising solutions that enable a more meaningful connection with potential consumers. “These ad units go from enhanced video opportunities to shoppable units, virtual product placement and AI-supported contextual advertising,” says Oswald Méndez, chief marketing officer of Canela Media. Nuestra.TV, meanwhile, was created to empower, entertain and educate Hispanics of all cultural backgrounds, whether Spanish, English or bilingual. “We pride ourselves on showcasing content created by Hispanics for Hispanics, ensuring brand resonance for advertisers and a hyper-relevant experience for the consumer,” says Jessica Ricaurte, chief revenue officer at Adsmovil. Alberto Pardo, co-founder and CEO of Nuestra.TV, adds: “These are digital ads where you have data for doing retargeting, or you can do segmentation using the data they have. So you can target a specific customer if you have your own data set and can enrich the data with other preferences.

“They can expose someone to a super-specific ad they know will resonate with that person, in that area, in that region of that state”

Carlos Tornell

You can target people based on purchasing data, location data or many other things, or do segmentations that aren’t possible with traditional linear branding.” Overall, streaming platforms offer brands dynamic and flexible opportunities for connecting with audiences in a meaningful way, allowing for creativity, interaction and targeted marketing strategies. Creating effective campaigns on

Jessica Ricaurte

Alberto Pardo

Flor Leibaschoff

Laurie Evans

Aldo Quevedo

Caitlyn Banowsky

Luis Miguel Messianu

Luciano ‘Chany’ D’Amelio

BRING YOUR IMPOSSIBLE

“Crafting successful campaigns for streaming platforms requires a strategic approach that prioritises storytelling and emotional resonance”

Diana Stumvoll

streaming platforms requires strategic planning, creativity and a deep understanding of the platforms and your target audience. “You need to leverage the platform analytics and research to understand your target audience’s demographics, interests, behaviour and viewing habits. It’s important to tailor your content and messaging to resonate with this audience,” says Luis Miguel Messianu, founder, president and chief creative officer of MEL.

Conill’s Diana Stumvoll, chief media/communications officer, says it is essential that messages are concise yet compelling. This also requires a shift away from traditional linear storytelling with its longer story arcs to more compact communication that forges an immediate emotional connection. “Crafting successful campaigns for streaming platforms requires a strategic approach that prioritises storytelling and emotional resonance,” she adds. “Maintaining branding

consistency throughout the messaging is also critical for brand recognition and recall.”

Creyentes’ group creative director Marina Cuest says brands must not only convey a message but also create an experience that captures attention and drives action: “By focusing on cultural relevance, ensuring that our campaigns seamlessly integrate into the streaming experience and leveraging data-driven insights, our work will resonate and make a lasting impact on all viewers.” While streaming advertising has become an essential part of today’s media landscape, there are challenges to negotiate.

Lerma’s media buying principal Laurie Evans and media strategy principal Caitlyn Banowsky identify the biggest issues as ad fraud, fragmentation, cost and privacy. Another key challenge in the streaming space is fragmentation, they add: “As much as consumers struggle to select

streaming platforms to subscribe to, advertisers struggle to prioritise share of spend between these platforms, many of which obscure full visibility in their ad-tiered subscriber counts. Additionally, some content partners demand significant minimum spending investments and/or high CPMs [cost per mille], restricting many advertiser budgets from the most coveted streaming platforms.” Another challenge is the growing pressure to obtain immediate results. Customers now have access to live dashboards, which can be both an advantage and a disadvantage. “This is good on the one hand, but it can be a massive mess on the other. Campaigns need time to grow in the consumers’ hearts and minds. Making quick decisions in the early stages based on anxious traits can kill hours of a proven strategy. Some clients still combat the fear of failure, and we agencies need to find a clever way to help them endure the painful process of waiting to see how the campaign starts and runs,” say BeautifulBeast’s Flor Leibaschoff, co-founder and chief creative officer, and Aldo Quevedo,

CEO and creative chairman. Creating a campaign that can resonate with a mix of audiences can at times be difficult and costly, adds Mike Sotelo, vicepresident of digital content and experience at alma DDB. “But overall, advertising on streaming platforms offers brands vast reach and potent targeting capabilities, perfectly positioning them to fulfil upper-funnel objectives and propel brand awareness and consideration,” he adds.

Determining the effectiveness of a campaign can be complicated because the different platforms have different metrics.

Agencies must choose the right KPIs and analytics tools to accurately measure engagement, reach and ROI. Streaming platforms have become a powerful marketing tool for brands thanks to several factors: hyper-targeting, subtle product placement, branded content and event sponsorship. By leveraging these opportunities, brands can effectively reach their target audience, build brand loyalty and ultimately drive sales through streaming platforms. This is the next ecosystem to conquer.

Marina Cuest

Oswald Méndez

Diana Stumvoll

Mike Sotelo

Carlos Tornell

SCREENING SCHEDULE

Screening Room 1

Screening Schedule

Classic Track – Film Lions

Monday 17 June

09:00–19:00 Film Lions entries

Tuesday 18 June

09:00–19:00 Film Lions shortlist

Wednesday 19 June

09:00–19:00 Film Lions shortlist

Thursday 20 June

09:00–19:00 Film Lions shortlist

Friday 21 June

09:00–19:00 Film Lions shortlist

Screening Room 3

Screening Schedule Entertainment Track

Monday 17 June

09:00–14:30 Entertainment Lions for Sport shortlist

14:30–19:00 Entertainment Lions for Gaming shortlist

Tuesday 18 June

09:00–14:30 Entertainment Lions shortlist

14:30 –19:00 Entertainment Lions for Music shortlist

Wednesday 19 June

Screening Room 2

Screening Schedule Craft Track – Film Craft Lions

Monday 17 June

09:00–19:00 Film Craft Lions shortlist

Tuesday 18 June

09:00–19:00 Film Craft Lions shortlist

Wednesday 19 June

09:00–19:00 Film Craft Lions winners

Thursday 20 June

09:00–19:00 Film Craft Lions winners

Friday 21 June

09:00–19:00 Film Craft Lions winners

09:00–14:30 Entertainment Lions for Sport winners 14:30 –19:00 Entertainment Lions for Gaming winners

Thursday 20 June

09:00–14:30 Entertainment Lions for Sport winners 14:30 –19:00 Entertainment Lions for Gaming winners

Friday 21 June

09:00–19:00 Entertainment Track winners

To find out when your work is screening come and talk to us at the Awards Hub desk.

Meta Majestic Beach

Amazon Port Esplanade Pantiero

Pinterest Manifestival Carlton Beach

La Plage du Martinez iHeartMedia La Californie

Beach Mademoiselle Gray & La Môme

CC:DC’s Inkwell Beach Vegaluna Beach

House

Empower Cafe L’Avenue Restaurant

RTL Adconnect C Beach

Microso Beach House Le Ondine Beach

LinkedIn: The Place to B2B Carlton Hotel Roo op

Film Brazil Welcome to Key West

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In uential Beach La Mandala Beach

TikTok Garden Carlton Hotel Garden

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