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Decoding the tensions in our relationships with health
Monday, 20 June
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LIONS DAILY NEWS
Ads for good, diversity and eco targets: welcome to Lions 2022
The Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity is back in the South of France for the first time in three years. Picking up where it left off, the landmark event is hosting a spectacular conference programme crammed with insightful sessions and visionary speakers. Andy Fry reports
WITH headline speakers including Malala Yousafzai, Megan Thee Stallion, Garry Kasparov and Issa Rae, the five-day Cannes Lion International Festival of creativity will take delegates on a rollercoaster ride through
the metaverse, NFTs, brand activism, DEI and next-gen creativity.
Regular strands throughout the week include CMOs in the spotlight, The Changemakers and Meet Ups. These up-close-and-personal ses-
sions will give Cannes Lions visitors an opportunity to learn from and engage with some of the most brilliant minds in the business.
Saving the planet in partnership with… Kicking off the week, chess guru Garry Kasparov and Edelman CEO Richard Edelman will lead a session discussing The Imperative For Brands To Act Now (10.00, Monday, June 20). With the political class around the world struggling to gain the trust of voters, Edelman
and Kasparov will argue that brands have a greater than ever responsibility to act as a force for good. They will explain how brands can take real and meaningful action beyond tokenistic gestures and set out why it’s ultimately in their interest to step up.
Social purpose will be a recurrent theme at Lions, with Diageo heading a session entitled Brand Activism – Your Power As Marketers To Make Big Change (11.00, Tuesday, June 21). On the same day, a high-
GAMECHANGING INSIGHTS FROM TOP-TIER BRANDS
A KEY dimension of any Cannes Lions Festival line-up is learning at first hand from brands that are hitting new creative heights. In AB InBev and Microsoft — Two Titans Of Creative Effectiveness (11.00, Monday June 20), delegates will get a rare opportunity to learn from a pair of the most creative and effective companies in the world. AB InBev has just been awarded Cannes Lions Creative Marketer Of The Year 2022, and Microsoft secured the same accolade in 2021. During this session, LIONS Intelligence will share exclusive data into both Microsoft and AB InBev’s creative performance and offer actionable insights to help delegates make the brands they work on even more impactful. Similar insights will be available in Yielding Unapologetic Creativity Through ‘Collaborativity’, a session hosted by Alma DDB and Pepsi (10.30, Monday, June 20). With Pepsi CMO Todd Kaplan involved, the session will unveil how Pepsi and Alma DDB co-created a powerful idea with breakthrough execution, yielding “the best work in Pepsi history”. More valuable brand insights will be forthcoming in How Did A Beauty Bar Become A Multi-Billion Dollar Superbrand? (13.00, Tuesday, June 21). This session, from Dove and Ogilvy, explores how the brand has used the power of creativity to
GARRY KASPAROV
MARK ROBER ISSA RAE
RICHARD EDELMAN
KARA SWISHER
RYAN REYNOLDS
MALALA YOUSAFZAI
SUSAN CREDLE
make a positive experience of beauty universally accessible. Being grounded in social purpose, Dove has kept the brand at the forefront of culture and helped millions of young girls through The Dove Self-Esteem Project, the world’s largest provider of self-esteem education. It has also grown Dove’s brand value, transforming it into a beauty & personal care superbrand. In another brand marketing session, delegates will gain invaluable insights into the elusive Chinese market.
Hosted by DDB China and Mars Wrigley China, Your Global Campaign Will Never Work In China (16.45, Wednesday, June 22) unpacks the successful launch of Skittles into China’s saturated confectionery market. The brand’s biggest challenge wasn’t accessibility; instead, it was capturing the attention of China’s Gen Z consumers while retaining its world-famous brand essence. In this session, agency and client will tell delegates how to decode China’s digital ecosystem and connect with the elusive Gen Z audience. They will share tools and practical solutions that can be used to turn a global brand into a cultural icon for Chinese consumers.
powered line-up of agency and marketing execs will lay out their vision for sustainability in By 2030 Every Ad Will Be A Green Ad (14.30, Tuesday, June 21). The environmental crisis is the focal point of We Had An Asteroid, What’s Your Excuse? (15.30, Wednesday, June 22). This session, hosted by the United Nations Development Programme and SAWA, the global cinema advertising association, boasts a panel that includes French actor and activist Aïssa Maïga and Game Of Thrones star, Danish actor Nikolaj Coster Waldau. Also making an appearance will be Frankie The Dinosaur, the star of a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) marketing campaign. The purpose of the session is to explain why creativity can save the planet and how the medium of cinema has helped highlight a series of critical issues. Saving the planet is also
the central theme of the session It’s Not Climate Change, It’s The ‘Everything Change’ (14.30, Monday, June 20). In this inspiring and thought-provoking session, a young climate activist, a blockchain Media executive and a spokmnword poet will make a case for new climate narratives, the re-imagination of our future and the role of the emergence of web3 and its potential impact in society and the planet.
From MeToo to fluidity via the black experience
change with the next generation.
Another of the week’s most intriguing sessions will be FCB’s Five Years Later: A Look at #metoo in 2022 (13.30, Monday, June 20).
Guest speaker Tarana Burke, founder and chief vision officer of the me too. Movement, will join Susan Credle, global chair and global chief creative officer of FCB, for a compelling conversation around the movement’s triumphs to date and the challenges ahead.
marketing leaders. Speakers in Top Black Marketers Talk Disruption, Paving The Way For Nextgen (11.00, Thursday, June 23) hail from firms including Mars Wrigley, Unilever, GroupM and the Black Executive CMO Alliance (BECA).
The wide-ranging issue of cultural identity comes up in other ways too. Photographer, filmmaker and publisher Rankin will lead a Masterclass entitled Tackling Taboos Through Visual Storytelling (13.45, Thursday, June 23). With a photoshoot on stage in front of a live audience, Rankin will walk through how he elicits emotion from his subjects and creates conversations that challenge cultural taboos. Meanwhile British fashion designer Harris Reed, a favourite of pop star Harry Styles, will outline his approach and philosophy in Fluidity Is The Future Of Creativity (11.30, Tuesday, June 21). Reed’s collections have appeared on the covers of global fashion titles and in this session he’ll talk about why fluidity is the basis of his inspiration, how it’s driving his success and why brands are finally embracing the fluid adventure. PUBLISHER
No less compelling will be Cannes Lions sessions that zoom in on current concerns such as gender, diversity and inclusion — with thought leaders from a range of sectors and backgrounds providing a blueprint for change. One highlight will be a seminar with Malala Yousafzai, Nobel Laureate, girls’ educational activist and recipient of this year’s Cannes LionHeart. At the core of her work, Yousafzai believes in amplifying marginalised voices to create a world where young people have the agency to address the barriers standing in the way of their dreams. In this inspirational session, she will share how to create
Other eye-catching sessions will explore hot topics including cultural appropriation (14.00, Monday, June 20) and bias. In The Mirror Only Has One Face (10.30, Wednesday, June 22), a powerful speaker line-up including writer, producer and actor Issa Rae, will explore how much bias people carry as individuals, while unveiling the societal impact this has.
Crystallising some of the above themes, a session on Thursday will see some of the world’s most powerful black marketers share stories about using their influence to grow their organisations, demonstrating their commitment to action and creating a pipeline for the next generation of black
TARANA BURKE
MEGAN THEE STALLION
AÏSSA MAÏGA
TED SARANDOS
NIKOLAJ COSTER-WALDAU
ZACH LEVINE
WENDY CLARK
HARRIS REED RANKIN
Research The Pitch 04. 06. 03. 02. 05. Creative idea 01. Become a member
Building the treatment
Access to Source | shots | Slate Winning the job
Storytelling is also the focus of a session featuring Ryan Reynolds, chief creative officer of MNTN and co-founder of Maximum Effort, and Wendy Clark, global CEO of Dentsu, on Wednesday June 22 at 10.00. The duo will discuss the impact advertisers can make by “embracing and reacting to culture and using their brands to tell a story consumers want to hear”.
Where creativity meets innovation
Several sessions across the week explore the evolving relationship between audiences, creativity, technology and platforms. WGSN’s Cassandra Napoli will guide proceedings in a session entitled 3 Simple Steps – Brand-building In The Metaverse (10.45, Tuesday; June 21), while Paris Hilton will talk about her experience creating NFTs in The NFT Revolution And What It Means For Brands (10.30, Tuesday June 21).
The session also features Gary Vaynerchuck, chairman and CEO, VaynerX and VaynerMedia, and advisor and creator, Swan Sit. In another future-facing session, WGSN presents But Are They Real? The Rise Of Virtual Influencers (13.30, Wednesday, June 22). Featuring a live interview with leading virtual influencer, Zero, created by Offbeat Media Group,
WGSN will investigate why the VR influencer economy is on the rise, how it can offer new ways to drive engagement, and which talent agencies are leading this industry shift. Also in the media space, sessions from TikTok and LADBible Group will lift the lid on the fast-growing creator-led digital economy. YouTube, still the biggest beast in this jungle, will host a session entitled YouTube Reveals Secrets Of The World’s Best Stories (11.00, Tuesday, June 21). Here, execs from the socialmedia giant will discuss content trends and what they mean for content preferences, ad effectiveness and the creator economy. YouTube will be joined by some of the platform’s most impactful creators, including former NASA engineer turned storyteller Mark Rober, whose blend of engineering and entertainment grabs millions of viewers each month.
Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos, meanwhile, will sit down with US journalist Kara Swisher (11.30, Thursday, June 23) to discuss creativity, innovation, hits and misses, and how the global streaming platform intends to keep entertaining by betting big on TV series, documentaries, films and mobile games. Elsewhere, stage and screen icon Patrick Stewart will be in Cannes for Paramount’s Long-term
Creative EffectivenessBuilding Fandoms With The Star Trek Franchise (13.30, Thursday June 23). Joined by Alex Kurtzman, the creative architect of the Star Trek franchise, the two will discuss why the universe continues to resonate with audiences.
The media cohort at Cannes Lions will also address some of the headline themes around inclusion and diversity. Meta’s session Breaking Barriers And Building Community (14.00, Wednesday, June 22), will see Oscar winning actor Lupita Nyong’o flipping the script on Hollywood, explaining how she has won audience hearts and minds while finding new ways to build communities. Amazon Prime, meanwhile, is hosting When Women Tell The Story – Shifting The Culture Of Inclusive Storytelling (11.30, Wednesday, June 22). In this session, actor Regina Hall and Amazon Prime Video & Studios chief marketing officer Ukonwa Ojo discuss storytelling and leadership.
Transformation and inclusivity in sports & health Team sports remain an area of fascination for mainstream audiences — but the sector is undergoing transformation in the face of digital disruption. In 75 Years Young – Engag-
ing A New Generation Of NBA Fans, (14.30, Tuesday, June 21), an expert panel will unpack what it takes to build authentic, longlasting relationships with a global fanbase. Guests include Zach LaVine, a Chicago Bulls player and NBA All-Star in 2021 and 2022. Separately, NFL stars Cam Jordan, Kelvin Beachum and Russell Wilson will participate in Bold And Undeterred – The NFL Is Transforming Its Brand (14.15, Friday, June 24). There’s also a sports flavour to Cannes Lions Health, now incorporated into the main body of the event. On Wednesday, VMLY&R Health will host Inclusivity – The Blueprint For Creativity In Health (12.00, Wednesday, June 22). This session will posit the thesis that inclusivity is the key to creativity in health, and that it is also the best chance of designing experiences that connect with audiences and make a difference to their lives. During the session, Olympic gold medalist and patient advocate Tianna Bartoletta will chat to Walt Geer and Claire Gillis of VMLY&R about winning the race for inclusivity in creativity.
Creativity in a postCOVID-19 world
Of course, one of the biggest regrets for many Cannes Lions regulars
during COVID restrictions was the loss of the Saatchi & Saatchi New Creators’ Showcase — which has been delighting delegates for three decades. This year’s edition (10.30, Thursday, June 23) will, as usual, provided a unique platform for up-and-coming creators. This year, the shortlist will be curated by British creator Caleb Femi, director and poet; and Vivienne Molokwu, Commissioning Editor of Channel 4.
Finally, Cannes Lions wouldn’t be Cannes Lions if someone didn’t make an attempt to coalesce the experience of COVID-19 and learn lessons. This is the subject of The Renegades – Welcome To The Fearless, Post-Covid World Of Creativity (12.30, Monday, June 20). In this session, delegates will hear from four Cannes Lions-winning creatives who left big networks to start their own agencies or defect to a brand. They will explain why working smaller allows them to think bigger, showcasing work which would have never existed in a pre-pandemic world. They will also attempt to answer a question which will be on everyone’s minds this week — what impact has COVID-19 had on creativity? Maybe this will become clearer as juries start to name their Lions winners.
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SCOPEN HAS ADVICE ON RELATIONSHIPS
Each year, Madrid-based research company Scopen interviews more than 3,000 CMOs in key markets and analyses more than 6,000 client-agency relationships. Agencies can use this knowledge to better attract brands, says president and CEO César Vacchiano
OUR RESEARCH
allows us to have a deep understanding about trends in our industry, how marketers are structured, how they establish relationships with agencies and other partners, and what they perceive as their challenges for the future.
The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated investment in digital and most CMOs declare their digital investments will continue to grow in the short and medium term. Agencies have also accelerated their reinforcement of digital capabilities — attracting talent, hiring new positions within their teams, understanding new technologies and establishing relationships with platforms. In some countries consumers have digitalised in just two years, when it was expected to happen over the next five or 10 years. The same with marketers — and agencies have kept up the pace.
Even though CMOs are pressed to deliver sales and to show results in the short term, marketers recognise that they split half of their marketing budget towards branding and the other half towards performance marketing. They know they need to invest to improve customer experience and that their brands need to be top-of-mind for consumers, attract the younger generation and be well positioned
in their target audience’s mind in order to increase sales.
Although most brands work on digital platforms and close direct contracts with them, between 50% and 60% of CMOs — depending on the country they are based in — prefer to work with these platforms through their agencies. They trust their agencies more than the FAANGs.
In order to try and be more efficient, one trend we have noticed is clients are trying to solve some of their marketing needs internally.
There are some 15-20% of clients, depending on the market they are in, that are trying to solve their needs in-house. Some of these are big corporations and also the largest ad spenders, meaning these moves can be quite controversial. The main disciplines that are being solved internally are: marketing automation, branding, e-commerce, promo & activation, shopper marketing, PR and performance. Some agencies are noticing this move, but rather than thinking it´s a danger for their business, they see it as an opportunity and collaborate with their clients to establish those internal teams — by identifying the talent, then training and renovating those groups.
During the pandemic marketers have been less active
when it comes to pitches. Those that started selection processes discovered online chemistry meetings and other innovative ways of choosing the right partner other than just running a creative pitch. Some marketers are now choosing Cannes to run chemistry meetings, while their global marketing teams and the leaders of agencies are here for the Lions. Due to the acceleration of digital and the increase in e-commerce, marketers are mainly involved in revising
It is very informative to understand how clients define the ideal or perfect partner. Creative and innovative ideas remain key attributes to define the perfect partner, but it is interesting to notice how knowledge — understanding of the marketplace, client’s business, competitors, trends — and strategic planning have gained importance and these three areas have become the top factors. Clients need to work with agencies that have the right knowledge, manage data
“The likes of Marc Pritchard or Fernando Machado have become marketing rock stars”
their partners’ ecosystems and, also, breaking the silos within their own organisations. CMOs are gaining leadership again by winning back innovation, performance, technology, sales and communications — some of the areas that had gone adrift in recent years. Before starting a pitch, CMOs review the different partners they are working with, which partner is doing what and if they are missing partners that should be involved in the new challenges that need solving nowadays.
concern (21.4%), proving effectiveness and ROI comes next (17.5%) and in third place, something that has been always in their mind, improving awareness and relevance of their companies and brands (15.9%). It is also important to bear in mind the challenges that marketers identify for agencies, firstly to keep reinforcing innovation and delivering bigger ideas (22.3%), secondly to reinforce their digital capabilities (16.9%) and thirdly, to have a better understanding of their clients’ businesses (14.6%).
and have talented planners that interpret all the information points to identify insights and help brands to make the right decisions. In some countries, including Brazil and the UK, strategic planning ranks first and is even more important than creativity.
Another of the most interesting questions we’re asking CMOs is about the challenges they are facing today and which they think they’ll face in the future. Understanding the consumer and being able to engage is their biggest
The more agencies demonstrate their understanding of consumers and their clients’ businesses, combined with their creative talent and digital capabilities, the more their offering will be more appealing and their proposals all the more attractive for brands. Agencies also have the challenge of identifying the right talent, then continuing to attract and retain it. This is not an easy task as profiles have multiplied in recent years and younger generations are often more attracted by startups, digital platforms and even marketers, than agencies. It is also important to bear in mind that CMOs are also looking to be famous. Clients that are bold and brave, and work collaboratively with their partners, are the ones that produce outstanding campaigns that inspire admiration from the industry. The likes of Marc Pritchard or Fernando Machado have become marketing rock stars, opening the doors for many others that wish to win awards, lead seminars and appear on the front page of publications. Agencies can help their clients become famous: the more they have these stars talking about their great campaigns, the more other marketers will want to work with those agencies.
Screen Scotland is driving the cultural, social and economic development of all aspects of the sector in Scotland through enhanced funding, services and support with backing from Scottish Government and The National Lottery. Home to world-class talent, crews, facilities and breath-taking locations, Scotland also offers a range of financial, production and location support for national and international productions.
Welcome to The Land of big-time landscapes ready made for the big screen. Nestled halfway between LA and SF, SLO CAL offers 3,616 square miles of wide-open coast, classic beach towns, sprawling ranch lands, and lush vineyards. So, you’re sure to find the perfect backdrop for your next commercial, photo shoot, TV series or feature film. And with 315 days of sunshine here, it’s always a beautiful day on set.
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AUSTRALIA IS ONCE AGAIN OPEN FOR BUSINESS
From Crocodile Dundee and The Crocodile Hunter, to a Statement from the Heart.
By David Hovenden, editorin-chief, B&T, Australia
G’DAY ya bunch of flamin’ galahs. How’s it hangin? Strewth it’s bonza to be called upon to spin a yarn for you mob. I’m proper stoked so let’s get crackin’. Okay enough of the Aussie cliches! I’m actually writing this piece just prior to setting off from Australia on Gadigal country, aka Sydney. So, allow me to say hello in the first language spoken in this place: Budyeri kamaru. I’m writing this to highlight both
Uluru, or Ayers Rock, a massive sandstone monolith in the heart of the Red Centre of Australia’s Northern Territory
a profound change Australia is going through as a nation and the exciting challenge on which our creative community is embarking. Just last month we had a federal election and a change of government. Given we have elections every three or so years, there’s nothing too exciting or significant about that. However, this was an election like no other. While the Labor Government was able ultimately to form a majority to govern in its own right, it did so with the smallest primary vote since the Second World War and it was very much a case of the conservative Coalition government being thrown out of office.
Right across what were once BlueRibbon Liberal (conservative) seats, independents representing local issues and concerns of their citizens won thumping victories sending a message to politicians that people in seats that were once taken for granted, could no longer be ignored. While Australia has been nothing short of a global embarrassment for its inaction on climate change, despite being burnt to the ground by bushfires and then washed away by floods (twice!), our two major parties avoided the issue and adopted ‘small
“Australia’s identity as an outback destination ruled by macho blokes, is really only an illusion”
target’ politics — so essentially having no vision or ambition for the country. They instead took a reductive approach of simply seeking power for themselves. Commentators across the nation agree this is no flash in the pan, moment in time phenomenon. It is a transformative moment forever changing the way the Australian people insist upon being treated by their elected representatives. Apart from climate change, gender politics and reconciliation with Australia’s First Nations people, there were huge issues that have
historically been swept under the carpet by the major parties. People who are highly educated and successful will no longer be seduced by tax cuts or wedged over out-dated Christian morals or a fear of immigrants. No doubt, the control of media, once the domain of a few rich white men, has been ceded to the masses through everything from TikTok to Facebook. Fringe issues that were once easily silenced, can be organised and brought into the glare of daylight and made plain for all to see via unregulated social-media channels. And as politics — and political strategists — have just learned, you can no longer not have an opinion on a much broader set of issues, so too must brands follow.
At the head of that list is our identity as a nation. I started this piece adopting the lingo of the people we have sold to the world through the likes of Crocodile Dundee (Paul Hogan) and The Crocodile Hunter (Steve Irwin).
But Australia’s identity as an outback destination ruled by macho blokes, is really only an illusion.
We are an urbane people mostly living far from the empty outback and the longest part of history, that of our First Nations people, has been shamefully under told. The newly minted Federal Government of Australia has flagged its intention to adopt the recommendations of the Uluru Statement from the Heart.
This is an extraordinarily important step in Australia’s narrative.
Under the guidance of the first Aboriginal woman to hold the Indigenous Affairs ministry, Linda Burney, it’s hoped the Uluru Statement from the Heart can finally be put into action.
The Uluru Statement from the Heart was written after a historic meeting of First Nations people from Indigenous nations across the country at the First Nations National Constitutional Convention in 2017.
Two hundred and fifty Indigenous delegates met at Uluru, and after days of discussions reached a consensus on the 440-word statement, which was then presented to the federal government.
The statement has three key objectives: a Voice to
Parliament, Treaty and Truth. So it is in this new environment that brands, and those that manage them, find themselves in Australia. And for the first time, we’re really doing it alone.
With one of the harshest lockdowns of the pandemic, Fortress Australia was locked off from international workers and crikey are we now feeling it. Unemployment is at historic lows, and while on the face of it that’s a good thing, it also means loads of jobs — and yes that includes the creative industries — that just can’t find people. Even journalists like me, once a dime a dozen, are now nowhere to be found and those who are around are able to find good coin for their services. The advertising industry, equally, is bereft of talent. So, if you’re looking for a change of scene, Australia is once again open for business and desperate to welcome you Down Under. As we all managed our way through the unprecedented times of the pandemic, Australia was particularly locked down and isolated. The Antipodes, as Australia and New Zealand are often referred to, literally means the other side of the world. And never has it felt truer than in the past few years. Just as our historic isolation led to weird creatures such as koalas and kangaroos, our forced isolation from the rest of the world has thrown up a huge challenge our creative leaders need to solve: A new national identity inclusive of all Australians. Then again, outnumbered and alone is just how Australia likes it. As I’m typing out this piece, Australia’s own Baz Luhrmann has been in the headlines with the premiere of his latest movie Elvis. Making its debut right here in Cannes, the biopic received an eleven-minute standing ovation. Audacious as it was for an Australian to make a film about an American legend in Queensland Australia, it should come as no surprise when you consider Luhrmann’s company moniker— ‘A life lived in fear, is a life half lived’. Australians are renowned for making do and embracing necessity as the mother of all invention. Stand by for some more sparkling work in the years to come when we re-tell our story for modern times.
‘THE PANDEMIC DID NOT INFECT CREATIVITY’
‘Fica só entre Você’ , the first global WhatsApp film, celebrated the solidarity of samba schools on the eve of Carnival
Purpose, inclusion, diversity and adequacy contributed to the communication transformation process during the pandemic. By Paulo Macedo, Editor, Propmark/Brazil
CREATIVITY is at the heart of the marketing process. The consumer is only seduced by advertising if creativity is at its heart — and rises above commerce. And how would brands be able to connect with consumers during more than two years of a pandemic if there was no creativity embedded in their advertising campaigns? Impossible, isn’t it? In this period there was a profound transformation of society and communication followed this line. The pandemic proved that nothing will be as it was before. Some brands took advantage of the moment and were more purposeful in their pronouncements, especially those related to health due to
prevention protocols.
But the pharmaceutical industry did not go to the media without proposing creativity. On the contrary. In the Brazilian market, the giant Sanofi changed the tone of communication with Targifor, a vitamin-C-based medicine to help activate people’s immunity — the Publicis campaign highlighting the product’s features without focusing on price.
Brands also made an effort to add real purpose to their actions. If before it was an option, they had to engage with projects related to sustainability, diversity, racial equity, prejudice and other topics that became essential during the critical period of the pandemic. And the challenges have not yet left the agenda, because charges are now
The giant Sanofi changed the tone of communication with vitamin-Cbased Targifor
made in real time on social media. The consumer is relentless. It does not forgive brands that are absent or do not propose a neutral, impartial and meaningful dialogue. Advertisers outside the pharmaceutical environment have also adapted to new demands. After the impact of the pandemic, they have understood that providing experiences for those who were at home due to mobility restrictions was the only alternative. AlmapBBDO, for example, anticipated and promoted a show through social networks for its client Havaianas, with singer Marilia Mendonça. During the live show she announced that Havaianas would make a donation to the University Hospital of the Federal University of Paraíba, in northeast Brazil, to combat the pandemic. The action broke audience records. There were 3.2 million people simultaneously following Mendonça’s performance. Although this was an un-tried idea, Havaianas decided to take the risk together with AlmapBBDO and it paid off. Creativity wins and helps in the win-win.
It is creativity that elevates business and enables advertising to drive the engine of other industries, from commodities to games — in fact, the metaverse. The metaverse really emerged
“The consumer does not forgive brands that are absent or do not propose a neutral, impartial and meaningful dialogue”
in the middle of a pandemic. It is already a reality and for experts it will be the next ubiquitous way to connect users across platforms and touchpoints, whether through gaming, entertainment, video, SMS or via phone calls. The numbers show the potential of the metaverse, which could reach $800bn by 2024, according to the Insights & Innovation division of FleishmanHillard Brasil. Mindful of the market, Meta, Mark Zuckerberg’s technology and
social-media conglomerate, has already announced an investment of $150m and the hiring of 10,000 professionals to create its virtual environment. Furthermore, the revenue from the VR and AR markets could reach $400bn in 2025.
AI is an inevitable reality, so much so that the biggest investments by major global advertisers are focused on AI. But without creativity, algorithms will never be lovers. And brands want to remain lovers and reach audiences outside the box of algorithms. Advertising solves this equation. It is more than a sales tool. It adds intangible value to brands.
“The best way to explain the intangible value of advertising is that it carries a much greater perception than the price tag. Creative, ethical and memorable advertising conveys the rational attributes of products and services, but brings emotional attributes that, despite being intangible, make a difference and define the choices of consumers,” according to Luiz Lara, chairman of Lew’Lara\TBWA.
Even in times of a pandemic, advertising allows products not to become simply commodities — building customer loyalty, impacting business value, stimulating innovation and fostering competitiveness. It also contributes to other segments of the creative economy, through sponsorship deals with theatre, cinema, music, fine arts and sport. Several segments sought publicity in the pandemic. Tech companies didn’t shy away from it.
WhatsApp, for example, chose AlmapBBDO to lead its global communication in 2020. The agency’s chairman, Luiz Sanches, leads, along with other units of the BBDO network, the creative process of the meta application. WhatsApp chose Brazil to launch its first-ever brand campaign. The first film in the ‘Fica só entre Você’ campaign tells the story of a community that comes together through WhatsApp to help a samba school that loses everything in a fire on the eve of Carnival. Through the app, members of a rival school organise themselves to collect donations and help replace the many lost items that are crucial to their Carnival performance. The pandemic had many notorious negative effects. But it did not infect creativity.
