Trends & Insights - Cannes Lions 2017

TRENDS & INSIGHTS Cannes Lions 2017

INSIDE THE REPORT Throughout this report, you’ll find first-hand insights from thought-provoking conversations on-the-ground in Cannes that will shape the very near future paired with marketer implications.

In total, Publicis Media brands received 173 honors with 2 Grand Prix, 14 Golds, 26 Silvers, 23 Bronzes, and 108 shortlists as either the primary or a contributing agency.

Read on for highlights and takeaways from the week. And to view Cannes through the lens of our next generation talent, PUBLICIS MEDIA REPORTERS, visit PMTransform.com.

Inside the Creative Effectiveness Jury The Power of Story: Lessons from Ira Glass

Takeaways from Publicis Media’s Transform Summit Virtual Reality: The Shift to Story Immersion Performance-Powered Creativity Learnings from Cannes that Will Drive Brand Growth Bold Brand Stewardship in the Age of Uncertainty Beyond the Cookie

Last week, my fellow jurors and I debated work that would set the industry standard for creative effectiveness. We identified several key principles present in work that captured our imaginations while driving brilliant results.

Inside the Creative Effectiveness Jury ESTHER ‘E.T.’ FRANKLIN EVP/Managing Director, Strategy and Cultural Fluency, Mediavest|Spark

NO LIMIT TO THE SIZE OF AN IDEA AND THE GLOBAL IMPACT: Brands willing to shift their own perspective and break convention can find new ways to win. The power of Airbnb’s Van Gogh for the Art Institute of Chicago demonstrates that in an experience-led world, unimagined experiences can become reality–a reality that moves people, drives growth and becomes a global phenomenon.

STRAIGHT-LINE CONNECTION BETWEEN CREATIVITY & EFFECTIVENESS: Consumers have mastered the one-two punch of social media and passion, using it to their advantage. By being attuned and responsive, brands can play this game and win–enabling consumers to get more of what they love while driving growth. A Wendy’s chicken nugget fan asked a simple question on Twitter: What would it take to get free nuggets for one year? Wendy’s answered and 18 million retweets and one year of free nuggets later, #NUGGSFORCARTER exemplified the gold standard straight-line connection between creativity and success!

BRILLIANT WORK + BRILLIANT IMPACT ELEVATES THE INDUSTRY: Authentically tapping into culture reveals uncharted territory for brands to explore. Heineken’s Tiger Beer “Made in Asia” challenged stereotypes of Asian creativity and products, an example of using culture to reframe the brand experience and deliver results. Brands that provide access to culturally-rooted, nuanced experiences expose consumers to new ideas, ways of thinking and experiences that they can tap into during their never-ending quest to keep their brand up-to-date and future-forward.

The Power of the Story: Lessons from Ira Glass LISA DONOHUE, Global Brand President, Starcom Ira Glass is one of today’s most iconic storytellers. The creator, host and producer of the award-winning public radio show “This American Life,” along with his podcast series “Serial,” among others, Ira has been captivating audiences with audio for decades. Here are some of his lessons learned in connecting with people: STRIP AWAY DISTRACTION: There is an innate intimacy in a story told simply via the human voice. Void of visual or other sensory stimulus, Ira’s stories evoke an empathy that connects in a very real and emotional way for people.

EMBRACING EXPERIMENTATION: The best stories happen to people who can tell them. These storytellers are curious and create with a sense of discovery. Delight in the surprise and the unexpected. As a brand, if you seek to amuse your own people with your content, in turn you will create content that matters.

INSPIRATION IS INEFFICIENT: Ideas can and should come from anywhere, but most ideas will fail. In this way inspiration can seem inefficient, but Ira embraced the notion of failing fast. For each episode of “This American Life,” the team will produce more than 15 stories, of which only two may air in a given episode. In allowing ideas to fail fast, Ira continues to redefine how he defines great content.

BE RESILIENT & CURIOUS: Today, Ira Glass is synonymous with thoughtful journalism and immersive storytelling. But, this path did not come naturally. Through persistence and resilience he has redefined public radio and podcast platforms for a modern consumer, one story at a time. When asked what’s next, there was not a five year plan. But rather, for Ira there is an innate curiosity for the human story that’s the next to be told.

Lisa Donohue (Starcom) and Ira Glass discuss the power of storytelling at the Publicis Media Transform Summit.

Ira’s insights resonate on both a personal and professional level for marketers. Strive to simplify. Eliminate unnecessary “noise” in your brand narrative. Embrace all ideas with childlike curiosity. Never underestimate the human connection in a powerful story.

Takeaways from Publicis Media’s Transform Summit RICHARD HARTELL, Global Practice Lead, Business Transformation, Publicis Media This year at Cannes, Publicis Media celebrated the true meaning of brand transformation bringing together brave leaders who are embracing disruption.

Participants—including singer-songwriter Halsey, radio/TV host Ryan Seacrest, storyteller Ira Glass, columnist Andrew Ross Sorkin, actor Reggie Yates and journalist Benjamin Zand—shared stories around personal, cultural, industry and business transformation.

AUTHENTICITY IN STORYTELLING: Authenticity is a maker or breaker of content. Halsey, who branded herself on social media in her rise to stardom, reasoned that millennials don’t trust brands on social media because they view themselves as better at social than brands are. Powerful content comes from people who immerse themselves in the subject matter. When an influencer aligns with a brand, the audience must perceive the partnership as authentic. But, sometimes, authenticity isn’t enough. Ira Glass commented: “Great stories happen to those who tell them.” Compelling story delivery is as important as the content itself.

STAYING AFLOAT IN TIMES OF DISRUPTION: According to Publicis Media’s proprietary Predictor research, most brands overestimate their abilities to deliver on customers’ evolving needs, with 85% noting they are innovating but consumers feeling it’s more like 60%. It’s important for marketers to make innovation visible to consumers and enroll them in transformation efforts. To address this mindset, Kim Kadlec shared that Visa is focusing on reducing cash dependency, pursuing solutions that enable cashless payment across devices. Visa also aligned its key data stakeholders to share data faster, enabling them to activate better consumer experiences ahead of the competition.

MANAGING CHANGE OF AMAZONIAN PROPORTIONS: Andrew Ross Sorkin called the Amazon-Whole Foods acquisition one of the biggest deals of this decade and a move that will revolutionize grocery stores, food delivery, subscription services and retail as we know it. According to the Predictor research, supermarkets are one of the most disrupted categories in the next five years, with seamless shopping, new payment methods and on-demand access leading its evolution.

It’s clear we live in a world where disruption is mainstream. Everyone has a millennial mindset based on their acceptance of change and the speed at which they adapt. For any brand to be successful today, they need to be authentic storytellers, inclusive innovators and pioneers with an eye on the next wave of disruption.

Virtual Reality: The Shift to Story Immersion MARK WAUGH, Global Managing Director, Content, Publicis Media Virtual reality (VR) is quickly expanding from game-based content to news, drama, documentaries and even comedy, powered by a new generation of filmmakers. At Cannes, I hosted a Publicis Media discussion on the Entertainment stage with two leading players in the space: Bryn Mooser, CEO/Co-Founder of RYOT and Thalia Mavros, Founder/CEO of online video network The Front. Three themes emerged: HARNESSING THE ENGAGEMENT POWER OF VR: Publicis Media’s bespoke Mobile VR research with Samsung proves that VR content has 2x greater impact on emotional engagement (as measured biometrically) and brand recall is significantly higher. The key is identifying exactly what experience brands want to immerse the target audience. This should, of course, be a deliberate value exchange that benefits both consumers and brands.

ADDRESSING THE MISSING “WATERCOOLER EFFECT”: Currently, we are missing a “watercooler effect” for VR content, which presents a challenge to the entry of such programming into the public consciousness. In a world where social currency is a must, giving audiences the ability to share clips or highlights is more important than ever--yet this is currently not possible in VR. We expect media and tech companies will crack this issue on a technical level, but they must also learn from the linear offline world of scheduling, where paid promotion and the concept of a screening “window” have powered talkability and buzz.

GENRE EXPANSION AND INTERACTIVITY: There is a huge appetite from production companies to involve brands early on in the creative development process for comedy and scripted genres, so that brands can intelligently add value to the VR experience via a unique perspective or level of talent access, for example.

For brands brave enough to experiment now, they will earn valuable levels of both engagement and differentiation versus their competitors. Brand-relevant involvement, dedicated distribution via owned brand channels and promotion strategies will be vital for the scaled success of any brand’s VR initiative.

Mark Waugh (Publicis Media), Bryn Mooser (RYOT) and Thalia Mavros (The Front) discuss on the Cannes Lions Entertainment stage.

PerformancePowered Creativity MICHAEL KAHN CEO, Performics Worldwide & Performance Global Practice Lead, Publicis Media

What’s a performance marketing agency doing at a creative festival like Cannes? The fact is that performance and creativity are coming together in a big way—so much so that data from performance marketing activations is now essential to creative planning. These insights inform creative strategy, enabling the creation of more compelling experiences that speak to consumers in their own language. Consider the following to unleash performancepowered creativity: DRIVE CREATIVE STRATEGY WITH PERFORMANCE INSIGHTS: Performance marketers sit on a massive volume of consumer insights that can power creative messaging. These marketers also have access to highly valuable consumer intent signals (e.g. what people search for) which can be used to inform creative in other channels, like TV and print.

SHIFT FROM TEXT TO FULL SENSES: Performance formats are moving from pure text to full sensory experiences—sight, sound and motion—opening new opportunities for creativity in performance media. Brands must optimize content for visibility in visual and voice search results. Mary Meeker’s latest report pointed out that dynamic ad creation increases conversion rates. We’ve seen similar results at Performics, including a 250% conversion rate boost for a telecom client.

LEVERAGE THE POWER OF OWNED & EARNED: Brands must hold content accountable to performance, and better attribute direct, bottom-line ROI. One effective way that performance marketers are expressing creativity with content is through earned, influencer assets. Harness influencers to drive not only engagement, but bottom-line performance.

By being more creative with performance programs—and more performance-oriented with creative programs—brands can better engage consumers, generate leads and drive sales.

Learnings from Cannes that Will Drive Brand Growth SEAN HEALY, Global Head of Strategy & Product, Zenith Cannes saw the themes of data-driven marketing and reimagining creativity once more at the forefront of many seminars and discussions. For every advocate of machine learning, there was an evangelist for brand purpose. Here are the key themes from Cannes that stand to drive brand marketers’ growth: MACHINE LEARNING IS EVERYWHERE: A topic that was barely mentioned two years ago has become mainstream and is replacing human “craft skills” throughout the industry. IBM Watson was a key player in entries for categories as diverse as fashion, pharmaceutical and retail. Machine learning is clearly emerging as a key tool for ambitious brands and not just for measurement, but for planning as well.

BRAND PURPOSE: A PROVEN FORCE FOR CREATIVITY & GROWTH: Marketers and agencies alike championed brand purpose as a means of driving world-class work and sought to prove that it delivers concrete ROI gains, not just a marketing team that feels good about itself. The big stories surrounding brand purpose came with pounds, dollars and euros attached. Marketing leaders argued that brands with purpose were growing up to 50% faster than those without.

TARGETING NOW A MAINSTAGE ISSUE: Facebook claims an average 3.5x uplift from deploying targeted dynamic personalization. Stanford identified microsegmentation in social media as pivotal to Brexit and Trump teams winning their political social media battles and ultimately the end goals. Accelerated brand growth requires a balance of broad communications that set a brand in culture complemented by a segment-driven approach that seeks to personalize the story.

CONTENT IS KING BUT CONTEXT IS KING KONG: We saw many speakers exploring the importance of context and a flight to quality environments as a counterweight to the march of targeting and automation. Evidence to support this could be seen in the WARC Top 100 Campaigns of 2016, as well as in a brilliant session from neuro-scientist Beau Lotto, who argued that without a full appreciation of context, all data is meaningless. The trend is for fast growing brands to care more deeply about cultural and media contexts, a swing back from a commodity audience-driven approach.

Bold Brand Stewardship in the Age of Uncertainty DAVE EHLERS, CEO, Blue 449 US and Publicis Media Canada In a complex world, brands face challenges in building strong relationships and maintaining authenticity. To build and keep trust, brands must focus on an open source approach to partnerships and platforms, building direct consumer relationships through owned and influencer media and listening to their consumers.

OPEN SOURCE APPROACH TO PARTNERSHIPS: Brands, marketers and agencies must put trust at the heart of everything we do. Brands must ensure that all content or conversations they are associated with align with their purpose. An open source, curated approach to partnerships helps brands find the right media and technology partners at each touchpoint within the consumer journey.

ACTIVATE THE BRAND, NOT THE PLATFORM: Follow your consumer, not the platform or partner. Where possible, leverage owned assets to connect with consumers, helping maintain control of the brand message. Influencers can also be particularly effective in directly bringing a brand to life. At Blue 449, we often provide radio DJs with key talking points for our clients. The DJs express these messages as advertisements, but in their own authentic way, speaking to the listeners who follow them.

FEEL THE PAIN: Social media puts a spotlight on everything, especially poor customer experiences. Don’t just listen to your customers on social media—do something about their pain. For one client, social listening data surfaced a major consumer pain point in the telecommunications industry. The client solved this challenge, increasing trust and engagement. In addition, look at what people aren’t saying on social media.

What conversations may we want to spark?

Lucy Hockings (BBC), Dave Ehlers (Blue 449), Dermot Boden (Citibank), Jia Hyun (LinkedIn) and Tom Goodwin (Zenith) discuss brand stewardship.

FOCUS ON BUILDING TRUST INTERNALLY: It is every brand’s job to articulate their values and principles to their employees. Evangelizing a clear “purpose” is key to reducing turnover and creating employees who advocate for your brand. It’s also our job to create a culture where people are inspired to behave creatively.

Beyond the Cookie STEPHAN BERINGER, Global Practice Lead, Data, Technology & Innovation, Publicis Media To build powerful relationships with consumers, marketers must have a strategy based on consumers’ motivations and needs, across channels and devices. The challenge is harnessing the massive volume of data that consumers create—throughout their entire journey—and activating it to anticipate and steer behavior with relevant experiences. The cookie is limited and we are realizing the evolution of techniques that deliver on the task of personalization. So what is changing?

UNCOVERING RELATIONSHIPS: There is no silver bullet and the cookie isn’t going away immediately. However, in a mobile-first world, we have to go beyond it via techniques such as tracking logged-in users or device IDs. We leverage data from owned assets, third parties or from clients to give a deeper understanding of consumer activity such as device usage, content consumption, geographic location, demographic and psychographic info, purchase behavior, connected device data or TV viewership. Machine learning models then help score data and uncover relationships between cookies, devices, email, offline behavior and people.

GETTING CLOSER TO PEOPLE: To achieve deeper engagement with consumers on a more personal level, we need to understand them as people rather than cookies or a block of demographics. Doing this allows marketers to think and act beyond media optimization; it unlocks opportunity identification, content and creative treatment, and scoring of brand affinities. People-based marketing is being realized. Soon, we’ll look back at archaic segmentation methods and personas and see how far we’ve moved beyond their limited scope.

AUGMENTING RELEVANCE: By observing people and their habits, brands can create predictive models to drive real business outcomes. To illustrate, a telecommunications brand was losing subscribers when they moved homes. Ordinarily, the brand wouldn’t learn that a subscriber moved until after the fact when, oftentimes, it was too late to retain the customer. By understanding the content subscribers browsed (e.g. movers, real estate sites, apartment listings), the brand knew when a subscriber intended to move and could engage them earlier on, customize the site experience to anticipated behavior and significantly reduce churn rates.

GAINING ORGANIZATIONAL ALIGNMENT: Predictive personalization is proven to work but most brands are not yet utilizing these techniques, at scale, across all campaigns. It’s not the technology that’s holding them back; it’s organization from a creation, workflow, delivery, measurement and investment standpoint. Alignment can be accelerated by unifying end-to-end marketing platforms to allow for synchronized use of data and intelligence across all means of engagement—strategy and ideation to campaigns, content and commerce.

Ron Amram (Heineken) delves into the power of unlocking consumers’ motivations with Publicis Media’s Beyond the Cookie panel with Adobe and The Drum.

Transformative Conversations

Data is not killing creativity

Think like publishers’ and use influencer content

Redefining consumer experiences through data

Revamping content strategy

Rise of data and technology