Being in the South of France in late June never gets old. But beyond that, there’s much truly new at the upcoming Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival (June 20-26), headlined by the inaugural Film Craft Lions competition honoring the skill and quality of craft and technique in the filmmaking process.
Fittingly, Jon Kamen–whose love of creative content and craft translated into his being a founding father of the AICP Show, The Art and Technique of the American Commercial, at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York–has been selected to chair the Film Craft Lions jury. Kamen, chairman/CEO of @radical.media, presides over a lineup of Film Craft jurors consisting of Jao Daniel Tikhomiroff, president of Mixer, Rio de Janeiro; Francois Chilot, president/producer at Les Producers, Paris; Calvin Soh, vice chairman/chief creative officer of Publicis Asia, Singapore; and directors Ringan Ledwidge of production house Rattling Stick, London, and Joe Pytka of PYTKA, West Hollywood, Calif.
“I’m looking forward to a spirited debate in our judging of craft,” related Kamen. “We have accomplished jurors who I think will find that judging craft is quite personal. For me, it’s exciting to get the chance to help shape a new category for the industry. Film Craft Lions have been long overdue, honoring work based on the quality of the direction, the writing, cinematography, editing, animation, the use of music and sound design. We will have to shape and define what we consider excellence in craft. I don’t think we’ll be defaulting to the biggest, baddest production. We will be looking at nuances of the discipline that challenge the status quo. I’m delighted that we will be able to break new ground.”
New ground seemingly is continually being broken as reflected in the changing nature of Cannes forecasts–a leading prognosticator being Leo Burnett with its 24th annual Cannes Predictions Reel. Unlike previous years when it presented 50 TV commercials as leading contenders for Film Lions at Cannes, Burnett this time around has diversified its predictions to include work likely to win Lions in Cyber, Titanium & Integrated, PR, Promo, Outdoor, Direct and in the new category of Film Craft Lions.
In fact, the most notable change in this year’s Leo Burnett Cannes Prediction Reel is the increased prevalence of integrated case studies, which outnumber straightforward television commercials. In the mix are 14 entries, for example, that feature audience participation as a central component of the communication.
However, looking to distance himself from that Predictions Reel for the first time is Mark Tutssel, chief creative officer, Leo Burnett Worldwide, who is trying to keep an objective mindset in that he will serve as president of both the Film and Press Lions juries. Still, Tutssel acknowledged that pure objectivity is hard to attain given that he prides himself on being “a student of work who keeps his finger on the industry pulse. I have a clear snapshot in my mind of what’s good. There’s a lot of work out there I admire–work that pushes the industry forward. But ultimately it’s a jury. It’s about consensus, debate, and ultimately honoring the best of the best work that the world has to offer.”
As for the value of the Lions Fest, Tutssel observed, “People come there to be inspired, to learn, to reset their thinking and reset the bar. You leave Cannes stronger, healthier as a result of time spent there immersed in the best work, the best thinking, the best creativity, the best executions that the industry has to offer on a global scale. Cannes is the world’s biggest celebration of creativity and communication. People come to Cannes looking for the three or four cases that act as a compass point for the industry, that creatively defy the status quo. As judges, we have a great opportunity to help showcase work that points the industry in the right direction and gives it a clue as to the future.”
Tutssel also regards the increasing number of clients coming to Cannes as being “a huge benefit to the industry. Clients are seeing the value of creativity and now many of them firmly believe that we are in the business of creativity–not just in a creative business. Creativity is the primary asset of their business. Without creativity, they cannot create a connection with people. Clients and agencies no longer have the divine right to people’s attention. We have to be creative to engage them with something relevant and fulfilling. It’s only through creativity that brands can build themselves and relationships with consumers. It’s the only way to create a long-term emotional bond with people.”
Leo Burnett Worldwide’s CCO further credits Cannes with largely being “responsible for raising the level of creativity around the world,” dating back to the festival’s inception in 1954. “In the early years, Cannes was dominated by Western culture, the U.S. and U.K.,” Tutssel recalled. “There was very little work coming from other parts of the globe. But in the last five years, the sheer creativity that’s originating from everywhere is astounding. Cannes helped elevate communities everywhere, exposing the whole world to great work as well as exposing work from all over the world. The currency of life in Latin America is creativity. Work from Asia Pacific, China, India is all on the rise. Australia last year was the sixth most awarded country in the world, meaning that Australia is punching way above its weight in creativity. The humor of Thailand, the intelligence of the U.K., each country and culture has its own spirit, feel, personality. There’s a rich tapestry of different ways to approach communication. And Cannes is the clearinghouse.”
Tutssel added that the deep worldwide recession has been a catalyst for new ideas. “People have been forced to think in different ways, working within tight budgets. Last year’s ‘The Best Job In The World’ campaign [Cannes Grand Prix winner in Cyber, Direct and PR for Tourism Queensland from Australian agency CumminsNitro–now SapientNitro] is a prime example of brilliant thinking. The way that campaign [a contest to be a caretaker for Queensland’s idyllic Hamilton Island] captured people’s attention and truly put that place on the map. To see what a breakthrough idea like that can do underscores that there’s never been a more exciting time to be in this business.”
Global branding
Serving as a judge on the Tutssel-chaired Film Lions jury is Tor Myhren, chief creative officer of Grey New York. The responsibility of being a juror entails much more than spending the better part of a week screening work in a dark room. Myhren related that much preparation takes place before he even gets to Cannes. Recently during the course of a week, he had to watch 158 long-form entries as part of a pre-screening process. Yet all that time in the dark, then being sequestered on a jury with no chance of enjoying the Cannes beaches still has its advantages, observed Myhren.
“For Americans, it’s interesting to see not just the international work but how American work plays in an international setting,” he said. “You have perspectives from leading creatives around the world who are judging the entries. You can see how work plays so well in one culture but horribly in another. This experience gets you closer to perhaps answering the uber question of global branding, and what it takes to create a campaign that resonates universally as the world becomes increasingly smaller.”
Cyber barometer
Jeff Benjamin, partner/chief creative officer, Crispin Porter+Bogusky, will preside over the Cyber Lions jury, marking his first time judging at Cannes. “I remember being a young creative and going to the Cannes website when the short list was announced. I wasn’t there to see if I was on the list,” he explained. “I was there to see the best work and to be inspired. Now to be able to inspire other people through our work on the Cyber jury, looking to find and honor inspirational work, is a cool prospect.”
Also “cool” for Benjamin is the learning experience of judging as well as heading up a jury. “Everyone in that judging room sort of moves forward together and learns. To hear different perspectives from all over the world is great. Those conversations are so valuable. And for me, it’s not what wins but rather the entire body of work–the short listed entries, the leading contenders and the eventual winners. This collection of work represents a great barometer of where we’re at as an industry.”
At press time, Benjamin was in the process of reaching out to former Cannes jury presidents to get their takes on the responsibilities entailed in chairing the judging, and ways he should handle those duties. “I’m a bit nervous going in, but I think the dynamic I’ve felt in years past as someone who just attended Cannes will kick in and make things comfortable and interesting,” said Benjamin. “For several years, I just flew in for the awards ceremony and flew out the next day. Last year was the first time I spent the whole week at Cannes. But every year I would have conversations with people I wouldn’t have met otherwise. I’d bump into creatives from all over the world, as well as young creatives who may have my job in a few years, particularly since they’ve grown up in the interactive space. You also have conversations with different clients. The chance to exchange ideas and perspectives can be just as inspiring as the work you see.”
Bob Greenberg, chairman/CEO/chief global creative officer of R/GA, has stepped in to replace Bob Scarpelli, DDB Worldwide‘s chairman/CCO, as Titanium and Integrated jury president. Scarpelli was taken ill and couldn’t travel to Cannes. Thankfully, though, Scarpelli is now on the mend, according to Greenberg. Though he didn’t like the circumstance that eased him into a Cannes jury leadership role, Greenberg values the chance to serve in this capacity.
“Because it’s international judging, it’s quite different and more challenging,” said Greenberg. “You don’t just go into a room with a bunch of American judges and argue it out. There are very different points of view. Cannes is the most international of shows in terms of cultures and perspectives.”
Also helping to set Cannes apart, continued Greenberg, is it being the “only awards show that has all the agency holding company CEOs” in attendance, as well as many clients, again adding to a varied mix of perspectives on creativity, strategies and the business. “Being exposed to these different views from different countries is of real benefit.” That benefit is even more relevant in some respects for Greenberg now as R/GA is in the midst of growing its global footprint.
As for his orientation at the helm of a jury, Greenberg simply related, “We’re looking for work and ideas that show the way forward.” He cited this forward momentum as becoming increasingly fascinating as it spans multiple channels and platforms, and multi-screen integration.
Mobile marketing Freddie Laker, executive director of digital strategy at SapientNitro Asia, and Nathaniel Perez, who is SapientNitro’s Miami-based head of social experience, are slated to make a workshop presentation at Cannes titled, “How to Create Location-based Mobile Marketing (Shh…Without an Expert).”
Laker observed, “There’s been an overall lack of conversation about location-based mobile marketing, which we think is going to start to get big in 2010. More people should be paying attention.”
A catalyst for such attention is Laker’s expectation that “Facebook will go public with releasing geo location-based updates.”
To demonstrate the power of the mobile location dynamic, SapientNitro plans to conduct a Marco Polo game for Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival attendees, akin to the swimming pool game in which one person says “Marco?” to which another quickly responds “Polo,” helping the initial person to hone in on the other’s location.
SapientNitro’s version of Marco Polo is a male guide by that name who knows all the hot spots in Cannes. For those people who decide to play the Twitter-based game, Sapient Nitro will send out clues to help them find Marco in and around town. Winning contestants will receive iPads.
Perez related, “There’s value in this for those players who could use a guide to Cannes. We have pre-selected a whole bunch of great locations. We can attract people to hot places that have other people present within or near that location. This just scratches the surface of what is possible with location-based technology and marketing.”
