That famous festival is hoving into view and, as ever, we’ll be asking various luminaries for their Top Tips, the best creative work from anywhere over the past year or so (other submissions are welcome, but not self-serving and with examples, links.)
First up is FCB London CCO Owen Lee.
Top Tips for Cannes
Like timing movie releases for the Oscars, certain campaigns launch just in time to be top of mind as the Cannes judging starts in June and Coke has timed its run perfectly.
The exquisitely simple crushed logo posters will be top of mind for the Outdoor jury. Much will be made of the bravery of the client to distort the usually sacrosanct logo, the craft of doing it for real with actual crushed cans and of course, the message of the moment from perhaps the world’s most famous brand. Saatch & Saatchi first coined the phrase ‘Brutal simplicity’ and this campaign by rival Ogilvy is a perfect example and will be sure to walk away with a number of Lions in June.
And talking of the Oscars, Barbie will find itself in the ‘wrong’ award show for sure. Having been awarded top honours at the Clios in Integrated, it’s a bit of a game changer for that category and perhaps a number of others. The marketing of the film was brilliant, but does a $145 million, 2-hour Hollywood blockbuster backed by as much spent on marketing count at the Cannes Lions? Discuss. With or without a lion tucked under their arm, perhaps we will see Ryan Gosling and Margot Robbie roller blading down the Croisette this year. Let’s hope so.
The topic of gender equality, or lack of it, will surely be on the tip of juror’s tongues all week with Orange’s WoMen also being a hot prospect. Having shared it with a group of predominantly female clients recently it got mixed reactions (as it did online), but as a creative idea, I think it’s brilliantly provocative. It’s essentially a compelling ‘product demonstration’ of gender bias by a brand that provides equal financial support and communication budgets to both national teams. That has to be good for the world of sport and the world in general.
And finally, the much-anticipated new Humour category. I’m afraid I have absolutely no idea which way the jury will go with this. Perhaps it will be something quirky that few of us have seen, perhaps it will be something populist that the whole world agrees upon, though I doubt that. But it will be a welcome break from our industry’s efforts to save a beleaguered world – or maybe we’ll continue to do that, but make people laugh at the same time. I’ll raise a glass of Brad Pitt’s cherished Miraval rose to that.
