The art of storytelling

Storytelling is at the heart of Cannes 2016. It seems to be the common message of the diverse group of speakers at the Palais des Festivals here on the French Riviera. David Copperfield, arguably the most famous magician in the world, said in his session that the success of his magic is not in the tricks so much as in the human context in which he sets them. He made the Statue of Liberty disappear once: But he says the context of the importance of preserving liberty in the world is what made the illusion meaningful. Comparing what he does with advertising, he said it is the human story and not the gimmickry that makes creative work strike a chord with audiences. Of course, a magician cannot satisfy his audience only with a talk, so Copperfield gifted a magically floating paper rose to a young lady in the audience, set it on fire with his lighter and then turned it into a real rose. For me, this was the perfect opening act to this year's Cannes Lions.

For the Indian contingent at Cannes, the best story so far has been the magic conjured by Medulla, the Mumbai-based health care communication agency, run by brothers Praful and Amit Akali. The work that got them the seven Lions includes one piece titled Last Words, a project designed to highlight the importance of palliative care in the Indian medical system. The creative work hinges on the fact that most dying patients utter their last words not to family members but to nurses. They filmed real nurses as they spoke about the things that their dying patients have said to them. This is a moving human story.

While I was congratulating Akali, we recalled a bit of harmless mischief. Akali and I are both foodies. We love to try new cuisines and we use our Cannes trips to take our taste buds on a tour. Given our penchant for exotic food, we were struck by the fact that the other Indian delegates did not share our passion. At one party, we hatched a plan to spread a rumour that a fabulous new Indian restaurant called Le Calcutta had opened in Cannes. We casually mentioned this to a few people. Cut to the last day of the festival and suddenly we overhear one of the most celebrated creative gurus of India saying that he had heard there was a new Indian restaurant in town, but had been unsuccessful in his attempts to locate it! We scooted from the spot. I mention this story because it is a wonderful example of the power of word of mouth communication.

Monday night was another big night for the India story at Cannes. The Glass Lion Grand Prix went to Hindustan Unilever's '6 Pack Band', India's first transgender pop band, promoted by HUL's Brooke Bond Red Label. The campaign, entered by Mindshare Mumbai, consists of tracks on the theme of smiling in the face of adversity. A solid story there.

O&M Mumbai's social campaign against acid attacks for the NGO Make Love Not Scars and BBDO India's Share The Load campaign for Ariel also won Glass Lions on Monday. This Lion is awarded to campaigns that help bring about social change, especially in the area of gender-related issues. India's success with these awards reflects the huge gender biases that exist in India and the fact that Indian brands and agencies are finally doing something about it.

The author is executive creative director, South Asia, Ogilvy