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Soooo, my entertainment on flight from Munich to Nice was my daughter. She engaged me in a French fencing match. En garde! Her newly acquired language skills crossed swords with my nearly fading ones. She won, which while not good for my ego, does promise a bit of hilarity ahead. The prize for winning is that she gets to order in all the restaurants we go to France. In French. That, and a fully paid visit to Hamley's. (Nakul, I may need to ask for a raise.)
Oh, you want to know what the seminars were like? Don't worry; I'll get around to it. Eventually. Thanks for sticking with me like chewing gum to hair, while I attempt to unspool the memories of the past two days.
We got here on Sunday morning. In short order, this is what happened. Got the house keys. Opened the doors to let in the breeze. Mom was on the horn. Said the maid was gone. Wifey almost died. The little boy cried. And I went, 'Are these chips baked or fried?'
The first seminar I attended wasn't what you would technically call a seminar. In fact, most people would likely call it standing in line to register as a delegate. Happily, I was sandwiched between two gregarious students (Anna and May), and my recently discovered Brazilian brother in middle age (Roberto). The girls were arguing about how would Dan Draper, from the TV show Mad Men, deal with today's Cannes. Anna, was of the opinion he would be out of place, a dinosaur. I chimed in that I wouldn't be quick to jump to that conclusion. Obviously, his suits, supreme arrogance and sexist attitude would have to be history. Roberto plunged into the deep end and said that all this hoopla about the digital age is just that. The what (i.e. ideas that connect brands with people) has remained the same, the how has changed.
What followed was an hour-and-fifteen-minute long exchange of opinions, prejudices and not a few colourful cuss words in non-English languages. It was easily more enlightening than sitting in a dark auditorium and watching some folks talk about stuff. Here's what I gleaned from our zippy dialogue. Our business is like the sea, the waves on the top change as they buffet by the winds of technology and social change, but the currents that move at the bottom remain constant as they are driven by the eternal motivations of human beings. The trick is to move without moving, to adapt without changing the core. The future is unknown, but what it is based on is both intuitive and immortal.
This is the great lesson of Cannes. The greatest learnings don't always happen in the hallowed halls of knowledge (aka seminar rooms) or workshops, where people with fancy designations drop their wisdom. They erupt in the rapid-fire exchanges of ideas and notions that you have with total strangers, over the fourth glass of the house red. There are over 12,000 professionals out here. Quite a few of them are awesome at what they do, even if their business card says otherwise. And if you are willing to learn, they will surely teach you something.
Anyhow, this piece can't end without mentioning the award show that culminated the day. The press Grand Prix was won by The Community for The City of Buenos Aires. Nice, but although I love the medium, it is too populated with proactive work for me to care about it greatly. The Promo Grand Prix went to Lifepaint for Volvo. I love, love, love this. Why? Search for Volvo Lifepaint on YouTube, watch the video and you will know. The Direct Grand Prix, also a Volvo (The Greatest Interception Ever), is tres cool too. There some golds that caught my eye. FCB's 'Inactivity Tracker' for Kmart and Joe Boxer. JWT San Juan's 'Miserable in Puerto Rico' for their tourism board. India's performance, was well, not much of one. McCann got two silvers for Dabur and Direct TV, Grey got one for DHL, Taproot a bronze for Mumbai Mirror. Publicis got nothing, but then we didn't enter this year. Kya hua, mes amis? I don't know, but that's how it goes sometimes. Au revoir.
Some more shortlists go India's way
Day-3 of Cannes saw India being shortlisted in two categories. The first one is a new segment called the Glass Lions. This category looks at work that addresses issues of gender inequality and prejudice. Ad agency BBDO has two shortlists in this category, both for Procter & Gamble. The second category is design, where McCann Worldgroup has a shortlist for Dabur.
Many categories draw a blank
While India has managed to open its account in press at the Cannes Lions 2015, the talking point has shifted to the categories it has failed to make a mark. This includes mobile, cyber, promo & activation, product design and radio, where Indian agencies had no shortlists at all. Shortlisted entries are important as these ensure that an agency has a chance of winning an award. No shortlists straightaway rules out that possibility.
In categories such as direct marketing, also a key one, the Indian contingent had just one shortlist. For a category that has clicked in the past for India, this was a poor show indeed. Only press helped India take home three silvers and a bronze out of a total of 18 shortlists. Hope, however, still remains alive with awards for categories such as outdoor and media to be declared. India has 15 and eight shortlists respectively in these segments.
The author is director & chief creative officer, Publicis South Asia
