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If the Cannes Lions festival is anything, it’s a stage-setter for the rest of the year.
In ADWEEK’s third and final episode of The Cannes Dispatch, the editorial team who worked the Croisette dig into the creative that won this year and what it means for the future of advertising.
While DoorDash’s Super Bowl sweepstakes took home the top prize — don’t forget to read ADWEEK’s inside look on how it all came together — other winners weren’t without controversy.
Coca-Cola’s award-winning campaign “Recycle Me” depicted the company’s crushed logo to promote recycling. But the campaign had its fair share of detractors at the festival, who felt that the ad was an example of greenwashing, because crushing cans isn’t recommended by recyclers, and because the beverage giant has long had a reputation as a major polluter.
If anything, the controversy underscores that brands that infuse their marketing with some sort of purpose also open their business practices up to scrutiny.
Purpose with a laugh
The big trend at the Cannes Lions, and one that seems likely to stick, is that after years of self-serious purposeful ads, brands at least want to make you laugh. The festival introduced for the first time a humor category.
It’s fortuitous timing because, as ADWEEK’s brand editor Rebecca Stewart pointed out, many of us are still reeling from a cost of living crisis and a tanking economy. Consumers might not have the stomach for a heavy-handed message these days, which even the most purposeful brands have thankfully recognized.
“Sometimes we forget that humor can also be purpose-driven,” said ADWEEK executive editor Jameson Fleming.
AI or AIn’t?
Generative AI entries this year faced a cold reception from the Cannes Lions jury.
“In terms of how agencies and brands are using it, it’s still in its infancy,” said Stewart. But that seems poised to change. Accenture Song CEO David Droga showcased his experiments with OpenAI’s Sora when he shared the stage with OpenAI CTO Mira Murati.
And Toys “R” Us just released the first-ever Sora-powered ad to a decidedly mixed public reception.
Cannes jury be damned, generative AI as a creative tool might be about to leap from infancy to puberty.
All the business away from the Palais
Many of the Cannes Lions attendees aren’t there to check out an awards show; they’re there to strike deals and make bank. Adtech has drowned out creativity over the past decade, and while the heyday of blackbox startups has waned, the festival still serves as a major platform for dealmaking.
And while 2023 was a dealmaking deadzone — the investment bank LUMA partners noted deal volume was down 10% compared to 2022 — there’s a lot more optimism for 2024. LUMA founder and CEO Terry Kawaja had his annual “white party” at Cannes, where adtech execs and dealmakers dressed all in white mingle.
Michael Kassan, who made a defiant appearance at (or more specifically above) the MediaLink bash this year, had previously told ADWEEK that he’s diving into M&A, with a focus on finding small adtech companies to combine into larger solutions. And a spate of small companies like Claritas, Sonobi, and 33across have all hired banks to pursue sales.
