National CineMedia (NCM)’s Post

If every agency wins AdAge's A-list local/regional/national/international Agency of the Year gold, silver or bronze award every year, then NO agency actually wins AdAge's A-list local/regional/national/international Agency of the Year gold/silver/bronze award every year. (Especially when it's mostly based on getting creative with the numbers, not how creative the work actually is. Heck, I should start submitting my CPA for this award, he's WAY more creative than I am when it comes to adding and removing 0s.) The fact is, the only agency that should easily win this award every year by creative default is still independent and it still shows Wieden + Kennedy. #Adage not #AdAge

Being on the ground at Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, here’s my initial dispatch: In 2010, Cannes Lions dropped the word “advertising.” It made sense at the time because there were starting to be so many new forms of advertising that didn’t fit the old mold. Branding-wise, I believe it was a great positioning move. Since then, the festival has grown tremendously. It now attracts so many people from so many different job functions and companies, not just agencies and production companies. So many new categories have been added also. Naturally, I thought there would be way more creative work entered into the show. Not so. Almost 40% less creative work. Does that mean this industry is now less about the work and creativity? Creatives used to own the word creativity. That may have been true in the context of advertising. However, in a borderless, always-on world where anyone can create, creativity no longer belongs to creatives only. I made this point to a strategist friend of mine near the Croisette today. He said candidly. It never did. #CannesLions #creativity #advertising

HELLO #creatives. Are you sparkling with inspiration from Cannes Lions or are you back to staring into your screen waiting for another kicker fix of creative genius? Worry not! We’ve got you. It’s taken us a hot minute (er, two weeks) to catch our breath, but Brands&Culture has launched its post-Cannes report, in partnership with We Are Social and WeTransfer. In our first report, we’ve deep-dived into the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity winners that listened to, responded to, made, shaped and created culture. This work met consumers where they wanted to be met, uninterruptedly entered their lives, added value and left more than a crumb of value. It made an impact. You’ll get to hear from some of the leaders behind the work, including, the brilliant: Youri Guerassimov & Gaëtan du Peloux, Joint CCO & CEOs,  Marcel Paris Susie Walker, Chief Creative Operations Officer, DDB Jamie George Cordwell, Global Executive Creative Director, Edelman  Marissa Eddings, Senior Director Of Brand, Advertising, Media, In-Store Marketing, and In-House Creative Agency, 7-Eleven Alex Nassour, Senior Creative & Art Director, Wieden+Kennedy  Luca Lorenzini and Luca Pannese, Co-Founders and Executive Creative Directors, SMALL and top quote from Leila Fataar Cultural relevance matters, for everyone: for individuals, for businesses and for society at large. There isn’t a “Culture” Lion yet (there is a cultural insights sub cat though), so we focused on Entertainment, Social and Influencer, PR and Creative Strategy Lions and kept an eye on the cultural pulse across all other categories too to unearth a few trends and natty stats. I really hope you find it useful/ valuable/ in some way insightful :) 🐶 P.s. Did you know that Cannes Lions winners prefer dogs to cats?  🎮 And that gaming and grub should be an entire new Lions category? Josephine Andrews, Vanessa Sawyerr, Michelle Graves, Mark St. Andrew #creativity #canneslions

**New Video style Alert** Are agencies missing out by leaving Creatives at home instead of taking them to Cannes? I have been speaking with very senior creative directors at various agencies and I was amazed to learn that they weren't being invited to Cannes. Hell, it's even called Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. Instead it was the account directors sent to schmooze existing clients and meet new clients. I was shocked by this. I learned many years ago from Damien Marchi the importance of creatives when looking to build better gaming campaigns. How they create emotions with clients and sell dreams and outcomes. They don't just think outside the box, they don't recognize the box's authority. That they are often the people that can illustrate the need for better investment in both creative and media. So why leave them out of one of the biggest events in the media calendar? Next year let's see more creatives out in Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity and watch how your business grows 🤑 To all you creatives, I hear you and I've got your back ✊🏽 Love ❤️, Peace ✌🏽 and Chicken Grease 🐔🍗 Seika Media #cannes2024 #toomuchrose #whathappensincannesstaysincannes #media

Woah — Creators are getting their own festival at Cannes! A while back, I wrote about how creators didn't have their own awards program, and it was time for someone to create the Oscars for Creators. I hadn't even thought about Cannes. In my mind, I had always considered creators "entertainers," but the reality is, they are also strategic marketers too. The Festival is literally called the "Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity". It has CREATE in the name. While the festival celebrates those working in creative communications, advertising, and related fields, it blurs the line between marketing and entertainment... Which feels like the perfect place for creators to show up. I'd argue that creators are both entertainers AND marketers, which is why they can show up both at the Oscars/Grammy's and also at Cannes, Adweek, etc. And it's only time until there a premiere festival for JUST creators. It's great to see Cannes getting ahead of that. So, do you think Cannes is the right place for creators to show up? And would you describe creators as more entertainers or marketers? P.S. It's my dream to go to Cannes for the festival. Manifesting a trip next year!! #marketing #cannes #canneslions #creators

Recently I spoke with Ad Age about all the news, drama, and big takeaways from Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. We all know the weeks after the Festival are the beginning of our New Year. Everyone’s fired up, talking about inspiration, determined to have brave conversations, motivated by being pissed off at not winning a Lion, pouring through copious trend wrap-ups, promising to do work that makes a difference. Then we bring on the ‘big idea’ meetings, the how we win action plans, the hack sessions, the unpack the work workshops. Now, I'm not mad about this. This is a very good thing. We all need this kick in the arse to power us forward BUT... I would stress one big thing as we take our New Year's vigor to the table. Let's save the business before trying to save the world. This year, we saw a healthy body of work awarded Lions that used the power of creativity to transform businesses - AND people's lives, communities, and maybe even the planet. Work where the purpose was real, demonstrated at scale, and delivered tangible outcomes for both business and cause. We finally, hopefully, have gotten over being completely drunk on ‘purpose', and awarding advertisers with Lions simply for paying lip service to causes and social well-being. Let's go make more of this work, please! Happy New Year.

The 71st Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity concluded with the penultimate awards night. The awards were presented for the Film Lions, Glass: The Lions for Change, Sustainable Development Goals Lions, The Dan Wieden Titanium Lion, and The Cannes Lions Grand Prix for Good categories. Special awards were also announced to demonstrate Cannes Lions' dedication towards transparent and accurate results. Creative Company of the Year : 1. WPP 2. Omnicom Media Group 3. Interpublic Group (IPG) Network of the Year : 1. Ogilvy 2. Publicis Worldwide 3. DDB Worldwide Independent Network of the Year : 1. Rethink 2. Edelman 3. Serviceplan Group Agenturgruppe Agency of the Year : 1. Publicis Conseil, Paris, France 2. Rethink, Toronto, Canada 3. Ogilvy, New York, United States Independent Agency of the Year : 1. Rethink, Toronto, Canada 2. Edelman, London, United Kingdom 3. Klick Health, Toronto, Canada Palme d'Or : SMUGGLER, United States Creative Brand of the Year : 1. The Coca-Cola Company 2. The HEINEKEN Company 3. Apple Wieden + Kennedy | Superette | DoorDash | Marcel, Paris | Orange | The Monkeys | Accenture Song | Sydney Opera House | Ogilvy Singapore | Vaseline | Publicis Conseil Paris | Renault Group | INNOCEAN Berlin | Reporters Without Borders (RSF) Congratulations to all the winners! #Creativity #CannesLions #Advertising #Winners #Adtechtoday

I am in the throes of Cannes FOMO, not because I just wanted to go, but because I wanted to have work in the show. I can’t shake it. I'm VCU Brandcenter, through and through. So, I’m OPEN FOR WORK again as a creative. In 2015, I told Cindy Gallop and the audience at the The 3% Movement that “I wouldn’t work for a job that didn’t work for me.” But, it still holds true. To the agencies and brands, I say: 1) LOVE ME, OR LEAVE ALONE: I am many things. I’ve been advised multiple times (and it was likely correct) to leave more than half of myself at the door, when looking for a creative leadership role. But, nah. I am who I am. I’m also way too seasoned to be a CD, but not seasoned enough to be a CCO (although some of my ad peeps say otherwise.) In addition to creative direction and copywriting, coaching is my superpower. A DEI perspective is more important than ever. And, travel is life. And, all of this makes me an exceptional people leader. 2) PAY ME: I’m a blessing, not a bargain. This is my 25th year in the industry. I know what I'm doing. I know what people make and most importantly, I know what I’m worth. I bring a lot to organizations because there’s no one else quite like me. See point 1. 3) DON’T BULLSH*T ME: If your leadership is more interested in optics than my talent, I’m not the one. I want to be OF USE because of my difference, not USED FOR my difference. The latter is a form of tokenism and I have walked off a gig because the intent was to use me as a figurehead. I am many things, but a token is not one of them. See point 1. 4) NYC IS NOT A DEALBREAKER: I’m open to 2-3 days hybrid, as long as I can get back to NYC as often as possible, preferably each week. *Adds mom of two teen girls to the list of things I am.* 5) DON’T DAWDLE: Returning to the ad business is like reconsidering a bad relationship. Will it really be different this time?? Probably not. So, let's not waste any time. This Cannes halo effect may dissipate as quickly as it appeared! Go ahead, judge me: https://thebrownscribe.com #CannesFOMO #PutItOutThere #SeeWhatComesBack

I recently finished reviewing 50+ UK Young Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity entries and here's what stood out: Cannes Lions Judging Takeaways: Fresh Perspectives from Young Talent ➡️ Big agencies: While consistent in their "frameworks", some larger network entries felt a bit...uninspired and robotic. ➡️ Junior Power: The freshest approaches often came from the most junior roles. This made me especially happy! ➡️ Brand Brilliance: There's some serious talent on the brand side – are they being utilised fully in-house? ➡️ The Extra Mile Matters: The 12/10 effort entries SHINE. Don't be afraid to go above and beyond it really makes a difference. ➡️ Uniqueness is Rare: Truly unique ideas are gold, but don't come easy. There were a few entries with almost identical ideas. ➡️ Keep it Clean: Ditch the word clutter. Killer decks are concise and impactful. ✂️ ➡️ The Dream Team: Strong copywriting paired with exceptional creativity is a winning formula. ✨ Very grateful to have had the opportunity to take a look behind the curtains as a judge and very excited to meet some of the fresh talent at Cannes in June with the Spin team. #CannesLions #YoungLions #Advertising #Creativity

🌟 Reflecting on Cannes Lions 2024 🌟 What an incredible week at Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity ! Watching the shortlisted and winners content has left me inspired and reminded of the timeless truth: people still love to be told stories. Whether it’s through a captivating ad or a heartfelt campaign, storytelling remains at the heart of what advertising agencies and creatives do. Here are my key takeaways: Go for Boldness: The most memorable work was often the boldest. It's the willingness to push boundaries and take risks that sets the best campaigns apart. Human Connection: Witnessing mankind at its best—creative, kind, clever, resourceful, and beautiful—was truly uplifting. The magic happens when creatives craft stories that people can relate to, transcending the mundane part of talking about a product and tapping instead into universal emotions. Partnership: The best creative agencies don’t just work for their clients, they partner with them. They delve deep to carve out a human story from a product or technical need, transforming advertising into something magical. In essence, Cannes Lions reminded me that creativity is the utmost human manifestation —to inspire, connect, and transform. Here’s to continuing to create magic in our industry! -Not written by IA, all errors mine- #CannesLions #Storytelling #Creativity #AdvertisingMagic #HumanConnection #Boldness #HERAW