Goodbye Cannes

I’ve had a long break from the advertising festival in Cannes. When I was 22, I went for the first time because I became 3rd at a Young creatives competition and after that I went five other times, all thanks to the Young Dogs (an organization for young creatives in Holland). The first times I went there, it wasn’t so easy to see work from all over the world on the internet, so when I was young this was actually my window to the advertising world. Here, I was rolling on the floor laughing when I first saw the “Wazaaaap-campaign” from Budweiser, giggled because of the strange Japanese commercials, was amazed to see a new category called “Titanium” and I met creatives from every part of the world. Cannes was a unique experience that shaped my creativity and boosted the love for advertising in my early years. The last year I went there with the Young Dogs it had become a routine, so that I knew exactly what to expect from the parties, the people and the work. And the cinemas weren’t so crowded anymore. Cannes seemed to go a bit downhill. So I didn’t really feel that I missed out on something those years that I didn’t go. When I went there again with my agency Jung von Matt, I realized that I hadn’t been there for seven years. I wondered if anything had changed in the meantime. Being in Cannes again after such a long time was like seeing an old friend again. Some things had changed. There were less films and more speeches. And the most interesting things I saw at the festival were in fact the speakers who had nothing to do with advertising. The nominated work? There’s just too much. The parties? Nothing had changed. It was great to be back again, but I wasn't sure I wanted to continue visiting Cannes every year. There are more interesting events and more innovative festivals to explore. When I went back home I said goodbye to the merry-go-round in the Mediterranean sun, to the fake palms trees, to the festival building with the red carpet. And I wouldn’t mind if it was goodbye forever.