HUMOUR IN ADS TAKES CENTRE STAGE, WHILE AI TALKS LOOM OVER PALAIS
Another year of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity has drawn to a close. The celebrities were many, CMO panels abounded and there was abundant debate on whether branding was still relevant (spoiler alert: yes). I loved every second of this week. Far from being a hardened ad cynic, I derive tremendous joy from seeing what creativity makes possible.
A few key themes revealed themselves as the week unfolded. Humour, for one, has made a roaring return to advertising. Progressive Insurance’s campaign on how to not become your parents made me laugh out loud, as an instructor tries to teach skills such as “how to do social.”
Lynx showcased an inept robbery attempt gone wrong owing to the cologne’s thrall. Even product demonstrations got a lift through a laugh.
The Prism+ spot “As Close as You Can Get” claims its speaker bar is as close as you’ll get to a rock concert without actually being on stage gripped in the sweaty palms of a deranged lead singer.
Celebrities like Ben Affleck and Micheal Cera brought charm to Dunkin’ Donuts and CeraVe skincare.
It was fascinating to see legacy brands like Heinz Ketchup and Lucky Charms reclaim their swagger. I loved that Coke and Heineken encouraged fans to monkey with their logo (in CokeCreate) or the spelling of their name (in Heineken’s “150 Years Of”), which created wonderful content and brand love at the same time.
Women’s sports were well represented on stage and in much of the awarded work. Classic media like billboards were reinvented, such as in Pedigree’s “Rebound Dogs,” an antidote to love-life disappointments. You could adopt a dog with the exact opposite character traits of your former partner.
I am buoyed by the creative activism I see addressing issues like the mental wellness of our children with regards to social media. Magical ideas such as “Reef Relief” are tackling climate change, with Stream2Sea, the University of Derby and McCann inventing a sunscreen that reverses coral bleaching, its micronutrients repairing damaged reefs.
But the 2024 Glass Lions deeply concern me. Many are centred on female oppression. Fewer than 8% of CEOs are women, even though “The Pink Chip” by DeGiro, out of Denmark, used cold hard data to prove that companies run by female CEOs outperform those that are not. And even darker topics were the norm, from genital mutilation to child marriage and preventing rape in a bar or at a bus stop.
A quote from Axa stuck with me: “Being a woman shouldn’t be a risk.” And yet it is. It’s a clarion call to women everywhere, the clock is turning back. We cannot be silent.
Now let’s address the other elephant in the Palais. The headline this year was AI – writ large in the form of Elon Musk. Frankly I don’t care for his schoolyard version of freedom of speech and thoughtless tweets. I do care about OpenAI and what it means for us. I agree with Elon Musk that we are living in “the most interesting time in history.” AI is already casting its shadow on copywriters, journalists, photographers and artists. It is the heartbeat of many of the award-winning ideas this year.
Musk’s claim that AI will allow us to do more of anything we want faster is flanked by the prediction that AI will be used to create 90% of online content by 2025. Musk has been behind companies that are doing such wonderful things for humanity such as Tesla, SpaceX, Starlink and NeuroLink.
He’s a big brain, the Einstein of our time. So when he admits that there’s a 10-to-20% chance AI will end up annihilating humanity, take note.
In the contradictory manner that is classic Musk, he cheerfully finished his interview with Mark Read by encouraging us to “enjoy the ride.” I had to go home and lie in the fetal position for five hours in a darkened room after that talk.
To end on a note that will gladden your heart, Canada had one of its best years ever at the podium. Congratulations to all who won. Thank you for defining our country as a truly global creative force.
Cannes Lions 2024, that’s a wrap.
This article originally appear in Strategy.
Some ads I love:
Until next year…