By Karen Howe

Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity had a lighter, more joyful vibe in its energy and in the work celebrated this year.

Far fewer of the top prizes went to work that was purpose-centric, signaling that brands are ready to stand on their own merits again as opposed to tether to a cause. And they are doing so with humour. We are ready for a collective giggle again, and smiles were dotted across the award-winning and shortlisted work, from Ocean’s Spray’s “10 Hours of Jelly Jiggling” to Mini’s “Do Not Do It Yourself Department,” which discouraged crocheting your own Mini in the wake of production shortages. The playful “Doritos Triangle” campaign drove a three-pointed cultural craze.

But it can’t all be fun and games, and there were some areas where serious conversation was sorely missed. These divisive times bring new politically charged risks for brands, as Bud Light found out. But Cannes advocates for and awards the risk-takers, as that is how great ideas are born: you need to break new ground. So it was disappointing how little honest discussion was had at Cannes about the absurd backlash Bud experienced by sending transgender TikTok star Dylan Mulvaney a personalized Bud Light. We need to talk about this.

One thing that was discussed at length was AI and ChatGPT led conversations. While we debate AI’s role in our lives, it is already very present is the awarded work. Nike captured the genius of Serena Williams for future generations and product design in its AI-driven “Never Done Evolving” campaign. The issues of disappearing culture, language and land mass are all being “saved” by AI. Senior nutrition is aided by AI.

But the source of tension is whether AI be an incredible tool of creativity, as musician Will.i.am suggests, or a robotic replacement for entire creative departments, pumping out thousands of ads a day.

Hacking a new media channel is Skoda’s genius. It created mini-ads in parking lots that can read by back-up cameras of competitors’ cars, which became a free media channel. And TikTok’s longest ad ever for Hilton Hotels was fantastic. It was the ad you felt like you were living in, a nod to Hilton’s raison d’etre.

In contrast to the return of humour, there is also a concerning vein of post-COVID generational malaise that was reflected in speaker sessions and work. A post-pandemic hangover coupled with a rejection of the hustle culture and consumerism has resulted in a focus on selfcare for Gen Z. It was revealing that at Cannes this year, there was a tech-free chill zone for those who felt
overwhelmed. That burn-out is what Casper tapped into with a snoozy live product demo. They hired “champion sleepers” to just do that: sleep. And it was captured on and off-line in real time, and it was a hit.

There was some cause-centric work, as creativity is taking on climate change in many ways. Water shortage was a recurrent theme in several cases, the most clever of which was Gotland’s “Ugliest Lawn Contest,” where it was advocated that “brown is the new green.”

Diversity and inclusion were themes this year at Cannes again. Certainly, the festival content and speakers are inclusive of race, gender, sexual orientation and ablity. However two blind
spots to note; only one campaign addressed ageism, the fantastic “#Keepthegrey” by Dove. That’s a miss because there of a growing wealthy aging market that is not being courted in a meaningful way by most marketers.

Celebrities commanded the Croissette, from Kevin Hart, Lorne Michaels and Lizzo to Halle Berry, Will.i.am, Beyonce and Rihanna. But for me it was Spike Lee who stole the moment. He sat on stage with his long-time friend and filmmaking collaborator Barry Brown.

It was like eavesdropping on a private afternoon of reminiscing, and it was charming. They recounted how after Lee’s film debut, Weiden & Kennedy approached him to shoot the launch campaign for Nike Air Jordan. It was Spike’s first foray into advertising and he loved it. It was quickly followed by the opportunity to work on Levis 501s. Spike’s wonderment was palpable as he recounted that they shot with no script. FCB asked him to “make the commercial you want to see.” Spike closed by sharing that for him “when everyone is on the same page, magic happens.”

I think that captures it well. At Cannes Lions this year, plenty of magic happened.

Karen Howe is founder of The Township Group and a Canadian Cannes Advisory Board Member.