Liberty and Co. Cannes 2014 Top 5 Trends

L&Co.

five

2014 TOP

TRENDS

Think. Connect. Elevate. | shannon@libertyandco.ca | libertyandco.ca

2014 TOP

TRENDS

As ever, the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity was a marathon of ideas and insights. Now into its 61st year, this action packed festival, set along the French Riviera, attracted over 12,000 people from 94 countries. There was no shortage of data or points-of-view. Liberty & Co. took a few steps back to distill for you what we found to be the key, and consistent, themes.

n o i t a n i g a m a t a D ONE

Building great brands is a mix of magic and logic, a blend of art and science.

KEITH WEED, Chief Marketing & Communications Officer at Unilever

Yahoo’s

Marissa

Mayer

keynote

address

demonstrated her love for art, including our favorite Chihuly—and how this can relate to the creation of powerful stories on Tumblr.

Meanwhile, Google’s ‘Creative Sandbox’ on the beach, accelerated this year with lightning talks, coding for juice, and a trial of Google Glass. (For the record, DVF was our preferred choice.)

‘Datamagination’ should have won a Lion for the

BBH’s iconic ad man, John Hegarty, and Droga5

best buzzword on the Croisette this year. As

creative visionary, Dave Droga, agreed in a press

the industry finds its feet in the shifting sands of

conference that creativity must remain to be at

the creativity and data convergence, there was

the heart of the business, even within this big data

much debate on the importance and application

debate. Advertising must still capture people’s

of data. Ultimately, tech companies can’t ignore

imagination. Hegarty strongly suggested that big

the beauty of creativity. And so-called creative

data itself isn’t the solution. Creativity must still

agencies can’t ignore the measurement of data.

be implemented to turn the intelligence of

It’s a symbiotic relationship.

data into magic—for people are always most interested in what technology can do for them.

No surprise, really, that the swankiest events are no longer hosted by the big creative agencies but,

There is little doubt that data alone does not

rather, from the likes of Google, Twitter, and

equal insight. Human perception must always

Microsoft. These enormous digital and tech

interpret data, and data will guide human

platforms were clearly out to flaunt to the

understanding. Data should be treated as a

creative community that they, too, can foster

partner of creativity, as it can help us understand,

compelling content and brand advertising.

but it can’t predict the future.

e s o p r u P h t i W s d n a r B

! n i W Will TWO

What does this mean for brands? Success will

Brands that help people to feel are the brands that win.

TARA WALPERT LEVY, Director of Marketing, Google

require creating content that is share-worthy.

And media plans will require being spot-on points of influence. As well, brands that provide consumers with ownership-like experiences for their products will win at the point-of-purchase.

BBDO’s session ‘Nice is the New Black’,

Purpose-driven, meaningful campaigns set the

extended the theme of creating purpose. David

stage this year at Cannes. Google’s new study

Lubars, Chairman / Chief Creative Officer, spoke

uncovered that consumer purchasing is all about

of the importance in creating beautiful stories of

purpose:

relevancy and purpose—especially in today’s complex, and often cynical, world. Therefore,

Consumers are 1.5 more likely to choose brands

creating purpose-driven content is more

that engage them on their passions and interests

important than ever before.

than items that simply urge them to buy the advertised product. There is a new consumer mindset with a perspective that has implications for purchasing behaviour: they shop with the same purpose with which they consume content.

The

c i g a M

y r e v o c s i D Behind THREE

It’s time for a reboot of how we see the world.

JASON SILVA, Futurist

Applying the magic of wonder ultimately opens the door to more creative thinking. This is what allows us to transcend what we ‘know’ without sinking under the weight of evaluation. In our most creative moments, it is wonder that saves us from overthinking and keeps us creatively

Nanotechnology. Biotechnology and extended

inspired.

consciousness? PHD’s Mind Trip session coined ‘A Complete Reboot of the Way we See the

Ben Silberman, CEO Pinterest, views stimulating

World’ was the most talked-about, awe-inspiring

creativity by putting the magical experience of

session from techno-philosopher, Jason Silva.

discovery online. People are the ‘other’ that put the magic into digital ‘a-ha’ moments.

Jason’s evangelistic style and captivating theories revealed how human attention spans are a scarce

Silberman described Pinterest as a visual

resource to compete for. Understanding that,

search-engine to allow exploration of a database

the world needs more ‘shots of awe’ to reboot,

of images and ideas for inspiration — or to find

refresh and reset our imaginations.

other people with similar tastes as yours. He referred to the millions of Pinterest users as

The audience was presented films on the

“curators”, depicting his company as more

evolution of technology and biology — seeing it

interested in art and beauty than as a company

not as a linear process, but at a rapid, exponential

of pure tech. His fastest-growing, image-based,

rate that will amplify the effects on human

social-network site is a platform routed in

intelligence. With this intelligence — not singular,

technology but, according to Silberman, it’s really

but global human intelligence — he believes that

about visual splendor and creativity.

this is the time where we genuinely have the power to change the world. And that everyone has the opportunity to do so.

e m i T l a e R eting Mark FOUR Speed trumps perfection.

WENDY CLARK, Coca-Cola Marketing Chief

more content, the world needs more good content. We’ve got to put out work that matters into this real-time conversation."

In short, the guiding values for Coca-Cola in real-time marketing are:

Wendy Clark, SVP Integrated Marketing at Coca-Cola, was her sparkling and strategic self,

Silence is not an option – if you don’t

focusing on the importance of real-time

speak someone will for you.

marketing. “The rush to real-time content generation isn’t a rush to just more content: It has to be more good content,” she said.

Speed trumps perfection.

Develop new models of working and new ways of making.

Via Skype, Clarke brought the entire audience for her Cannes session to Coke's Consumer

Do work that matters. The world doesn't

Interaction Center in Rio. Clarke insisted brands

need more content, the world needs

could not afford to ignore the conversation:

more good content.

"Silence is not an option. In a socially networked world you are not safe being silent. Your truths will be filled in for you. You must engage in the conversation around your brand and your company."

Learn more, guess less. Measurement is real-time so we know in real-time when we haven't succeeded.

Be more open, more transparent, more real, allow more humanity.

The need for agility and flexibility was another core theme. And that speed must trump perfection. However, Clarke said this was not a call for more content: “The world doesn’t need

Think like a global newsroom.

g n i l l e t Story FIVE The intersection between linear storytelling and social engagement is the next big thing.

JEFFREY KATZENBERG, CEO DreamWorks Animation

During Twitter’s live session, President of the Art Director’s Club, Ignacio Oreamuno, illustrated the power and importance of social listening.

He referenced a thought-provoking campaign for charity: Water is Life. The video features Haitian children and adults reading “the everyday gripes and minor irritations first-world citizens post on Twitter with the popular hashtag #FirstWorldProblems”.

People understand most profoundly through story. Over thousands of years, this has not

Not only do we need good stories, we need new

changed. What has, are the tools we employ to

and interesting ways to tell them. A Grand Prix

tell our stories. Storytelling was a prominent

awarded content-driven campaign ‘Cultivate a

theme at the festival. Many high-profile speakers

Better World’ from Chipotle tells a compelling

made storytelling their topic — from celebrities

story of the brand’s journey to create a

like Kayne West, Bono, and Spike Jonze to brand

sustainable future. The brand takes on big food

storytellers like BBH’s Sir John Hegarty,

issues in order to highlight its own sustainability

SapientNitro’s Gaston Legorburu, and Twitter’s

sourced brand ethos. The campaign launched on

Joel Lunefeld.

YouTube, as well as an interactive game and mobile coupon to drive consumers to Chipotle

Twitter’s session on storytelling focused on the

restaurants. It was the storytelling that made

beauty of the live nature of its platform to create,

this campaign stand out. Through the art of

share and experience stories. With the

gamification, the content was entertaining,

increasingly real-time nature of creativity, it is

memorable and share-worthy.

essential for brands to listen to and learn from consumers. Joel Lunefeld suggested, “We’re set up like classical orchestras but we should be like jazz players and riff off each other to improve ideas.”

We believe that every company, every brand and every executive has a story to tell. And really, what’s a compelling story without the right audience to share it with? Liberty & Co. is a strategic communications consultancy dedicated to elevating your profile, both corporate and professional. By crafting impactful stories to amplify your brand in media, online, and into conversations, we’re out to win the hearts and minds of all your reputation stakeholders — your employees, clients, and the business community.

Nimble and connected, at Liberty & Co. we make things happen. By leveraging our global expertise and fingertip-access to the most talented resources in media, design, and technology, we ensure your story reaches the right audience.

Shannon Lewis President of Liberty & Co. Communications