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Rana Barua
The Cannes Lions festival: Celebrating Creativity and AI
The Cannes Lions festival has established itself as a prestigious platform for celebrating creativity that can change the world. Over 70 years, from 1954 to 2023, it has showcased limitless creative possibilities and nurtured a sense of responsibility among brands and businesses.
The Dominance of AI at Cannes Lions
As the advertising industry gathered on the French Riviera to mark the festival’s 70th anniversary, one word dominated conversations: AI. Let’s reflect on last year, 2022, when the concept of the Metaverse and Purpose captivated everyone’s attention at Cannes Lions. Now, they have faded a bit from memory and have been replaced by the latest buzz: AI.
AI is omnipresent in discussions and sessions, blurring the lines between innovation and creativity. It has always been intricately woven into our online experiences, but new platforms like ChatGPT, Midjourney, and DALL-E have brought renewed focus to AI’s contributions and has raised many debates, questions, and challenges. I firmly believe AI will not replace human talent and creativity; it requires human intervention to function accurately and deliver the best outcomes.
However, the mention of AI often elicits mixed responses. Some fear it will replace humans, echoing concerns from past technological advancements and many feel originality of thinking and idea generation may get replicated, plagiarized, and mediocre. But as initial fears subside, curiosity about AI and machine learning grows. Marketing companies are eager to adopt AI and want the communication and their advertising partners to help them facilitate and work closely so that we all mutually advance and benefit from the positive changes.
The Power of Storytelling and Purpose
While AI takes center stage, the real winners of Gold and Grand Prix awards rely on storytelling. In a saturated world of advertisements, a compelling story breaks through the noise and resonates deeply with viewers. This distinguishes winners and creates lasting impact. Cannes Lions’ notable winners demonstrate the power of storytelling combined with purpose-driven narratives that inspire and connect.
One campaign that stood out this year for me was Havas London’s ‘Me, My Autism & I’ for Vanish. Its insights, product endorsement, and statistics create a narrative that sets the tone for purpose and data-driven creativity. It sheds light on a marginalized group and shares their lives. And rightfully it won Gold in Creative Strategy and a Silver and Bronze for Film Craft.
Overall, the festival’s work emphasizes purpose-driven and meaningful advertising. Inclusivity, representation, and social activism are enduring themes, and collaboration between brands and agencies is essential for positive change and prestigious recognition.
Indian Work Shines
Indian work stood out in storytelling and impact, evident in the number of shortlists and final metals received. Sustainability, data, and tech-led creativity have become permanent fixtures and it is heartening to see large brands, winning grand prix and gold on work that not only demonstrate the same but at the same time is purposeful. And these winning agencies like Ogilvy and Leo Burnett are keeping the Indian flag flying high at Cannes Lions. Congratulations to all the winners!
Final Thoughts
As I leave the French Riviera, pondering the AI discussions and the transient nature of trends, I borrow a line from Lord Tennyson:
“For trends may come and trends may go, but meaningful brands and purpose will go on forever.”
The author is Group CEO, Havas India
