What 11 Cannes Lions Jury Presidents Want in 2020

Before we know it, the industry will be descending upon the South of France and the annual pilgrimage of creativity once again. Last year’s Grand Prix winners included some classic branding, but the majority of the awarded work attached to causes and purpose.

The judging process in the rooms at the Cannes Lions is compelling. While there is generally a convivial atmosphere, each jury president sets the tone and allows for constructive dialogue. Like most awards programs, expectations of the work are exceptionally high—but there tends to be more gravity when a Lion is on the line.

We asked the Cannes Jury—which reached gender parity for the first time in its history—what they expect to see, and what will make a winner come June.

Wyclef Jean, president and CSO, Carnival World Music Group
Category: Entertainment Lions for Music

Adweek: What excites you most about the past and present work in your category?

Having served on the entertainment jury a couple of years ago, I look forward to once again seeing true creativity at its best. We work to decide whether advertisers have made a real connection with consumers. In past years, I have seen some fantastic work in my category, like the Absolute One Source campaign and Childish Gambino’s “This is America.”

What do you hope you’ll see in the overall work at Cannes in 2020? Conversely, what do you hope you won’t see in this year’s entries?

Brands and musicians alike have come to understand how to address today’s fast-paced, tech-savvy consumer. I hope to see genuine care for connecting the message to the consumer in the most authentic way. Conversely, what I hope I don’t see is a disregard for what actually connects and makes people react.

See last year’s Entertainment Lions winners.

Karen Blackett, WPP UK country manager & chairwoman MediaCom UK & Ireland
Category: Glass

What excites you most about the past and present work in your category?

The Glass Lions category is work that essentially looks to change inequality in society. I genuinely believe that you can change the world by focusing on changing the immediate world around you. The Glass Lions highlights those brands that are doing just that—changing culture and changing society for the better. Previous winners have pushed taboos, normalized their discussion, are game-changing [and] brilliant.

What do you expect to see in Cannes-worthy work this year in your category?

I would hope to see work that continues to focus on creating culture change, create a worldwide phenomenon, and shine the light on true injustice and inequality.

What do you hope you’ll see in the overall work at Cannes in 2020? Conversely, what do you hope you won’t see in this year’s entries?

I hope to see work that reflects real consumer and cultural insight, work that demonstrates diversity, inclusion, and belonging authentically and naturally, not as a casting afterthought. Work that makes you think and work that is creative, and that can grow and transform brands. I hope to see data used responsibly and effectively, rather than data showboating. I hope to see integrated work that is the very best from our industry and pushes our it forward.

See last year’s Glass Lion winners.

Susan Credle, global CCO, FCB
Category: Titanium

What excites you most about the past and present work in your category?

My first time serving on the Titanium jury, Dan Wieden was the chair. He was also the visionary behind the Titanium Lion. He believed we needed to celebrate work that carves a new path and shows the industry the way forward. The impetus for this thinking was Fallon’s extraordinary BMW films campaign, which was never awarded at Cannes because it fit none of the existing categories—a travesty Dan wanted to ensure would never be repeated. I sat on the jury again last year, and we focused on the second part of Dan’s mission: show the industry the way forward. That’s what makes sitting on the Titanium jury remarkable. The type of work being awarded should evolve year after year.

https://www.adweek.com/agencies/what-11-cannes-lions-jury-presidents-want-in-2020/




Cannes Adds a New Lion for Creative Business Transformation

The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity is recognizing the growing power of consultancies in the ad industry with a new Lion that will consider products and services, customer experiences, and operational shifts that have driven transformative change to a brand’s core business.

The new category, the Creative Business Transformation Lion, is the most significant of a wave of tweaks to the show’s awards roster announced today. The updates also included broadening the scope of the influencer marketing and corporate social responsibility sections of the PR Lions.

The new Lion comes as consultancies like Deloitte and Accenture are increasingly snapping up agencies and ad tech firms in a bid to weave advertising offerings with other tech and services offered to clients. Just two months before this year’s Cannes Lions, for example, Accenture Interactive acquired independent creative powerhouse Droga5.

“The Creative Business Transformation Lions recognize a new breed of work that we’re seeing more and more of,” said Susie Walker, head of awards for Cannes Lions. “There hasn’t been a place for this kind of work to be honored at Cannes Lions until now, and it’s coming from consultancies and people working in areas like experience design, creative innovation and technology, and digital transformation.”

Organizers said the new Lion was added to acknowledge the changing roles of agencies and other brand partners as well as the internal overhauls brands are undertaking to keep pace with new technology.

“This new Lion recognizes that brands are asking more of their creative and change partners to help them respond to ongoing digital disruption and are investing in new ways of working in order to future-proof their businesses,” Walker said. “It celebrates creative work that enables a brand or business to create efficiency, grow productivity, deepen loyalty and connect with consumers in new ways that can demonstrate a tangible business result.”

The Creative Business Transformation Lions will encompass four entry categories: customer experience, business design and operations, product and service, and venture creation and design. Cannes representatives said the award will be open to any team or organization that delivers this type of change on behalf of a brand, whether the work was performed by agencies, consultancies or in-house divisions.

https://www.adweek.com/creativity/cannes-adds-a-new-lion-for-creative-business-transformation/




What Inspires the Top Creatives at Apple’s Agency, TBWA / Media Arts Lab

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Six Lessons Alfonso Cuarón Wants Marketers to Learn About Supporting Causes

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Twitter and Contagious Identified 6 ‘Pillars’ From 5 Years’ Worth of Cannes Entries

[unable to retrieve full-text content] https://www.adweek.com/digital/twitter-and-contagious-identified-6-pillars-from-5-years-worth-of-cannes-entries/




7 Lessons Learned From a First-Time Cannes Jury Member

[unable to retrieve full-text content] https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/7-lessons-learned-from-a-first-time-cannes-jury-member/




How These Cannes Winners Utilized the 7 Basic Plots of Storytelling

[unable to retrieve full-text content] https://www.adweek.com/creativity/how-these-cannes-winners-utilized-the-7-basic-plots-of-storytelling/




Spotify Beach at Cannes Featured More Than Just Its Renowned Nighttime Performances

[unable to retrieve full-text content] https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/spotify-beach-kept-the-party-going-through-the-day-and-night-at-cannes-2019/




How Streaming Services Can Stand Out From Their Rivals

[unable to retrieve full-text content] https://www.adweek.com/tv-video/how-streaming-services-can-stand-out-from-their-rivals/




Here’s Every Grand Prix Winner From the 2019 Cannes Lions

[unable to retrieve full-text content] https://www.adweek.com/creativity/heres-every-grand-prix-winner-from-the-2019-cannes-lions/