The Roar of Creativity at Cannes Lions '22

One young Ukrainian creative, Kateryna Kononenko, shared how being included gave her the energy she needed to keep going. "I never imagined being invited to Cannes Lions," she said. "It is giving me hope that one day peace will come."

Every evening, we were enthralled by the sheer talent and audacious spirit of Awards night. Bronze, Silver, Gold, Grand Prix and Titanium -- a metallic celebration and toast to the gilded, regal and ferocious force that drives creatives to a higher echelon of riveting and always human storytelling.

Here are my reflections on the moments that mattered from this glittering gathering of story alchemists who shape our emotions and behavior in the quest for brand domination and societal change.

Global Drumbeat of Creativity

No nation in this world has a monopoly on creativity. This was evident by the global smorgasbord of award winners, from Agency of the Year winner Dentsu Creative Bengaluru to the Grand Prix-winning campaign by Lebanese newspaper An-Nahar and Dubai-based Impact BBDO, to Portugal winning its first Grand Prix Portuguese (Re)Constitution, for Penguin Books, by FCB Lisbon. Given my Goan-Portuguese heritage and having grown up in Dubai, this was particularly meaningful to me and sparked a sense of pride in the significance of the work.

With wins from Ukraine (Backup Ukraine by Virtue Worldwide) and Pakistan's Malala Yousafzai honored with the 2022 LionHeart Award, there was a palpable feeling of global prowess and invincibility in the air. The sort of feeling that makes you dream the crazy dreams and make you believe "you can do anything -- anything" as Colleen DeCourcy implored us as she accepted her Lion of St Mark Cannes award.

Choreography of Change

The change agenda was on full display during this five-day advertising Mecca, from the well-orchestrated CMO Growth Councils for Progress led by the ANA and Cannes Lions covering the urgent topics of Sustainability, Brand Creativity, Diversity & Inclusion, Data & Tech and Talent, to the bold moves by Greenpeace curtailing entry into the Palais.

I had the honor of participating in the DEI and Talent Councils and what was very evident was that the urgency of the task at hand and the reality of a multi-stakeholder focus, while necessary, will not be sufficient. As leaders, we need to be the ultimate choreographers -- leaning into Martha Graham’s elegance in intermixing time, space and energy to help us think through human constraints impeding change and Alvin Ailey's belief that impulse for movement comes from within, enabling us to capture the power of intention and underlying purpose as we push for achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. The Cannes Can: Diversity Collective hosted the Inkwell Beach and showcased what great choreography can achieve -- from P&G's Widen the Screen platform to the first ever Juneteenth celebration at Cannes.

(Pictured above: The Women and the Metaverse panel at FQ Lounge featuring Jennifer Dasilva, President, Berlin Cameron; Nicola Mendelsohn, VP Global Business Group, Meta; Tanneasha Gordon, Principal, Deloitte; Katelin Holloway, Founding Partner, Seven Seven Sixm; Raquelle Zuzarte, Founder, Equity Project For All. and Sue Allchurch, Chief of Outreach, UN Global Compact)

The Metaverse Beckons

The M word was heard across the Croisette from the stages of the Palais to the private soirées aboard the luxury yachts moored for a week of festivities, the rosé-infused panels in the sandy beach cabanas to the sun-drenched verandah of the FQ Lounge at the iconic Hotel Martínez.

Creative agencies stepped into the Metaverse frenzy with McCann's MWverse, a hub for the most compelling ad campaigns of the year, to Wunderman Thompson's Inspiration Beach, featuring collaboration spaces, a lounge area, a shopping space, a DJ Booth and a showcase of the agency's best work.

Democratization of the Cannes experience extends to the après-Palais experience, often involving grooving aboard a palatial yacht. VaynerX did it best, incorporating an IRL dazzling disco fiesta where I was a guest, along with online guests dancing at the ultimate "Metaverse beach club party." All this while enjoying a livestream of real DJs, bringing cyber and humanoid partygoers together.

But this was no typical Cannes bash, as VaynerX teamed with recruiting company Hidden and virtual platform Voxels to drive donations for non-profit Creative Spirit, whose mission is to create integrated employment opportunities for individuals with intellectual disabilities. By attending the yacht party or VaynerX's sessions at Cannes, guests received a free POAP (proof-of-attendance protocol) NFT.

As a moderator of the Future of Commerce panel just one day prior on this nautical vessel, it was evident that the P&G alumni guests in attendance were buzzing on the creative commercial possibilities.

The Metaverse provides a fluid and aspirational canvas from which new worlds, unique digital identities and NFT asset ownership can transform our IRL reality into a more representative, just and dynamic presence with endless possibilities on the trajectory of the story arc. A limitless creative workshop powered by AR/VR and the dynamism of human imagination. Translating the well-designed aesthetics and cultural utopia of the Metaverse to our real lives is where the hard work begins.

On the Shoulders of Giants

There was no shortage of A-listers at this ultimate celebration of Adland. From Ryan Reynolds to Issa Rae to Post Malone to Malala and Zelensky, to advertising and marketing boldface names: Colleen DeCourcy, Gary Vaynerchuk, Ted Sarandos, Marc Pritchard, Mathilde Delhoume Debreu, Antonio Lucio, Conny Braams, Mark Read and Bob Liodice.

Inspired by the body of work by our industry luminaries and global change agents, Isaac Newton would have surveyed this corner of the French Riviera with pride. Emerging leaders and re-energized industry loyalists finally got their inspirational booster shot after three years of a quarantine reality.

For me, my biggest source of renewed hope for the future of the industry came not just from the giants, but from the young voices of our new change-makers: The Gen Z "last chance generation." Seventy-six percent of them consider themselves to be activists according to Vice Media. Speaking to French University student Henri Jung, as he ferried VIP speakers to the Palais on the sun-drenched golf carts, it was clear that what matters most was the opportunity to make a difference through creativity. Like Jung, a young Emirati student, Fatma Al Suwaidi from Dubai, shared how being part of the Robert Hatchuel Academy program at Cannes was "life-changing." Their optimism propels us forward.

From the shoulders of giants, we may rise, but from the relentless conviction of these young believers, we can soar and transcend above the tremendous challenges we face.

Cheers to the Future: It’s on Us!

Brands, agencies, publishers, ad techies, media mavens and entertainment giants descend on to the Croisette to network, close deals and entertain amid the backdrop of the chic Riviera -- but the biggest reason for their presence is for the chance to proudly hold a gilded lion in the palm of their hand and appear on the front page of our industry's press, to the guarded envy of all the finalists and those who didn't make the shortlist.

In the lead up to Friday, June 24^th, when the biggest awards were announced, I watched a crew of brand marketers from a well-known global brand start the celebration with elegance and quiet pride. It started in St Paul de Vence, a town just 15 miles from Cannes, where I was part of the Institute for Real Growth (IRG) 2021 CMO cohort the weekend prior to the Lions.

The IRG founders Marc de Swaan Arons and Frank van den Driest had invited key CMOs and growth leaders to celebrate Humanized Growth. The crew of marketers I am referring to are from AB InBev who sent an impressive delegation to the IRG Summit in a prelude to the Cannes award celebrations. The global beer brand was about to be crowned the world champions of creativity with the coveted Creative Marketer of the Year award, bringing their 2022 haul to 50 Cannes Lions trophies.

Make no mistake, the AB InBev team is a force. Listening to CEO Michel Doukeris and CMO Marcel Marcondes speak at the Palais with ardor and unadulterated zest about how a beer company can make a dent in the universe one cheer at a time was beyond feel good. It was a bold call to elevate our future with optimism and refreshing moxie. Over the past few years, some of the award-winning work recognized included Budweiser's TagWords in Brazil, Corona's The Match of Ages in Mexico, Bavaria's Tienda Cerca in Colombia and Michelob Ultra's Contract for Change in the U.S., which won the PR Grand Prix and a further eight Lions. Not bad for a yeast-filled beverage that is doing its part in our "change agenda-driven" world.

Like AB InBev, there were a number of other Lions winners that are doing their part in reshaping the future -- from Doles Piñatex pineapple vegan leather innovation to P&G's Whispers Missing Chapter to educate Indian girls on periods and staying in school to Honduras' Morning After Island to give women a safe island haven to take the pill (more poignant given the Roe vs Wade Supreme Court overruling just hours earlier) to Titanium Grand Prix winner Long Live the Prince honoring the life of soccer talent Kiyan Prince by bringing him to life as a playable character on EA Sports FIFA 21 -- inspiring the next generation of players to be the best version of themselves.

There is ample reason to cheer for the future, but it's going to take hard work, perseverance and smarts to make it a future that is worthy of cheers. It's up to us.

The Grand Finale

As the fireworks lit up the shores of the Carlton Hotel Beach on the last night of Cannes Lions, and the last of the revelers took one final nostalgic look at the Palais before boarding flights, we were reminded that the spirit of Cannes Lions has been sparked within and it is now time to share it, ignite and let it roar across our brands, our organizations, our industry and our world.

À bientôt Cannes. May the roars continue to galvanize us towards a more humanized future!

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