YOLE’S CANNES
The other side of Cannes, by Paul Yole, Strategic Planning Director, The Brand Agency
Adam Barker (Gatecrasher) complained that I keep includingphotos of myself with my blog. I did explain to him how these thingswork but for a change I’ve shown something a bit different today. TheGutter Bar in daytime.
The pace of Cannes really picks up from Wednesday. Following the pressaward ceremony the film shortlist is announced and with a largeinvasion of British delegates the parties get bigger and more lavish.
Two brilliant seminars took place on Wednesday, by R/GA and Nike, andthen the annual Leo Burnett/Contagious seminar. On Thursday Jean-MarieDru, head of TBWA/, told us all about the beauty of big. This wasinteresting because I’ve often heard Perth people complain about a lackof creative opportunities on some of our larger clients and yet thereis TBWA/ with 85% of its awards coming from global clients. Ten yearsago the likes of Unilever, Proctor & Gamble and Mars never figuredat the major award shows but now the have recognised that creativity ismore important than ever and the results speak for themselves. I thinkthere is a lesson for us all there.
We’ve heard a lot about storytelling and digital this week, with one ofthe very best sessions being hosted on Friday by Chuck Porter ofCrispin Porter + Bogusky. Chuck was as insightful as he wasentertaining and he came up with a few gems like his one – “today itmay be easier for them to ignore you but it’s also easier for them tofall in love with you.” He suggested a number of ingredients thattypify great stories, including surprise endings, indelible characters,audience involvement, ordinary people who become heroes, shock valueand practical jokes.
Chuck was joined by Ajaz Ahmed, founder of the super hot digital agencyAKQA, and legendary director Joe Pytka, who has the tiny sum of 110lions to his name. Ajaz came up with a great term for when you take aTV ad and simply dump it into an online version – ‘Multimediocrity’.
Only two days to go. I’m now about to leave for the Campaign Brief pool party. Me and 200 other Anzacs.