A snapshot to the other side of Cannes – Thursday
Campaign Brief asked The Brand Agency’s Josh Edge to wander the streets of Cannes tobring you a different perspective to the annual global adfest. Here’s are some of the things that caught Edge’s eye today.
Okay, so a few wheels are beginning to fall off the Cannes gravy train as we head into the final stretch – I’m hearing a LOT of wheezing coughs around town (Adam from Perth agency Meerkats has been dubbing it ‘Wine Flu’, which I think deserves at least a Bronze Lion). Lots of reports of dropped cameras, broken phones, lost phones, all the usual nonsense. Thankfully, some of us are still maintaining a professional attitude, and I’ve held onto my camera long enough to keep filling cyberspace with more Cannes-related shenanigans.
Pictured left – This mighty vessel is, as far as I can tell, a bit of a Cannes secret, only recently uncovered by some cunning Australian delegates. It’s called a Girafe, which is probably because it stands 100 feet tall. You can buy it filled with Stella Artois for 32 Euro, or Leffe or 34 Euro. A bloody bargain, but susceptible to some pretty shonky pouring action.
Below, pic1: Of course, if 32 Euro begins to bite after 5 days in the South ofFrance, there are a couple of other ways of making a quick buck ortwo…
Pic 2: And with the long absence of loved ones, it’s always good to know thatyou can find comfort in the arms of a friendly Australian…
Pic 3: Alex is a great guy, but chucking a giant cardboard box on his head fora few hours might not have been the best career move in hindsight…
Below, pic 1: You know you’re in Cannes when lovely girls are happily pouring youfree Jagermeister shots (yes, they also do Jager Bombs) at 1 in theafternoon outside the seminar room.
Pic 2: Due to popular (Flickr) demand, here’s a closer shot of the Interactive Schematic screen at the Grand Palais. Tre cool.
Pic 3: Not content to walk stupid little yappy dogs all over Cannes, thecutting-edge fashion victims of France now seem to have demanded theircanines stuffed and hung over their shoulders.
Below, pic 1: This giant ice sculpture was brought in as part of an installation forKofi Annan & EURO RSCG’s seminar on Advertising For ClimateJustice. The idea was that it would melt in the heat during the day,until it started pouring with rain and thunder at 5pm.
Pic 2: AKQA’s annual Future Lions event is always a highlight for me, as oneof the more exciting and inspiring awards talks. Hundreds of studentteams from around the world compete to do an advertising campaign thatcouldn’t have existed 5 years ago. You can check out their work athttp://www.facebook.com/futurelions.
Pic 3: The crowds gathering for Kofi Annan and Bob Geldof’s seminar in the Debussy theatre.
Pic 4: Kofi ‘The Man’ Annan.
Below, pic 1: Bob ‘The Knob’ Geldof. I’m kidding, he was a brilliant and passionate speaker, albeit about 20 minutes too long.
Pic 2: You can hire a scooter to hoon around Cannes for around 30-odd Euros aday, which is a great idea in the middle of the day. Getting caught inthe kind of thunderstorm miles from home is definitely a possibilitythis year, though, with freakish weather being the order of the day.
Pic 3: One of the most blatant examples of false advertising I’ve seen in Cannes yet.
Below, pic 1: Even when you’re walking home past sunrise, you’ve still got some pretty spectacular shop fronts to gawk at on your way.
Pic 2: And, of course, France being what it is, you can even grab a handy couple of extras for the trip back.
