Cannes 2017: hot air and rocky waters

There was a strange feeling in the air at Cannes this year. A certain reluctance to commit; a glance over a shoulder to see if anyone would follow; a perpetual feeling of change, whether for the better or worse. Cannes Lions is a celebration of creativity, a rosé fuelled networking session that brings together some of the most brilliant and varied minds in lively discussion and fierce debate.

The creativity was there in the brilliant work that channelled the power of data, the simplicity of print and the complexity of social. Fearless Girl came out on top with four Grands Prix, sparking up a debate over whether advertising should have, or needs to have, a higher purpose; Meet Graham’s creative use of data highlighted road safety in a unique and thought-provoking light; and Twitter’s powerful, unbranded hashtag, adorned the more poignant images of the last year, a reminder that they are the brand who first helped us to collect conversations.

Diversity, or lack thereof, was at the heart of every talk and at the forefront of every brand’s mind. Talks about gender equality, racial representation and LGBT rights dominated the week’s schedule. YouTube threw a party celebrating Pride and Airbnb’s Jonathan Mildenhall launched his initiative to hire more diverse employees. He invited any person who saw themselves as part of a minority group – gender, race or sexuality - to come forward and be interviewed by him during the festival. The talk was there. The question is, will the action follow?

It was tech that ruled the roost this year, with the beach space being occupied by, no less, Facebook, YouTube, Spotify and Twitter, with Snapchat erecting a giant Ferris wheel in prime real estate outside the Palais. The digital platforms threw the parties and they pulled in the big names to attract the crowds. Sheryl Sandberg and Ian McKellen took up situ on the Facebook beach; Solange performed for an intimate crowd for Spotify (of which, after two hours of queueing, I too became a member); and YouTube hosted some of their far reaching vlogger stars, including Gigi Gorgeous for their Pride celebration.

The headlines came thick and fast. Leading the way was Publicis with the announcement that they were removing themselves from all competitions for the next year, both to save money and to work to focus on building Marcel, an AI bot. WPP’s Sir Martin Sorrell then joined the debate, dropping hints and not-so-subtle remarks about the future of the festival in Cannes. And David Droga, the eponymous founder of Droga5, was awarded the St Marks Lion for outstanding contribution to the creative industry. And with it announced his desire to be Australian Prime Minister.

Cannes is about celebrating the people, and the campaigns, that rock the boat. The ones who were daring enough to take a leap of faith, and for it to pay off. More often than not, it doesn’t, and often won’t, work. But perseverance is what prevails. It is perseverance that we should harness. As Dame Helen Mirren so pithily put it: “If you don't win this year, take that as a moment of fuck them, fuck that. And then come back next year.”

Our team in Cannes has been tracking awards, listening to talks, attending agency events and interviewing senior marketers. We have packaged up those insights into an hour long talk which we are delivering to brands keen to know what trends will be shaping the year ahead. For more info, check out the Cannes Download.