At Cannes Lions this year, I was heartened to see that the Grand Prix juries looked beyond the buzz and didn’t reward the loudest, shiniest work. They avoided performative purpose in favour of a genuine blend of purpose and performance.
This wasn’t about one type of campaign or format. What linked the best work was what I’d call 21st Century Commercial Creativity: anchored in product, community-driven and culturally additive, all rooted in a deep understanding of the brand’s role.
Here are the five lessons I learned from the winners:
Start with the product, but don’t stop there
Apple’s perennial platform ‘Shot on iPhone’ took home the Creative Effectiveness Grand Prix. Proof that when you stick with a great idea, keep evolving it and open it up to the community, it builds equity and drives sales.
Apple’s marketing team showed the value of blending a long-term global commitment to consistency with incremental innovations in format and theme, something that few global marketing orgs are able to pull off. Giving everyday creators a completely natural way to make the brand their own, and prove the power of the iPhone to the world, and to the self.
Make your product truth meet the cultural moment
Ziploc’s ‘Preserved Promos’ felt inevitable in the best way. A brand known for one thing, extending the life of food, applied that same power to coupons at a time when everyday savings have never been more needed. Tying the mechanic to purchase ensured this was strategic generosity not performative purpose.
Godaddy’s ‘Act Like You Know’ starring the ever-excellent Walton Goggins, delivered the same lesson of product meets culture but in very different fashion. Walking the line between satire and sincerity with grace, it worked because it spoke to the impostor syndrome felt by all small business owners (this one included). Ultimately creating a magnetic product demo for the AI-powered Airo web/brand creation platform.
Be fluent in a cultural platform’s grammar
Mercado Livre’s Twitch-powered ‘Call of Duty’ activation with Neymar Jr. didn’t try to bolt the brand onto gaming culture: it built a whole mechanic inside it. A prop hunt that became an ecommerce demo. Proof that if you’re fluent in the format and generous in spirit, the fan community will welcome you in.
Purpose x Product x Persistence pays dividends
You will all no doubt have heard about AXA’s incredible ‘Three Words’ policy innovation that gives domestic violence survivors a safe shortcut to seek help through the addition of the phrase “and domestic violence” to people’s home insurance policies. This is a rare example of an agency/client coming together to create a systematic solution to a systemic problem.
But while the idea now seems ‘inevitable’, it was just the start of a sixteen-month journey to overhaul the fundamentals of insurance policy making. Again, persistence pays off.
Give your power-participants a platform
Vaseline’s ‘Vaseline Verified’ deservedly landed the Grand Prix for Social & Influencer by picking up on the organic creator behaviour of sharing Vaseline hacks and then putting 10x more intention and muscle behind it. The platform’s genius is that it showcases the myriad ways we should, and shouldn’t use Vaseline in everyday life, and creates meaningful value for both the brand and the community.
The Takeaway:
These winners set a high bar for commercial creativity that’s rooted in product, driven by community and additive to the cultural zeitgeist: 21st Century Commercial Creativity.
My final tip for all leaders reflecting on how to elevate their work to this level is KNOW YOUR BRAND.
Neil Barrie TwentyFirstCenturyBrand
You can stumble across these moments of brilliance. But you’ll improve your odds significantly if you’ve committed at a company leadership level to a brand strategy that sits at the intersection of product truth, community need and cultural tension.
For example, the underlying brand strategy at Godaddy, with its focus on empowering everyday entrepreneurs with the confidence and tools they need to grow online, was developed by TwentyFirstCenturyBrand in partnership with the company’s CMO, CEO, CRO and leadership team over a period of three months.
When you have a deep understanding of your product proposition and how that serves both timeless customer needs and timely cultural moments, then you’ll be in a strong position to unlock the type of commercial creativity that won the day at Cannes this year.
Authored by Neil Barrie, Global CEO & Co-Founder of TwentyFirstCenturyBrand
