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For an industry that has traditionally done well at Cannes Lions, this year’s handful of big wins was a wake-up call that we need to raise our game.
This is a warning sign about the standards of our work, suggesting that we may be fooling ourselves.
If we continue to only celebrate our wins locally, without performing well on major international platforms like Cannes, we are in danger of stagnating.
South African creative talent always does well at Cannes; not in terms of numbers, but we come up with something that sets us apart. Yet we seem to be telling the same stories.
4 major themes
This year’s Cannes Film Festival presents four major themes:
- Return to traditional craftsmanship
- Acceptance of restrictions
- Invest in robust research
- The importance of simplicity
Traditional craft technology
Traditional techniques such as illustration, stop motion and embroidery played an important role in creating some successful campaigns.
Loewe wins award Loewe x Fujita Sand Demonstrating the power of animation to connect with audiences.
The hand-made stop-motion film, which brings the natural world to life, helped boost the Spanish luxury fashion house’s holiday season revenue by 35 percent.
Café Joyeux, a coffee shop chain that employs staff with intellectual and learning disabilities, won a Silver Lion for 47, which uses stop-motion animation to tell an inspiring story about a boy with Down syndrome, promoting inclusion and demonstrating animation’s ability to tackle sensitive topics with empathy.
As Yannis Konstantinidis of animation studio Nomint says, “Animation is universally relatable and it can tackle sensitive topics without being overbearing or irritating.” It also has an evolutionary advantage… “we are hardwired to trust it.” Investing in craft can also revitalize a brand. Gold Media Lion Award Winner If you’re interested, it’s in the V&A Museum (Museum of London) successfully bridges the gap between cultural heritage and contemporary culture by linking popular hobbies with museum exhibits.
Research
Another recurring theme was the importance of research.
As Alexander Schill of Serviceplan Group emphasizes, it’s crucial to understand your core message before diving into the creative process. “Think deeply about what you want to say before you even start thinking about it.”
Cultural sensitivity
Cultural sensitivity is a key factor in the success of an event.
Great Indian Dunk Embracing Indian culture, by respecting local traditions and combining basketball with cricket, it won the Golden Lion.
As Leo Burnett jury chairman and chief creative officer Kalpesh Patankar puts it: “Cricket is like a religion in India. So the NBA is woven right into the cultural fabric of India.”
These examples highlight the value of a deep understanding of your target audience in creating truly impactful work.
Better ideas
The reason South African agencies have been able to succeed at Cannes is because of the strength and power of the idea, as lack of budget has never held us back in the past.
It’s a great idea: it can help us overcome any challenge.
To do better on an international platform, we need to come up with better ideas. South Africa has its own challenges – like any other market, there are economic and political challenges – but when you have a good idea and can deliver, no one can stop you.
Creativity is a business superpower tool
One theme that resonated strongly with me at the Cannes Film Festival was the cost of mediocrity.
If we don’t make something iconic, then we’re just going to do more of the same.
A cookie-cutter approach will do no good at Cannes. Creativity is the superpower tool of business.
Brands that do routine, boring, uninteresting work have to spend an average of 7.3% more on media to get the same results and impact as creative work that is driven or has emotional impact.
The value of creativity to business results
Another important theme was the value of creativity to business outcomes.
Globally, brands such as Coca-Cola, Unilever and AB InBev have achieved incredible results, thanks in large part to their love of creativity. There is a strong correlation between award-winning work and profits.
What’s holding us back?
In South Africa, we’ve become very process-oriented: we expect so many click-through results to satisfy a particular need, but we don’t explore the most unique ways to do this.
This is what holds us back and causes us to repeat more of the same type of work.
As South African filmmaker Zee Ntuli, director of craft at Darling Films, said at this year’s Creative Circle Full Circle event: “South Africa is very good at making films, but we are also very good at making the same kind of films.”
To compete globally, we need to tell better stories that either push the bar or differentiate ourselves. We can’t keep repeating the same drumbeat and hoping for different results.
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