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Cannes Q&A: Canadian creativity not ‘playing catch up’ on global stage

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Anton Mwewa, senior art director at Citizen Relations share insights from his time at the 2022 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

Which festival theme really stood out to you this year?

Diversity, equity and inclusion. This is a cause that has been important to me ever since I started working in advertising, and it remains one of the biggest issues we still face. It was great to see some strides being made at the festival with more women and speakers of colour, but much more can still be done to make Cannes truly equitable.

Under the duress of the pandemic, businesses turned to creativity as the ultimate problem solver. Do you agree with this statement?

Yes, because the pandemic forced us to ramp up our creativity and in different ways. Much like the new hybrid work model, the last few years have fundamentally altered how we think creatively, and I don’t think going back to pre-pandemic modes of thought will ever be an option.

In terms of creativity, where does Canada stand on the global stage?

It feels like there’s a common misconception about Canadian creativity playing catch up with the rest of the world that has no basis in reality. Canada has proven we can hold our own on the world stage time and time again.

The future of creative is: being dreamt up right now.


The Globe is the official Canadian representative of Cannes Lions — the world’s most prestigious and coveted advertising and marketing awards. Since its first outing in 1954, the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity has been bringing the creative communications industry together every year at its one-of-a-kind event in Cannes to learn, network, and celebrate.

Cannes Q&A: How creativity can level the playing field for a more equitable planet

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Josh Budd, chief creative officer at Citizen Relations, shares insights from his time at the 2022 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

Which festival theme really stood out to you this year?

The theme that stood out for me was using creativity to level the playing field and create more equity. Mastercard’s Touch Card helps the vision-impaired; Google’s Real Tone’s efforts to include all skin tones; WeCapital’s Data Tienda helps thousands of female Mexican entrepreneurs obtain loans without credit history; Decathlon’s “the Breakaway” questions what rehabilitation looks like for the incarcerated were all inspiring work that solves real societal problems and amazing examples of the efforts and innovation brands are putting towards a more equitable planet.

What surprised you most about your involvement and experience in the festival? And why?

I don’t know that I was surprised by anything per se, but I was impressed by how supportive and celebratory our industry is to one another. Day to day we’re competing for business, passing judgment on hires and fires and the work our competitors produce, but at Cannes, it felt like everyone truly wanted everyone else to win, for their clients and teams to be celebrated. It felt like the cattiness was lost with our luggage.

Under the duress of the pandemic, businesses turned to creativity as the ultimate problem solver. Do you agree with this statement?

I do agree, but I don’t feel like this is emblematic of the pandemic. Businesses have long turned to creativity as a problem solver (thankfully for my career and family). The pandemic just created a new problem to solve. The interesting nuance to the pandemic problem was that it was so authentically universal, and everyone was working on it from endless angles and perspectives.

In terms of creativity, where does Canada stand on the global stage?

Canada stands near the top of the global stage in creativity. The challenge, and perhaps unpopular opinion, is that the market is (generally) more conservative than the ideas presented. Some of the work winning from around the globe has been presented here at home in the past and we’re met with a legal “no” before really sitting down and investigating. I think our industry tends to work off inferred risk versus actual risk and that’s on us as agency partners to illustrate the important distinction.

The future of creative is: Still in the hands of a group of curious humans with a problem to solve and a whiteboard.

The Globe is the official Canadian representative of Cannes Lions — the world’s most prestigious and coveted advertising and marketing awards. Since its first outing in 1954, the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity has been bringing the creative communications industry together every year at its one-of-a-kind event in Cannes to learn, network, and celebrate.

Cannes Q&A: The future of creative rooted in ‘evolved tech’

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Karine Courtemanche, CEO of two of OMG’s national Canadian agencies, PHD and Touché! Canada, and Chair of the Canadian Media Directors Council, share insights from her time at the 2022 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

Which festival theme really stood out to you this year?

Cannes Lions participants leave with a different point of view depending on the sessions and conferences they choose to attend. My media colleagues and I were heavily exposed to the theme of sustainability. I would even broaden that theme to the overall notion of “purposeful media choices”. By it, I mean that media experts have great power because they manage the bulk of global advertising budgets. And how we invest in media budgets has a big impact on our society. Media groups have varying carbon footprints, hold different political points of view, deal with changing data privacy issues, can choose to support professional journalism and fight fake news, etc. All these issues confront the media industry with the importance of doing a better job of educating its professionals on the impacts of their media investment choices. Every company, brand, and leader has heightened awareness of their responsibility to be sustainable. 

What surprised you most about your involvement and experience in the festival? And why?

On top of the conferences, Cannes is filled with great networking opportunities. Yet despite these social events, the conferences and sessions were more popular than ever. It was impossible to get into many of them unless you waited long before the gates opened. It felt as though participants really sought inspiration over networking. I guess two years of remote working puts your creativity to the test!

Under the duress of the pandemic, businesses turned to creativity as the ultimate problem solver. Do you agree with this statement?

I believe this is what should have happened but unfortunately, with the pandemic, many businesses reverted to traditional tactical execution such as promotions and short-term sales pushes. With the global supply crisis, many brands and advertisers were left short of products to sell. This context did not create a very fertile ground for creativity. As a matter of fact, especially in the media category, I believe 2022 will be remembered as a transition year for the Cannes Lions.

Another big Cannes 2022 theme, however, was the notion of courage: how advertisers can make bold marketing moves despite the pressure they face to go for the safest commercial options. A lot of Cannes’ sessions focused on that theme, so there is hope for a bright creative future ahead of us.

There is an abundance of research that proves that creative campaigns are more memorable and will therefore always create disproportionate growth versus short-term, price-based initiatives. I hope that we will strengthen our focus on this marketing principle, but faced with the fear of a recession, our industry has a responsibility to constantly educate advertisers on the power of creativity and innovation.

In terms of creativity, where does Canada stand on the global stage?

Canadian agencies were awarded a total of 43 Lions, including nine Gold. It is the third-highest total for Canadian agencies in a single festival. And our global ranking is trending up at #6.

The future of creative is: rooted in evolved technology. The notion of commercial creativity is always evolving, so what was considered “creative” a few months back is already yesterday’s news. As an industry, by keeping ahead with the pace of innovation, we can bring added value to Canadian advertisers by helping them stay relevant to their consumers.

The Globe is the official Canadian representative of Cannes Lions — the world’s most prestigious and coveted advertising and marketing awards. Since its first outing in 1954, the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity has been bringing the creative communications industry together every year at its one-of-a-kind event in Cannes to learn, network, and celebrate.

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Cannes Q&A: Exciting time for creatives as tech giants descend upon Cannes

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Zachary Bautista, creative director, and Geoff Baillie, associate creative director at Rethink share insights from their time at the 2022 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

Which festival theme really stood out to you this year?

Diversity and inclusion were top of mind at the festival for us. It was great to see diversity represented in the types of ideas that were showcased at the festival and the people and agencies behind those ideas. It was a common thread among speakers and honorees at the festival to point out that the industry has made strides in diversity, but that there’s still more work to be done. 

What surprised you most about your involvement and experience in the festival? And why?

This year Cannes almost felt like a creative tech conference. Tech companies were a huge presence throughout the festival grounds, and there’s more integration of tech into the ideas that were recognized on stage. New tech leads to new opportunities, so it’s an exciting time to be a creative. 

Under the duress of the pandemic, businesses turned to creativity as the ultimate problem solver. Do you agree with this statement?

Creativity always adapts to culture. Pandemic or not, our work always reflects the times. Adapting to COVID restrictions definitely led to new ways of thinking and new kinds of ideas. But as much as COVID separated us, it also brought people together. Being able to work remotely allowed us to collaborate with people from all over the world.

In terms of creativity, where does Canada stand on the global stage?

Canada has a smaller audience with smaller budgets, so we’re always looking for creative ways to expand our reach. There’s often a scrappiness and all-hands-on-deck creative problem solving that goes along with that. But that mentality leads to great ideas that get recognized, which is why you see so much great Canadian work recognized at Cannes.

The future of creative is: It’s OK to have fun. At award shows you see a lot of cause-oriented advertising, which has its own merit, but the work that we’re enthusiastic about is work that’s fun, lighthearted and clever. The kind that brings a smile to your face. That’s the work we’re most excited about doing.

Globe is the official Canadian representative of Cannes Lions — the world’s most prestigious and coveted advertising and marketing awards. Since its first outing in 1954, the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity has been bringing the creative communications industry together every year at its one-of-a-kind event in Cannes to learn, network, and celebrate.

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Cannes Q&A: Canada still not getting credit it deserves, says Canadian Tire VP

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Eva Salem, senior vice-president of marketing and brand for Canadian Tire Corporation, insights from her time at the 2022 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

Which festival theme really stood out to you this year?

For me, the festival really shone a spotlight on sustainability grounded in Brand Purpose. There was a lot of discussion on our role as brands and marketers in this space and the need to step up with courage and new solutions. One particularly poignant moment for me was when a surprise speaker (part of Good Life 2030) spoke about how the sustainability crisis we are facing is not going to be solved by governance, legal, risk, etc. We have been approaching the problem with the wrong disciplines in mind. We need to put people on the job who know how to lead cultural shifts. We need people to think differently so that they can act differently and who better than our industry to help do that.  

What surprised you most about your involvement and experience in the festival? And why?

I was a little worried that this year’s festival would be a bit watered down given the past two years and would be ‘stuck’ in pandemic management and discussion. It was not. Attendance felt as strong as in previous years, the quality of speakers and their content was as thought-provoking and inspiring as I had hoped, and the themes were material to the challenges we are all facing today. I didn’t realize how badly I missed and needed the Festival untilI was there.

Under the duress of the pandemic, businesses turned to creativity as the ultimate problem solver. Do you agree with this statement?

I think smart brands were able to use creative problem-solving during the pandemic to differentiate and not only survive but thrive. The problem though, was that for the most part, there was so much brand risk at the time that most brands ended up in the sea of sameness. With everything that was happening in the world, I found most brands to be even more risk-averse which resulted in less standout creative and generally a more monotone brand voice.  

In terms of creativity, where does Canada stand on the global stage?

I have always felt that Canada is undervalued globally in terms of its creative strength. We usually have a couple of big winners, but overall, I don’t think we get the credit we deserve. There’s definitely an opportunity for us to unite, be more supportive of one another’s work, and do what we can to get the word out and create some buzz.

The future of creative is: limitless. 

The Globe is the official Canadian representative of Cannes Lions — the world’s most prestigious and coveted advertising and marketing awards. Since its first outing in 1954, the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity has been bringing the creative communications industry together every year at its one-of-a-kind event in Cannes to learn, network, and celebrate.

Cannes Lions Wrap-Up: IG Live

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On July 7, Karen Howe, Cannes Advisory Board Member for Canada and founder of the Township Group, joined Katherine Scarrow, general manager of Globe Content Studio, to decode behind-the-scenes intel from this year’s Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity. 

Karen is freshly back from the French Riviera where she immersed herself in Cannes Lions’ live programming, the many activations on the Palais, and networking events throughout the festival. Watch the full chat below, and make sure to follow @globemediagroup to catch our next interview!

Event Recap: A Toast to Cannes Party

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The Globe and Mail Cannes party, typically reserved for the sandy beaches of the French Riviera, was instead held this year in Toronto. On June 20th the spirit of the 2022 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity was on full display as the Canadian advertising and marketing community gathered for a much-awaited reunion at our Toast to Cannes party held at Daniels Artscape Launchpad overlooking Sugar Beach.

Tracy Day, Managing Director, Creative Studio and Ad Innovation at The Globe and Mail, kicked off the evening’s festivities, inviting an esteemed and award-winning panel to the stage for a discussion on the importance and power of Canadian Creativity.

Moderated by Shannon Lewis, President of CMDC, the panel included Wain Choi, Executive Creative Director at Zulu Alpha Kilo, Susan Irving, Chief Marketing Officer at Kruger Products, Mooren Bofill, Partner and Creative Director at 123 West and Brooke Leland, Managing Partner at Jungle Media. This cross-section of the media, marketing, and creative communities, discussed a range of topics and issues, from how Covid has affected the past year of work, what it’s like in the jury room at Cannes, what the future of the advertising industry looks like, and why Canada is such a hotbed of creativity.

 

Here are 5 takeaways from the panel discussion:

  1. Empowerment and empathy lead the way: Shannon Lewis talked about how one of the buzzwords from Cannes this year is capital C Creativity, which to her is all about having a sense of empathy and how empathy, not only from a brand level but also from a leadership level can flourish into empowerment. Wain Choi, referencing the petition that got Heinz and Wonder Bread to solve their odd-numbered hotdog wiener to bun packs, talked about how it’s not only about making ads, it’s that we actually have the power to change something, to change our world, and that idea should be embraced by every client and every agency.
  2. Put the consumer first: Using an award-winning example, Susan Irving talked about Kruger’s Unapologetically Human campaign, from 2021. At the start of the pandemic, as the supply shortages were wreaking havoc on the toilet paper and paper towel business, Kruger had to pull all of their advertising and pivot to something new. All of the sudden changes in the marketplace actually served as an opportunity to put the consumer first, and talk about what we were all collectively going through.
  3. Be yourself and don’t sell yourself short: When Moreen Bofill was growing up in the ad industry, she recalled only seeing two women that looked like her, Helen Pak (SVP of Creative at Disney) and Judy John (Global CCO at Edelman). While there is still much more work to be done, she is proud to see the growing diversity within the industry, and is hopeful that it will continue to build teams that represent the culture that is within Canada, in both hiring efforts as well as mentorship efforts. Prompted with advice to give her younger self, Mo said, “If you can’t find a seat at the table, make your own table, and lean into what makes you unique.”
  4. Change with the times: Wain remarked on an idea his agency, Zulu Alpha Kilo, came up with for their client, Harry Rosen. The Green screen shirt was a shirt people could wear Monday-Friday on Zoom calls working from home, and with the push of a button could change the shirt into different patterns. Having a client being open to change and adaptability bred a truly creative campaign idea.
  5. You are much smarter than your boss: Thinking about what to tell your 25 year-old self, Brooke knows exactly what she would say: you are so much smarter than us. She believes that her younger colleagues coming up behind her are so outstanding and remarkable, that she can’t wait to be a slingshot for them and catapult them up in the industry.

The Globe and Mail kick-off to Cannes party ended on a lively note, with the advertising and marketing community toasting to continued Canadian success at the festival with glasses of French rose in hand, and knowing that Canada’s creative future is powerful and bright.

Get inspired and hear all of the takeaways from the Creativity Panel by watching the video here:

Photography and Videography by Roxton Media. 

 

The Globe and Mail has proudly been the official Cannes Lions Festival Representative in Canada for 17 years and is strongly committed to growing and empowering Canada’s creative community.

To learn more about the Cannes Lions Festival and the Canadian Young Lions competition, visit: www.globelink.ca/cannes-lions

Cannes Lions: Day 5 Wrap-Up

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It’s Friday. Today we focus on the role of technology, the creator economy, and how to leave a long-lasting creative legacy.

In this edition:

  1. Checking in with Karen Howe
  2. Canada gets the Gold
  3. When technology and creativity collide
  4. Guest post
  5. Building long-term creative effectiveness
  6. How creators are rewriting the rules

Checking in with Karen Howe

It’s been a week dominated by social and media giants, and plenty of tech talk. How wonderful to spend the final day immersed in the work, and to recalibrate back to creativity.

My final session was with Josy Paul of BBDO India, whose topic was Empathy, Emotional Data, and Creativity.

Paul is a multi-Lion winner. #SharetheLoad for P&G is a campaign of his you are likely to be familiar with.

Paul feels that the nature of creative is changing, and the world is wracked by radical impatience. He feels we should approach what we do as emotional archeology.

To do so, we need to be an antenna. Our current formal briefing structure is often too transactional to result in meaningful work.

Instead, Paul espouses just talking and employing deep listening to find empathy – which he calls emotional data. We should strive to be a DJ of thoughts. And instead of pushing to sell someone, look for truth, which sells itself.

In the end, we are all human. Therefore, our universal currency is feeling. What a perfect thought to end a week spent on the world’s stage of creativity.

-Karen Howe is the creative director and founder of The Township Group

Canada continues to bring home the gold

Juniper Park\TBWA’s ‘Signal For Help,’ created for the Canadian Women’s Foundation took Gold in the category aimed at fighting issues of inequality and prejudice. It was one of only eight Lions awarded by this year’s Glass Lions jury. Read more here.

The collision of technology and creativity

David Droga and Lauren Walker of Accenture Song talk about how ideas become possibilities. Keep reading here.

Still going strong

Star Trek’s enduring legacy is 55+ years strong due to its commitment to telling stories that champion diversity, inclusion, acceptance, and hope for a brighter future. Read more here.

How creators are rewriting the rules of engagement

More than ever, creators are bringing their audiences into their worlds’ through entertainment and brand collaboration to build communities around rich and diverse passions. Keep reading here.

How creators are rewriting the rules of engagement

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More than ever, creators are bringing their audiences into their worlds’ through entertainment and brand collaboration to build communities around rich and diverse passions.

 

In this Q&A, content creators Fernanda Foquinha, Spartakus Santiago, and Pele Newell talk about how creators and brands can co-create entertainment to drive business impact. 

What are you looking for when working with a brand?

Spartakus: I’m looking for exciting ideas and creative projects. I’m looking for a brand to understand I’m I’m a human being and not a content machine. I need to have the creative power these way to decide the way I want to communicate things because  I know my audience and I know how to deliver the message.

What’s a red flag when it comes to collaborations?

Fernanda: A red flag for me is when a brand tries to force the content. It’s a partnership and I’m a creator. We are not robots, so we need to have time to talk and create the job together with the brand.

How can brands evolve the way they partner with creators?

Pele: It’s all about getting the creative there right from the brief, rather than getting it at the end product. Bring them along to discussion and concept ideas and it brings the concept to life. It also generates more sales because the creator is way more involved in that process.

As the official Canadian representative of Cannes Lions, the world’s most prestigious and coveted advertising and marketing awards, The Globe and Mail will provide insights, ideas, and takeaways from panels and keynotes over the next five days.

Follow Globe Media Group on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter to stay in the know.

Still going strong: building long-term creative effectiveness

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Star Trek’s enduring legacy is 55+ years strong due to its commitment to telling stories that champion diversity, inclusion, acceptance, and hope for a brighter future. 

In this behind-the-scenes Q&A, David Stapf, president of CBS Studios, and the iconic Sir Patrick Stewart discuss how the lasting global franchise has maintained and reignited meaningful connections with fans all over the world for decades through the power of creative storytelling.

What’s the message you want the audience to hear and act on from your talk?

Patrick: Given the way the show has developed and how we have been telling our story of Picard, I want them to see in life enthusiasm, empathy, association, liberty, and a free society. It still remains fundamental to Star Trek today as it did when Gene Roddenberry wrote his first episode.

How much do you think acceptance and inclusion have to be at the heart of all brands now?

David: I think it’s critical. It’s the world that we live in and the world we strive to live it. The world should be inclusive of all. I don’t see the merit in not including that in all of our storytelling.

How can you create work or a brand that lasts generations? You’ve already done it but is there a magic formula?

Patrick: Not magic, no. I think you have to find engaging material that attracts people and then by its content – whether it’s complex or humorous or strong narrative – that will hold people and bring them back again and again?

What will be the next big change in television creativity that ad creatives need to be on top of? 

David: It’d be much richer if I could identify what the next big change we can be. But I will say that as executives and advertising, we need to be open to whatever that change will be.

As the official Canadian representative of Cannes Lions, the world’s most prestigious and coveted advertising and marketing awards, The Globe and Mail will provide insights, ideas, and takeaways from panels and keynotes over the next five days.

Follow Globe Media Group on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter to stay in the know.

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