Humor is back - Cannes Lions 2024 | 2 engl
As Day 2 at Cannes Lions 2024 unfolds, it feels as though we've been immersed in this bubble for a week. The sheer volume of panels, keynotes, and presentations is overwhelming, making it almost impossible to summarize. Each attendee seems to be following their own agenda. However, a few patterns have emerged: the rich tapestry of cultures and nationalities provides endless material for discussion and fascination, humor is making a strong comeback, and storytelling continues to thrive despite the rise of AI. But first things first:
It's the Culture, Stupid!
Having worked in an international agency for many years, I've witnessed the diversity and stereotypes of various nations and cultures firsthand—and how wonderful that diversity is. You also can see this with the European Soccer Championship, where fan groups are somehow all doing the same - and yet different in their own culture. The Cannes Lions is much the same. While there seems to be a significant American presence, they experience cultural shocks at every turn—no ice cubes with their wine, people still pay cash, and Europeans discussing politics without restraint (more on politics in the next Cannes Lions 2024 Sammery).An Enlightening Indian Perspective
My first talk of the day was unplanned Indian. Pranav Yadav from Neuro-Insight shared the stage with the legendary Deepak Chopra of The Chopra Foundation. Chopra's fame is immense, as confirmed by Girish Balachandran, a former colleague from Ketchum Pleon now back in India (it's always nice to reconnect with old colleagues). The panel discussion, elevated by Chopra's incredible aura, presented nine practical steps for creativity, delivered in his uniquely sublime manner:- Have an intended goal
- Gather as much information as possible
- Filter and analyze the information
- Take your time—incubate and embrace uncertainty
- Find an insight
- Use the insight for inspiration
- Implement the insight
- Expand it to a broader context
- Tell a new story
A Touch of Japanese Elegance
Next, I experienced a very Japanese approach to innovation, presented by the agency Dentsu. Their plan, which blends historical reverence with future-oriented technology, was delivered with a traditional bow to the audience—a gesture only the Japanese can execute so reverently. Wonderful.Brazilian Energy and Creativity
Then it was Brazil's turn. And it should be said up front: everyone loves Brazilians. They are the loudest, the most joyful and the most creative. That's clear to everyone. Marcel Marcondes is on stage for AB InBev (market leader in the beer category - that pains me as a Bavarian). And his wonderfully emotional talk "Going for Gold" doesn't just refer to the fact that beer is liquid gold. Marcondes cleverly presented the Olympic sponsorship with Corona Zero (yes, that's right: alcohol-free beer - the Americans will be surprised again - here is the campaign spot Corona Zero for Olympics), and finally also "Going for Gold" as a competitive incentive, because Marcondes leaves no doubt that growth and profit must be the end result of our work.The American Approach: Clean, Plain, and Immaculate
Marc Pritchard, CMO of P&G, exemplified the American approach. His theme, "Finding Creativity in the Everyday," shifted from grand campaigns to focusing on the mundane. Yes, here all is about the little things. After going big and bold in recent years (think of the great Olympics campaign "Thank you Mom"), things are now getting small and banal. Stories are moving into the back, products into the foreground. Pritchard is not taking any risks. The result is rather boring - but extremely optimized. Commercials such as the Head & Shoulders campaign "I don't" - here's an example of what that looks like in Greece (yes, that's how Americans imagine Greece ... kind of cute). And that's exactly what "American" means. Everything is clean, plain and immaculate - and - sorry to say - somehow soulless. Simply too perfect.
The world is on fire – Advertising is joking
There is a whole series of talks that discuss humor and comedy in advertising. So this is definitely a trend. Debbi Vandeven from VML notes on stage that the advertising industry stopped laughing during Covid. Even after the end of the pandemic, they didn't dare to be funny. But now that has been overcome and it's time to focus fully on humor again.That's where Kenan Thompson from Saturday Night Live took the stage, his session didn't fully resonate with the international audience – too many U.S. references. And also the work of Hellmann's Mayo-as an example of humor-doesn't really spark. Maybe I should have gone to the Liquid Death talk – that´s really weird and great humor.
But wait a minute: isn't the world on fire? The weather is going crazy, the climate is threatening us, wars, inflation and so on. Do we really want to take refuge in humor? Oh yes, we do, because after all, advertising and communications are not about making the world a better place. It's about selling. As Kenan Thomson says: "Humor is balance. Humor is healing. Humor is a positive magnet." So let's have a good laugh.
This was reinforced by a Grand Prix-winning campaign at Cannes Lions 2024—a humorously themed project that literally makes you puke: "The Last Barf Bag."
Storytelling Outlives AI
As Cannes Lions 2024 progresses, one conclusion stands out: storytelling remains king.I came here with a gloomy premonition. Last year, the AI hype was so big, I was worried whether people would even talk about stories and narrative marketing anymore. But to my greatest surprise, the topic is more vital than ever. The AI hype has flattened, everyone tries to talk realistically about AI and also expectations (and fears about the job market) have not been fulfilled (classic hype cycle). All we hear now is "AI is a tool", "AI makes work easier", "AI is great, but ... creative is different". And instead: "Story is important", "You have to be a great storyteller", "It's the story that breaks through".
As Dara Treseder, CMO of Autodesk, pointed out, future differentiation will come from great storytelling rather than AI alone. She expressed what everyone is thinking: in the future, all will use the same algorithms, the same optimization programs, the same prompts. How do you want to stand out? Exactly: through your story.
Treseder was one of four powerful women speaking on the LinkedIn stage about the role of the CMO in the future and how AI is changing this role. Dara Treseder (Autodesk), Julia White (CMO of SAP), Yonca Dervisoglu (CMO of Google), and Karin Kimbrough (LinkedIn) emphasized that future marketers will act more as curators than creators, making the right choices and selections crucial (and, oh yes, the talk also demonstrated that it's very good to have a female CMO).
So it's the story.
How nice for me as a storytelling consultant.The next lesson fits exactly into this topic: Alexander Schill from Serviceplan and Asif Kapadia, director of Amy (a documentary about Amy Winehouse, for which Kapadia won an Oscar) talked about what marketing communication can learn from film.
And at this point I must apologize - to Lufthansa and Serviceplan. At Munich Airport, at the launch of the Lufthansa campaign "Every Seat Has A Story", I made fun of a billboard and complained that furniture, like airplane seats, is now also doing storytelling. That was pretty rash and stupid of me. Because I should have taken the time to take a closer look at the campaign. There is actually some really great storytelling behind it - not about the seats, of course, but about the people sitting on them. Fantastically told and definitely worth seeing - "Every Seat Has A Story".
Alexander Schill presents his work on stage at Cannes Lions 2024 in a very German way. Short, concise, efficient, engaging - and for me, as a German, wonderfully unifying. Oh yes, it's the culture, stupid.
Finally, also to mention … a storytelling winner from that night. Siemens Healthiniers wins the Grand Prix in the "Pharma" category with the "Magnetic Stories" campaign. Be sure to watch it.
By the way: You don't have to read all this. The news from LionsDaily is much more profound - just click on it.
And at this point I must apologize - to Lufthansa and Serviceplan. At Munich Airport, at the launch of the Lufthansa campaign "Every Seat Has A Story", I made fun of a billboard and complained that furniture, like airplane seats, is now also doing storytelling. That was pretty rash and stupid of me. Because I should have taken the time to take a closer look at the campaign. There is actually some really great storytelling behind it - not about the seats, of course, but about the people sitting on them. Fantastically told and definitely worth seeing - "Every Seat Has A Story".
Alexander Schill presents his work on stage at Cannes Lions 2024 in a very German way. Short, concise, efficient, engaging - and for me, as a German, wonderfully unifying. Oh yes, it's the culture, stupid.
Finally, also to mention … a storytelling winner from that night. Siemens Healthiniers wins the Grand Prix in the "Pharma" category with the "Magnetic Stories" campaign. Be sure to watch it.
By the way: You don't have to read all this. The news from LionsDaily is much more profound - just click on it.
