Cannes Diary: Indian agencies roar at Cannes Lions 

It is a matter of great pride that Indian advertising agencies have been performing spectacularly well at the Cannes Lions awards this year. They will soon be returning home with a huge haul of Lions. I felt so proud to watch our Indian teams step up to this prestigious global dais time and again over the past few days, to receive their awards.  

Simplicity of ideas 

Winning Indian campaigns have stood out for the uniqueness and simplicity of their ideas, as well as their progressive viewpoints. One particular campaign which received repeated huge rounds of applause multiple times in the packed theatre is, “The Unfiltered History Tour,” by Dentsu Creative Bengaluru / Mumbai / Gurgaon. Even as I write, it has already won three Grand Prix awards, making it India’s highest awarded work ever throughout the history of this festival. Brilliant idea, beautifully executed, a campaign which, in the words of the jury, lives well beyond the screen. 

Lessons from superstars 

A discussion featuring three superstars of the National Football League (NFL) of the USA turned out to be quite interesting. It was themed on how brands can credibly fuse cause and brand marketing into modern storytelling associated with sports and sports stars. Hearing the players’ points of view at this session on the kind of brands they would like to associate with provided me a nice new perspective. Normally, as a marketer, I only see and hear the question that lies on the other side of the coin – is the celebrity a good fit for our brand? The discussion on whether celebrity players and brand ambassadors drawn from other areas should express public points of view on matters that are not in their immediate sphere of activity or expertise also left me thinking. A very relevant subject, in a world that is grappling with multiple fault lines. 

And, listen to Gen Z 

A young man who belongs to the Gen Z generation stood up at the concluding session this evening, to speak about why brands and advertising agencies should listen carefully to Gen Z-ers and understand them better, rather than taking the view that these young people are naive. He talked about why they are an angry generation. And he urged brands and advertisers to engage with the subjects that lead to this anger, because a significant majority of Gen Z-ers would prefer to use brands that are willing to have conversations on such tough topics. This was an impassioned address, and left me with the thought that senior management in every company should invest some time in speaking to Gen Z-ers, who are their future consumers and employees. 

A force for good 

During my time at Cannes this year, many advertising campaigns featured in this festival have impressed me greatly, primarily because they are trying to bring about positive change amongst their consumers and the overall society. These impressive campaigns have reinforced my belief that brands and advertising can indeed be a powerful force for good. I will highlight some of these campaigns in the next part of my diary. 

In the meanwhile, I am off to the beach, for some serious sun, surf and sand. 

(Harish Bhat is Brand Custodian, Tata Sons. These are his personal views) 

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