Culture eats strategy for breakfast. I'd received this marvellous piece of wisdom some years ago and was reminded of it as business at Cannes got well and truly under way. We've had sensational speakers and terrific work. The headline: Culture and values are at the heart of a successful creative enterprise.

Some iconoclasm

Malcom Gladwell was the shining star in what is a blindingly luminous speaker line-up. He was funny. He was enthralling. You wouldn't think Israel's war with Syria three decades ago would have anything to do with Apple's relentless march to the top, but Gladwell does. He challenged the long-held view that being first was the most important thing in marketing. His thesis is that unlike the then USSR's military culture which encouraged intellectualisation and grand theorising, or the US military's which obsessed with building tools and hi-tech toys for war, Israel took their ideas and technologies and put them to use. They worshipped at the altar of practice. Gladwell suggests that it's the guys that come third to the race, the Israels, that win wars. Tweakers and doers realise the most value from innovation. Apple's made a mockery of the “getting there first” theory by getting there later, but getting there smarter and richer. Over and over again. At the heart of his thinking was the intriguing notion that these cultures are mutually exclusive, that there's a choice to be made. So, what kind of culture will your company embrace?

And some culture

Interestingly enough, this idea of a clear understanding of culture and everything that comes with it - a belief system, values and authenticity - would echo in the words of many of the speakers including the inspirational and irresistibly charming Robert Redford. The actor spoke with disarming humility about the Sundance festival. A platform he built and one that has given us some of the most influential creative talent in contemporary cinema including Tarantino, Aronofsky and Soderbergh. You could feel that he was deeply aware of the values that drive his work and shaped what the Sundance brand stood for. Few would argue that the culture the brand represents is the single most important factor in the festival's success.

So if culture is indeed so important to the creative business, what does it mean for the advertising agency? Draftfcb's session with author Jonah Lehrer was a revelation. Besides putting brainstorming to the sword (brownie points for that one), he discussed the value of criticism, made a sound case for relaxation, and mused on the ‘feeling of knowing' – important subjects in that they deal with the challenges that agencies face everyday in their search for great ideas.

Big winners

Talking about great ideas, we've seen some already. Two big winners so far, both dug into popular culture and underlined the importance of authenticity: McCann Erickson Bucharest's brave work for Rom, a Romanian brand of chocolate, and Droga5's intricate and immersive experience design for American rapper Jay Z's autobiography.

Both campaigns won the Grand Prix. Rom won two. Deservedly so. Who would have thought of playing on national pride to help fall back in love with a bar of chocolate? This brilliant campaign from Romania is the first big surprise at Cannes this year. It won't be the last. The folks at Droga 5 won for what must surely be the most creative piece of thinking to launch a book. The campaign married outdoor with the mobile and Web, taking one of America's favourite cultural icons back to the streets he came from.

It's hard not to mention food when we're on the subject of culture. I love how particular the French are about what they eat. A special mention to the quality of the ingredients and the attention to presentation. Superb! We got a taste of the very best of French cuisine at the DDB regional get-together at the highly-rated Le Moulin de Mougins, a few minutes' drive from Cannes. Not sure if strategy makes for good breakfast, but French food and culture sure do make for an unforgettable lunch.

Aditya Kanthy is Senior V-P (Planning), DDB Mudra

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