A View from Cannes
by Katie Traxton – ESA Board Director
It’s my first time at Cannes Lions. With over a decade’s experience working in the global marketing and sponsorship industry, I hadn’t until today set foot in the Palais des Festivals, on a Cannes yacht, beach or cabana. I’ve now done all those things and more. Within seconds of touching down last night, I’d been absorbed by a feverish frenzy of fascinating people, talks and events, each as scintillating as the next (well, most of them).
But what are the best bits? And what does all this mean for the sponsorship community? My aim this week is to offer a few choice insights relevant to Cannes veterans and novices alike to begin to answer those questions.
It’s a Wrap
After an intense, inspiring and eye-opening week in Cannes, it’s time to wrap up my blog with one final post. I’ve shared my view of the greatest hits of Cannes (although I could have cloned myself five times over and still have missed hidden gems). All the work showcased was undoubtedly accomplished. However, I wasn’t just looking for best in class in terms of quality work, but best in class creativity. Moments where you stop, pause and reflect that you’d really rather like to have thought of that yourself.
On that note, my final blog will share two of those moments. Their relevance to the sponsorship industry is absolute. Any brand that invests in a partnership wants to create talkable content, deliver memorable activations and generate ROI+. The best way to do that is to break new ground, be bold and topical; tap into the Zeitgeist in a way that’s relevant and authentic to your brand and do it with conviction.
Here’s how…
Pick of the Week: Burger King’s Rise of Hackvertising
This case study blew my mind. Self-professed ‘computer nerds’ at Burger King’s global creative agency DAVID decided to decode the techniques of master hackers and apply them to advertising. By decoding “What [hackers] do, the way that they hack, the steps that they take and the framework they use in order to hack, we could bring it back to advertising and use it for our brands in order to be able to hack popular culture consistently.”
My favourite example from their Cannes session was Whopper Neutrality. A quick eavesdrop on the world via trendsmap.com last autumn showed that net neutrality was a hotter topic than Star Wars. Tapping into this pretty dry and highly political trend led to the most shared ad in Burger King history, 3.3 million new signatures in favour of net neutrality on change.org, an invitation to the White House and the campaign being quoted in a Senate debate. But how?
DAVID suggested that Burger King used its product to explain net neutrality to the world. Do you want to live in a world of repealed-neutrality where you pay more to get your Whopper more quickly, or do you think that all hungry burger buyers should be treated as equals?
When they first presented the idea to Fernando Machado, Global CMO of Burger King, he focused on the madness over the genius of the approach, but blind trust led him to say:
“Here’s the money, prove me wrong.”
DAVID did, just that and then some.
“Not even in my wildest, craziest dreams would I think that our brand, a burger brand, could end up being discussed in the Senate!”
Machado told his Cannes audience.
DAVID know the risks they’re taking with their innovative approach, but they embrace them
“Fear and being afraid is part of the journey of doing something different and that’s what advertising is about.”
As such it hasn’t always been an easy journey for DAVID and Burger King. En route, they’ve been sued by Fox, banned from Wikipedia and kicked out of an airport.
They recognise that:
“Hackers are not known to be the most popular of characters,”
but they seek the right balance between hijacking a burning topic and representing the majority to avoid alienating their audience (80% of people in the United States split evenly between Republicans and Democrats were in favour of net neutrality).
By the end of the session they’d shared five steps to hacking:
1. Define a system to hack.
2. Study it. It’s the only way to know, bend and break the rules.
3. Find a relevant way for your bran to break it.
4. Call your lawyers (seriously).
5. Deploy your attack.
However, this example isn’t a directive to suggest we should all find the next big creative hack of the sponsorship industry. It’s a directive to do things differently, to think about what you know best and how you can use those skills in new, creative ways and to figure out what’s next, because if you do, even hackers might look up from their computers and listen.
Flash of Inspiration – JFK Unsilenced
A Cannes Grand Prix winner, I couldn’t close my blog (for now) without sharing this supreme flash of inspiration. 55 years after JFK’s assassination on November 22 1963, the world got to hear the final speech he never gave as part of a promotion of the Times of London’s Find Your Voice campaign. Using recordings from over 800 of Kennedy’s speeches and the latest AI voice technology, the speech was painstakingly pieced together based on the original script to be as realistic as possible.
I’m with those who believe this is a stroke of brilliance. In an age of political, social and technological anxiety both sides of the Atlantic, why not confront it head on by bringing us pearls of wisdom from one of America’s most beloved presidents?
Of course, JFK Unsilenced respects history’s boundaries using only the words JFK originally intended to speak. I recognise the ripple of fear this campaign creates in some as we realise how in a world of fake news, words could literally be put into people’s mouths, intonation altered or facts consciously reinterpreted. However, everyone’s talking about it and if we’re talking about it we aren’t only more aware of these risks, but we’re also excited. Naïve or not, I hope that this excitement will translate into a huge reward; the next wave of great creativity for the sponsorship industry and many others.
Keep the discussion going. Find me on LinkedIn or Twitter (@ktraxton) and let me know.
Day 4, Thursday 21st June
Pick of the Day – How Visa is Raising the Game in sport
My celebrity spotting well-chronicled and temporarily put to bed, today’s pick is a bit more of a classic masterclass (although there is also brave decision and some idle name-dropping coming up in today’s Flash of Inspiration).
As we all strive to be creative, disruptive and innovative in our sponsorship activation campaigns, it can be easy to forget the strong foundations that give a big idea the back-up needed to become a bold reality and soar above its competition. Today, Senior Vice President, Marketing Europe at Visa, Adrian Farina reminded us just that: “You can’t be effective without being clear about your objectives.”
Never forget the insight and how it meets the brand purpose and vision
“Visa is about universal acceptance,” Farina continued,
“It’s the payment brand for everyone everywhere. Our creative strategy has been about being everywhere you want to be.”
For Visa comes to life through their Olympic Games and FIFA World Cup partnerships.
The recent system failure which left customers across Europe unable to make some purchases wasn’t confronted, but arguably to get involved in that discussion would have been an unnecessary tangent in this short 20-minute inspiration session. Instead, Farina focused on the mission at hand: tightly linking Visa’s offering to its sponsorship.
“We bring contactless to life by talking about fast and easy payments so as a fan you don’t miss a second of the action.”
Visa connects with its customers by speaking their language, even talking about helping fan-favourite Zlatan Ibrahimovic overcome his ‘FOMO’ (fear of missing out) during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia this summer. This conscious decision makes Visa the people’s choice and naturally embeds them in your everyday, while also driving ROI:
“Key to success is to find your own voice. Create a contextually relevant back story to cut through. Our sponsorships bring us emotions and memories, real-time, collective engagement. Our Ibrahimovic FIFA World Cup content is so good, it drives more efficient media return and lower cost per thousand.”
He didn’t share what’s next for Visa, but one thing’s for sure, they, like all other brands may be on top now, but they’ll have to continue to adapt and evolve to keep pace in the ever-changing sponsorship landscape. If finding a voice is front of mind, then perhaps Visa’s senior marketers will be heading home to discuss this hot topic, which has risen again and again during this week’s Festival.
In Wavemaker’s session on Tuesday The Tongue Paints What Eyes Can’t See: Power of Voice, we heard that 50% of all search will be via voice by 2020. One in six US households already have voice assistants. Brands are rapidly expanding their identity beyond traditional visually-focused two- or three-dimensional logos to invest more in audio recognition through sonic branding. Yet, as voice tech continues to rise, brands will also have to find their answer to Google Home or Alexa; a literal voice that represents them in an authentic, engaging and empathetic way to their fans. I look forward to seeing – and hearing – how Visa rises to that challenge.
Flash of Inspiration – Lion’s Share
Mars offered another inspiring moment today at the global announcement of the United Nation’s Development Programme (UNDP) Lion’s Share as they shared a bold, authentic and human move we could all learn from. Mars has raised its hand to be the first corporate partner of the Lion’s Share initiative, which asks brands to contribute 0.5% of their media spend to the fund every time their ad contains an animal.
That’s no small commitment from Mars whose global media spend is more than $1bn, especially considering the insight of Lion’s Share ambassador David Attenborough in a pre-recorded VT recorded especially for Cannes that:
“Animals are in 20% of all advertisements we see.” Shockingly, nine out of the 10 of the most popular animals featured ads are also endangered or threatened. Attenborough went on to explain that despite this: “They do not always receive the support they deserve. Until now.”
This choice is much more than simple CSR though. Mars is putting a stake in the ground of purpose-driven marketing. When Mars Chief Marketing and Customer Officer Andrew Clarke followed Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (yes, one and the same Game of Thrones star who is also UNDP Goodwill Ambassador) onto the stage, he asked and answered a burning question of the Festival by tackling it head on:
“Can purpose marketing make a different or is it just a fad? Yes, done authentically, a purpose behind the brand makes a huge difference to the bottom line. But also it’s the right thing to do, it’s the human thing to do. The small steps today make a huge difference tomorrow.”
Clarke even used a photo of himself and his two sons on the screen behind him as a great leveller to talk to the audience human-to-human, making it all the more believable when he finished with the impassioned plea:
“We have the power to genuinely connect with consumers and to change the world for good. Join us.”
Day 3, Wednesday 20th June
Pick of the Day – David Schwimmer the Rainbow
I’m almost disappointed in myself. After Paloma finished top of the heap yesterday, it was my intention to take a break from celeb spotting and unearth sponsorship treasure troves elsewhere. Then Mars, Skittles to be precise, and David Schwimmer happened. To put my choice in context (and risk being trolled into oblivion) I’m nothing more than a casual Friends fan, so I’d also like to claim some objectivity in the awe with which I sat and observed this master class from brand and advocate.
As we sat en-rapt by the sketch on stage, Skittles taught us to get comfortable with being uncomfortable, to take risks, to live, breathe and, in their case eat, brand purpose and have fun while doing it – and we all left with huge smiles on our faces feeling grateful.
At 51 years of age and globally recognised, Schwimmer had never appeared in a brand film until earlier this year when he agreed to lend his image to promoting the disruptive Super Bowl ad from Skittles that they decided only to show to one person. Ever. Sounds like a crazy strategy, especially when you consider Skittles tough brief to agency DDB to get better results for less spend through a great creative idea intended to generate more eyeballs, more efficiently for ‘intelligent reach’.
Yet brand communications are now more agile than ever. There are more formats, more channels, and more ways to connect with an active audience who want to talk back and be part of the campaign and we shouldn’t be scared of that. We should embrace it, use their passion and create new communities we never could have before. Brands sign sponsorship deals to reach people they wouldn’t otherwise have a right to speak to in their native environment, so let’s speak to them in their own language and build on the buzz people feel when they’re enjoying their favourite sports, music or culture. Just like Skittles did with their Super Bowl brand campaign.
Based on the insight that the lead up to the Super Bowl game is more important than the game itself, the decision was made to swap Skittles 2017 30-second ad slot during the Super Bowl for four teaser ads starring Schwimmer released in the run up to the game, followed by a Facebook live showing the reaction of their one and only lucky viewer, Californian teenager and Skittles super-fan Marcos, to their Super Bowl ad (even now no other viewer has seen it, not even Schwimmer). All the Facebook audience got to do was watch Marcos watch it. For 18-minutes.
There’s a fine line between insanity and genius, but this stunt proved that Skittles has the right amount of each. Asked why he agreed to work with Skittles, Schwimmer’s answer was simple: he likes the brand’s “dark humour”, the idea was “original” and it made him laugh. So starts that authentic relationship between brand and ambassador that Faith talked about yesterday, which is so important to Schwimmer too. When he signs up, he’s all in – on set all day, collaborating with the production team, co-creating content ideas and helping to make the ad as raw and unpredictable as the Skittles brand is known and loved for being.
Yesterday I wrote about LADbible immersing us in its message of inclusivity. Skittles goes one step further. The brand is so proud of its quirkiness that it breathes it. It challenges convention and embraces the unusual at every turn. So much so that instead of following in the footsteps of the other brands at Cannes and asking Schwimmer to join their panel today, Skittles instead made him the host. Schwimmer led a session that neatly emulated the brand in its light-hearted, humorous, accessible style, always underpinned by his own customary dry and wicked wit from which not even Rankin Carroll, President, Fruity Confections CBU at Mars Wrigley was spared. Even the stoniest of faces split as he quipped his way through a power half hour and I for one was left wanting more.
Flash of Inspiration – Mattel’s new Barbie
When I headed to a session called Changing the Game: Evolving from Athlete to Creator at 10.30 this morning, I was expecting a unique take on the transition from talent to creative influencer from two impressive Olympic medallists: former US soccer player and international all-time leading football scorer Abby Wambach and World Champion fencer Ibtihaj Muhammed.
I got that, but what really resonated was this comment from Ibtihaj, the new face of Mattel’s Barbie:
“Barbie allowed me to imagine myself in different spaces… To be able to walk down the toy aisle and see a fencer (mine is the first fencing Barbie), but also to see a doll wearing a hijab which is important for Muslim kids and also for non-Muslim kids because it shapes the way we see the world.” She went on to describe Mattel as being “on the right side of history.”
Some may see Mattel’s choice as brave. I would argue it’s simply timely. There’s never been a wrong time to represent the full diversity of society and unite us through cultural icons like Ibtihaj – or Barbie. One of the reasons I so wanted to work at WeAreFearless is because of the store it places on values and diversity (our team of under 30 people is made up of 17 different nationalities).
As Abby Wambach put it: “I idolised Michael Jordan. I don’t look anything like Michael Jordan!” She went on to say: “All companies, all brands need to figure out who they are values-wise” then “match their values with the people they employ.”
I couldn’t agree more. Abby’s lesson is one for all of us, especially in sponsorship where we are lucky enough to be able to influence and unite so many different people. Let’s not miss that opportunity!
Day 2, Tuesday 19th June
Pick of the Day – Music & Motherhood with Jessi Ware and Paloma Faith
This choice may seem to be a surprising one for the sponsorship gurus out there, but my Pick of the Day is selected based on finding an unusual insight relevant to sponsorship and its future. This afternoon it was Paloma Faith who offered just that reflection on the world of sponsorship, advocacy and endorsements.
Paloma is one of the faces of ŠKODA’s ESA Awards winning Driven By Something Different campaign, which combines three of my favourite things: cars, music and effective use of a celebrity brand ambassador. In her session at Cannes Lions, Faith explained that for years brands have shied away from choosing her as an ambassador, because she’s “too honest”; a character trait that ŠKODA celebrates, choosing her to represent “independently minded people who are confident in their own skin and want to make a positive impact on the world around them.”
The recurrent theme in Cannes this year is bravery, fearlessness and breaking down barriers. ŠKODA has done just that and their brave choice has paid off, so much so that they’ve renewed Faith’s contract and evolved the campaign into Make Your Own Kind Of Music. Far from Faith’s honesty being a risk to ŠKODA, its brought the ultimate reward: when you listen to her speak you hear a passionate, determined advocate who connects with her audience in a genuine way and feels an affinity with the brand she endorses. The only logical conclusion is that more brands should take a leap of faith (excuse the pun) and look for bold, disruptive and believable partnerships either with properties or ambassadors.
It’s a topical choice too. As scepticism about fake news and alternate truth is ever present and following the seismic shift in the direction of women’s empowerment in 2018, who wouldn’t want a strong female role model known for speaking the truth and doing things her own unique way? A new mother, Faith spoke today about parenthood, its challenges and her mission to “spread an epidemic of kindness”. She doesn’t just talk the talk though, she’s walking the walk, having allowed her music promotion to be side-lined in favour of a full homepage takeover dedicated to spreading kindness in small, but achievable ways.
Faith is her own brand and she has made a choice to work with ŠKODA as a true partnership. So often we understand the theory and use the word ‘partnership’ to replace the more outdated ‘sponsorship’. The reminder we get from Faith and ŠKODA is that the most effective partnerships aren’t simply a commercial exchange, they’re mutual, relatable and real.
Flash of Inspiration – Dolled-up Desserts (IN: @dolledupdessertsbaking)
This evening LADbible hosted a pool party at the Contagious Villa. The theme: inclusivity, in particular gender representation, but also wider forms of diversity and inclusion (something I feel very strongly about).
If traditionally D&I centres on gender, race, religion, sexuality, age and ability though, LADbible took it one step further to offer “the most inclusive dessert in the world.” As a coeliac (gluten free), I was of course grateful for the mouth-watering treats provided by caterer Dolled-up Desserts, but as a marketer I loved seeing an event put its money where its mouth is and bring its theme to life, even in the most unusual of places.
Gone are the days when sponsorship consisted of buying rights, getting two-dimensional visibility for your logo and some (albeit awesome) VIP hospitality packages.
Now more than ever, we have to fight for consumers’ limited attention in a noisy, competitive, multimedia environment. What better way than to bring your message to life at all touch points, immersing your audience in their conscious, subconscious and unconscious minds? Even over dessert.
More quotes and photos from action are available @ktraxton
Day 1, Monday 18th June
Pick of the Day – Wake up with The Economist
Not too early a wake-up call at 10.30, this session boasted a panel of three top tier marketing industry leaders:
Syl Saller, Chief Marketing Officer, Diageo
Marc Mathieu, Chief Marketing Officer, Samsung Electronics America
Godert van Dedem, VP & CMO EMEA, eBay
They discussed everything from brand purpose to the rise of AI, the Google-Facebook duopoly and accurate measurement, but the real food for sponsorship thought came in a nugget from Syl Saller:
We can’t control what’s happening in the world. The dynamism of the world economy demands balancing your country and your brand investments.
She went on to suggest,
This speed of change forces us to consider how we equip people to cope with it. A lot of it comes down to mindset,
before reflecting on the increasing challenges of a VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous) world.
The ecosystem she describes provides the same backdrop for sponsorship as for brand marketing. Survival in this dynamic environment demands a move away from traditional sponsorship offerings and activation. To be relevant in 2018, brands, rights holders, federations and agencies all need to focus on providing both a global and local approach founded in agility, creativity and ability to be responsive to ever-changing external forces.
As so many different countries find common ground in their passion for football during the World Cup, it seems to be the perfect time to start (or continue) that shift. We need to look outwards to what’s happening now not inwards to what’s worked in the past and talk to people directly about their passions through the channels they’re most tapped in to.
Flash(es) of Inspiration – Dutch Embassy / Braze
A quick shout out to two Festival sponsors who found the sweet spot between human need and desire then offered a creative solution:
The Dutch Embassy are offering free reusable water bottles and easy access on tap water supplies to festival goers. We all need water, but given the option who wouldn’t support a sustainable way to quench their thirst?
Meanwhile Braze tapped into the need for something icy cool in the beating sun and the desire to drink your fill of Cannes Lions staple rosé by creating alcoholic ice-pop frozé.
That’s all from me for today, but if you see me around the Festival this week, don’t forget to say “Hi”, or share your top tips with me via LinkedIn or Twitter (@ktraxton)!
Katie Traxton | ESA Board Director | Associate Director PR – WeAreFearless