Written by The Location Guide on Jun 10, 2024. Posted in Awards and Festivals

Will Cannes Lions 2024 be a tense affair?

The industry rides into this year’s Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity with the brand and creative agency relationship under significant strain.

The headwinds of a global recession have exposed tensions between clients and agencies frustrated marketers pointing fingers at ‘play-it-safe’ leadership.

 

The Lions’ only research in its annual State of Creativity reveals that there are glaring discrepancies in how brands experience the agency-client relationship compared to their agency partners.

 

What we’re seeing is that although the sentiment is outwardly optimistic, inwardly the industry is at odds.

 

Analysis of close to 3,000 global responses shows brands expressing a more positive attitude towards relationships, while creative partners painted a starkly different picture. It suggests that brands are less in the know of the reality of their situation.

 

Spencer Fox, SVP, Business Lead, Advisory, Lions said, “What we’re seeing is that although the sentiment is outwardly optimistic, inwardly the industry is at odds. There’s optimism around progress and investment, but tensions that need to be worked through if we’re going to realise the potential of creativity as a growth driver. Essentially, there’s a communication breakdown.”

 

On the plus side, businesses are reporting promising growth and an increase in marketing investment, with 51% of brand and agency respondents saying they anticipate stronger growth this year. However, the opportunity to capitalise on this with groundbreaking creative work might be at risk, with responses revealing two growing tensions driving a wedge between key creativity stakeholders.

 

Senior leadership was also criticised. Brands expressed difficulty in getting executives to embrace creativity. This was attributed, in part, to an absence of creatives in the boardroom, with more traditional, risk-averse marketers taking seats. Despite the majority of people wanting to push the boundaries of their creative work, conservative leaders make them feel like they can't.

 

Mobile devices are embedded in work across every channel and discipline, and over a number of years, device-driven creativity has been expanding into almost every Lion.

 

Titled Communication Breakdown On The Road To Recovery, the study sets the backdrop for the great and good to ride into Cannes for the International Festival of Creativity.

 

Among the 29 Jury Presidents, Tor Myhren serves as the Film Lions jury president – the first time Apple has been represented. Gut's Anselmo Ramos is the Brand Experience & Activation Lions president after a series of major wins in 2023, and Debbi Vandeven is jury president of the Dan Wieden Titanium Lions, representing the largest creative agency network in the world, VML.

 

Additionally, after leading its first jury, Cindy Gallop returns as the Glass: The Lion for Change president for its 10th edition, while previous honouree, Prasoon Pandey, is the Film Craft Lions president.

 

New for this year is the Luxury & Lifestyle Lions recognising the most impactful creative work and business solutions for this sector.

 

The Awards are tweaked each year to ensure they reflect current trends. On that note the Mobile Lions have been consigned to history. Mobile devices are embedded in work across every channel and discipline, and over a number of years, device-driven creativity has been expanding into almost every Lion. “For many, mobile-first thinking is the norm,” say organisers. “There will still be places for mobile-first creativity across the Lions – it just won't have a standalone Lion.”

 

Last year, Cannes introduced a question about cultural context, to help jurors better understand the nuances of work. That proved so valuable it’s now a compulsory element for every entry.
As the use and misuse of AI gains ground there is also a compulsory disclosure or disclaimer about whether AI was used in the work, and if so, to explain how. This is to help “judge the work fairly, with the full picture.”

 

There’s also a new option for the jury to see the responses to sustainability and DE&I questions. The aim is to encourage those making progress in these areas “to share their success and to ignite conversations in the jury room.”

 

Speakers include the usual mix of c-suite execs from mega-brands P&G, Lego, and Unilever who will mix with slightly more left of field personalities.

 

New for this year is the Luxury & Lifestyle Lions recognising the most impactful creative work and business solutions for this sector. The Innovation Lions are expanded to include spaces for environmental, societal and financial innovation; and the Social & Influencer Lions have been adapted to better recognise and the pivotal role that content creators play in shaping and amplifying brand messages. There’s also a new category to celebrate the art of humour in branded communications.

 

Speakers include the usual mix of c-suite execs from mega-brands P&G, Lego, and Unilever who will mix with slightly more left of field personalities. They include Deepak Chopra founder of non-profit Chopra Foundation who talks about the intersection of science and spirituality; Jo Shoesmith the Global Chief Creative Officer at Amazon and passionate advocate for women’s sports; Duolingo’s first marketing chief in India, Karandeep Kapany; and Pranav Yadav, founder and CEO of Neuro-Insight who says he is committed to improving our understanding of the subconscious.

 

Look out too for Madeline Di Nonno, CEO of the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media who speaks to how content creators tell stories through authentic portrayals of the population in entertainment. Mike Cessario, the Co-Founder and CEO of Liquid Death, one of the fastest growing non-alcoholic drink brands of all time, will share the secret of his success.

 

There’s even room for the glitz and glamour and business nous of hip-hop's first lady, Queen Latifah. As we learn from her official bio, her name means "delicate and sensitive" in Arabic, but she has often been anything but in her rhymes.

 

This article appears in the Cannes issue of our makers magazine which will be widely available at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity 2024.

Click here to find out more.