Cannes Lions is just around the corner and this year’s Festival features more brands than ever before. The programme includes world-leading CMOs from 70 brands including Uber, Diageo, IKEA, American Express and Burger King. There are also famous names from the world of entertainment, music and sport appearing at the Festival this year such as actors David Oyelowo, Samira Wiley and Thandie Newton, world-famous guitarist Johnny Marr, Olympic Medalist Adam Rippon, mixed martial arts world champion Angela Sun Ju Lee and the President and COO of Beats Electronics, Luke Wood.
With so much going on next week, indaHash have created a guide to the 10 sessions you absolutely should not miss if you’re hitting La Croisette next week.
1) Searching for Syria – Using Technology for Good
Monday 18, 10:00 – 10:45 @ The Forum, Palais I
In a industry where marketing is predominantly used to sell, this italk will explore how interactive experiences and technology can be used as a force for good. Andre Le Masurier (@drelemasurier), Executive Creative Director, Google Brand Studio and James Temple, EVP, Chief Creative Officer, EMEA, R/GA will discuss how they came together to create “Searching for Syria,” a project driven by data, journalism and a strong narrative that helped combat empathy fatigue, broken down stereotypes and re-engaged audiences globally.
2) Technology is at the Heart of Beauty
Monday 18, 11:00 – 11:45 @ Innovation Stage, Palais II
Beauty being one of the most creative industries, is also surprisingly the most open to adopting new technologies. Lubomira Rochet (@ljubomira) of L’Oréal will share what has fueled the success of L’Oréal’s global innovation roadmap across core pillars such as AR/VR, AI, personalised services and connected devices.
3) Why are Hollywood’s stories and marketing more effective than ours?
Monday 18, 14:00 – 14:45 @ The Forum, Palais I
When it comes to creativity, Hollywood is miles ahead of the advertising industry. So what are they doing that we aren’t? In this talk with FP7 from the MENA region, we are promised an interactive session full of surprise guests and pop quizzes as well as some insight into the creative techniques and content distributions tactics deployed by movies, that are easily applicable for brands and agencies.
4) How KFC Used Creativity X Technology to Transform Its Business
Monday 18, 15:00 – 15:45 @ Innovation Stage, Palais II
How did KFC China use the power of creativity to digitally transform itself across 5600+ stores, in 1000 days, with over 120 million+ loyalty memberships? In this discussion Yum China and Isobar will explain how KFC is connecting with the Post 95s, a group of 78 million teenagers who will become the driving force of Chinese consumers in the next 10 years through AI-enabled robots and gaming partnerships.
5) Taking Risks and Building Brands
Tuesday 19, 11:00 – 11:45 @ The Forum, Palais I
When it comes to risk-taking in marketing Stephanie McMahon, Chief Brand Officer, WWE; Bozoma Saint John (@badassboz), Chief Brand Officer, Uber and Lilly Singh, YouTube Personality, are no strangers to the topic. These women will discuss how they’ve built, and in many cases rebuilt, their respective brands, the challenges they’ve had to overcome in predominantly male-dominated industries.
6) F*ck-Ups. The Mother of Reinvention
Tuesday 19, 11:00 – 11:45 @ Innovation Stage, Palais II
Overcoming failure is one of the biggest challenges creatives face and Tamara Mellon (@tamaramellon), former CCO and Co-founder of Jimmy Choo knows this best. In this talk Tamara shares how she restarted the brand after it went bankrupt. Joining her, MT Carney (@mt_carney), former Co-founder of Naked Communications, reveals all on her public split from Disney as President of Marketing, and her decision to launch Untitled Worldwide, a creative agency that works with some of the hottest startups and legendary brands today.
7) Unfaking it – How IKEA is Keeping it Real
Tuesday 19, 14:00 – 14:45 @ The Forum, Palais I
One of the biggest challenges for brands is standing out from the competition in a market saturated by marketing messages. So how did IKEA become relevant again? By being authentic. Akestam Holst reveals how IKEA un-faked it and started telling stories you don’t expect to see from a big brand; touching on divorce, dementia, teenage angst and the way life can change in an instant. This seminar points out fresh new areas for brands to explore, such as hacking Google, real-time advertising and creating magazine ads you can pee on, which will reveal previously invisible text offering a discounted price on a crib.
8) A Voyage Around Storytelling
Wednesday 20th June, 11.45-12.30 @ The Vouch Voyager, AVIONAS, Le Vieux Port, Palais Harbour
The importance of reinventing a brand through storytelling comes up every year at Cannes and this year is no different. And in today’s overcrowded marketplace, with brands all competing to capture consumers attention, it can be a difficult place to navigate. So how can brands truly make their story stand out? Through the authentic voice; the influencer. In this panel, Barbara Soltysinska (@b_soltysinska), CEO & Co-Founder, indaHash will be joined by representatives from Adform, Whaler and LVMH and they will talk on how great stories replace great advertising and what are the best mechanisms to develop, distribute and engage with people.
9) The ‘Fearless’ Interview with Tommy Hilfiger’s Avery Baker
Thursday 21, 15:00 – 16:00 @ Innovation Stage, Palais II
When it comes to staying relevant in fashion, it is all about disruption; you need to innovate and thrive, regardless of if you are an independant startup or a traditional brand. In this session, Charles Day (@charlesday), host of the ‘Fearless’ podcast, interviews Tommy Hilfiger’s Avery Baker about how she overcame the fear and unlocked rapid innovation in a $6 billion global business and what she’s learned about herself along the way.
10) Can We Redefine Femininity with Creativity?
Friday 22, 14:15 – 15:00 @ Lumière Theatre, Palais I
Diversity and inclusion are big topics at Cannes this year. In a conversation hosted by COVERGIRL and creative agency Droga5, this session will discuss ways creators can challenge conventional assumptions about the expression of femininity, and push the boundaries of creativity by giving women the power to define it.
So there we have our list of what we hope to be the most inspiring talks at Cannes Lions next week! Are there any other sessions you think are missing from this list?
P.S. If you are attending Cannes next week and would like to know more about how influencer marketing can work for you make sure you email us at cannes@indahash.com to set up a meeting.
