Cannes Lions is well and truly over and, with the Young Lions celebrating their latest win (along with many, many others), it’s time to look back over some of the more leading and creative thoughts that fell out of such an important conference.
Back in part one I promised some thoughts on the Diageo session I attended as well as some overall thoughts and links post-event.
First, Andy Fennell, CMO, Diageo –
Key points and quotes –
- Andy talks about his ‘FACE’ values. They are; Flair, Agility, Consumer insight and Execution
- When discussing new creative, ask ‘What is ‘the centre of gravity’ of an idea?’
- “We need to change our ideas inherently to build participation from the start” – a thought 1000heads has advocated for years
- “For rich content to arrive in Africa, phones need to get cheaper or Silicon Valley needs to work out where Africa is on a map.” – contentious!
Speaking of Africa, Andy gave an example of how Guinness arrived in the football-loving continent with their very own football-themed quiz show –
The whole idea, initiated by Guinness (one of Diageo’s sub-brands), started and ended with the drink in question and resulted in a significant jump in sales.
I personally hadn’t seen a brand invent its own TV show before, not least of all one that actually delivered on both an entertainment value (average episode views are upwards of 4m) as well as on a brand awareness and sales front too. Very impressive.
Overall, the Diageo session was interesting as it was a brand talking about their creative as opposed to an agency. Hearing the insights and ways of working behind such a huge, worldwide company inspired plenty of food for thought and served as a reminder at just how impactful television can be when harnessed correctly.
Thanks for reading.
Additional links of interest:
My unofficial Cannes recap – via The Brand Builder
Nokia @ Cannes – via Nseries
