[Cannes Lions judges] My Cannes Direct experience

Xolisa Dyeshana: Where do I start? My Cannes experience was as much of an eye-opener as it was spectacular and inspiring. Being on the Direct Lions jury was a privilege I will not be forgetting anytime soon.

When we arrived at the beginning of judging week, we found a gold-plated bullet in our rooms. The exquisite gift was from our jury president, Alexander Schill, and it was a symbol of what he wanted us to search for in all the work that we would see. We were looking for work that was fresh, original, bold, engaging and, most importantly, work that shot straight at the consumer’s heart.

Five long days

What followed were five long days of sitting in groups, reading, dismantling, testing and watching countless case studies, while scoring everything between 1-9 according to the preset criteria of creativity, strategy, execution and results. Equipped with our HP iPAQ handhelds, we spent the first three days putting together the first draft of the shortlist.

On the fourth day, we had to individually re-judge all 205 pieces on the shortlist and suggest any additions that may have been missed (provided they were not from our own agency). This was also the first day where open forum discussion was allowed and I was fascinated by the calibre of creative minds we had on our jury, each making dead sure that what the world would ultimately see as the Cannes Shortlist was only the cream of the crop.

On that day we finished just after 11pm, which really felt like 7pm with the hustle and bustle of one of the world’s most opulent cities.

Sunday was D-Day

Sunday was D-Day. It was time to decide which campaigns were the ultimate bullets, worthy of the coveted Cannes Lions statues. The 25 judges were extremely tough, with each piece going through stringent scrutiny and debate, just to be considered. It was all about originality, excellence and ultimately... the power of the idea.

By 8pm that evening, our mission was accomplished; from the shortlist of 205 we had awarded 61 Lions; 34 Bronze, 16 Silver, 11 Gold and one Grand Prix.

Some categories had no Golds nor Silvers; several categories had multiple; a few categories actually had no medals awarded at all. It was the end of an excruciating process but a fulfilling one, nonetheless.

Quite disappointed

I must say that I was quite disappointed that out of the four South African pieces on the shortlist, only one converted (Joe Public’s Rock 4 Aids Matchbook).

But that’s the thing about Cannes, I found it both inspiring and sobering at the same time.

Inspiring because you see all this great work from around the world, beautifully crafted and based on solid insights and ideas. And sobering because you realise just how much more you’ve got to up your game, from the quality of the entry to the way that it’s entered – it seems the world has completely embraced the three-minute AV and agencies are holding nothing back to give their work the best chance.

It all comes down to the idea

Ultimately though, it all comes down to the idea, not the technology, not the social media and “it created a buzz” kind of clichéd rhetoric, but the salient idea that will cut through all the clutter and shoot consumers in their hearts. I have no doubt that South Africa will continue to rise in prominence in this category because we are still one of the countries that, I believe, harnesses ideas.

The full list of Direct winners is up at canneslions.com. Go there and get inspired. As for me, I’m just so glad I was part of the process and I head back to Mzantsi, with my bullet, knowing full well that the parameters have changed. What I would’ve approved three weeks ago and what I would approve now are two very different things. Onwards and upwards.

Xolisa Dyeshana, creative director at Joe Public
2011 Direct Lions judge
@XolisaDyeshana