#CannesLions2017: “An all-you-can-eat buffet of inspiration”
During the 64th Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, young creatives from across the globe went head-to-head or creative muscle to creative muscle on a live brief. Coetzee and Botha’s entry in Cinemark’s 48-hour Cannes Young Lions competition – a 60-second commercial for Unicef South Africa ready for screening in Ster-Kinekor Cinemas in just two days after the brief was released and effectively addressed the issue of cyber-bullying – secured their tickets to Cannes.
I caught up with the bubbly duo post-Cannes jetlag for their insights into what went on behind the scenes of the international competition, where they competed for the title of ‘Young Lions of Cannes 2017’, in the Film category, as well as their favourite work from Cannes Lions overall and advice to future attendees…
Did the experience of representing the country at the 48-hour Cannes Young Lions competition meet your expectations?
Coetzee: In all honesty, as a first-time attendee, there was no way I could accurately predict what we would experience. To say that the trip was ‘life changing’ would be an almost criminal understatement and I don’t think I could ever thank Cinemark, Air France and 99cents enough for the opportunity. We got to immerse ourselves in a week-long celebration of creativity and it was, well, mind-blowing. Being in the same room as icons like Sir Ian McKellen, Halsey, Ira Glass and the reverend Jesse Jackson Sr and hearing their stories really changes your perspective!
Botha: It definitely exceeded my expectations. Just the size of the whole competition was incredible. The fact that we got to go to a country that we have never otherwise been to is awesome. Both the Cinemark Young Lions challenge and the international challenge were great experiences. It really was an amazing opportunity to find inspiration and learn a lot.
What was it like seeing so much creativity on a global scale?
Coetzee: It’s like an all-you-can-eat buffet of inspiration! There’s so much to see, do and experience, but you have to pace yourself or else you’ll fill up on “bread”. It’s extremely humbling to see how the work our industry does – when done with bravery, humility and humour – can change the cultural discourse.
Botha: It was absolutely mind-blowing. There was inspiration around every corner and great work everywhere you looked. Just being in the presence of all these inspiring creatives was unbelievable. It was fascinating to meet so many other young creatives from around the world who share the same passion for the industry.
How did your Young Lions competition tie in with the overall Creative Week experience?
Coetzee: For me, a theme that resonated throughout the talks we attended and the work we saw, was that good ideas not only get good results, but they can also do actual good in the world. The brief for our Young Lions challenge definitely reflected this notion, as we were tasked with creating an ad for the Recording Academy that would get young people to support musicians and acknowledge the role music plays in our society.
Botha: It was a bit of a shock to the system. You’re walking around getting all inspired and then when the brief lands, stress. I would do it all over again. It’s pretty cool to have a chance to try and make a difference in the world, whatever the brief. In the talks throughout the week and in a lot of the work it is really prevalent that advertising does have the power to enrich communities and incite change for the greater good. What we noticed in the challenge is that we must learn how to harness the power of advertising to do just that.
Share tips for future attendees – what they shouldn’t forget to pack and the top events they should diarise.
Coetzee: Take a power bank for your phone. You’re going to want to capture every moment of the trip and you don’t want to run out of juice! Don’t forget comfy shoes – walking is the best way to explore (we walked about 15km a day while we were there). Try and fit in as many talks as you can and stock up on vitamins and energy drinks so you don’t waste any precious time on unnecessary inconveniences like sleeping!
Botha: Remember to wear comfortable shoes, and go watch as many talks as possible. There is so much inspiration waiting to be soaked up. Also sunscreen, it gets HOT. Most of all have fun! It is very busy and a bit overwhelming at the start, there is just so much to do and you wonder to yourself how are you going to be able to fit it into your schedule? You are not going to be able to, so make sure you don’t stress yourself out by putting too much on your plate. We went with the flow and it worked out well for us.
Let’s end with a review of your personal favourite work that won at the awards.
Coetzee:”Fearless Girl”, without a doubt. This campaign by McCann New York shows how simple, yet powerful a good idea can be.
Botha: I’m going to mention a couple. I really had to trim it down to my top three, because there were just so many great ads it was hard to choose just one piece of work.
“The Pedigree Child Replacement Program,” by Colenso BBDO stood out with its humour and human truth. The campaign talks to parents who have empty-nest syndrome and encourages them to adopt a dog to fill the void. There is a website where you enter characteristics of your child and the website matches a dog with your description. You can even send in your child’s old clothing or bedding for them to turn into a dog bed or coat. The results of the campaign were very impressive. Click here for a sneak peek.
“We’re the Superhumans,” by Blink Productions and 4Creative, definitely strikes the ‘feel-good feels’ with their ad starring about 140 disabled people doing just about everything that might have seemed impossible for someone with a disability to do. With a super catchy song, you’ll find yourself singing Yes I Can for at least a couple of hours after watching that ad.
I struggled to pick my third favourite. It was a toss-up between “Boost your Voice” by 180LA and “The Colour of Corruption” by Grey Brazil. I ended up choosing “The Colour of Corruption” as this felt so relevant to South Africa, too. The campaign made political corruption in Brazil visible by creating a plug-in that highlights the name of anyone corrupt in your browser. When you mouse-over the highlighted name, a list of all their corrupt acts are shown. The plug-in adds new acts of corruption instantly, so it stays up to date. I remember watching this and thinking to myself how much South Africa needs this!
Other obvious choices as favourites are also “Fearless Girl” by McCann New York, “The Refugee Nation” by Ogilvy New York, “Evan” by BBDO New York, “The Line Up Song” by FP7/CAI… the list is endless!
It sure is. Cinemark was the official local representative for the 2017 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. Visit our Cannes Lions special section for more information and all the latest updates! You can also click here for a reminder of the full list of SA winners, here to book a seat at our upcoming ‘Best of the best’ breakfast presentations, here to browse the 99C press office and follow them on the following social media accounts: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
About Leigh Andrews
Leigh Andrews AKA the #MilkshakeQueen, is former Editor-in-Chief: Marketing & Media at Bizcommunity.com, with a passion for issues of diversity, inclusion and equality, and of course, gourmet food and drinks! She can be reached on Twitter at @Leigh_Andrews.
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