"You have to be pretty damn disruptive to grab anyone's attention in 2018" - Karabo Denalane

It truly is special, and I’m not only talking about seeing the work but from an inspiration point of view, very few platforms come close to this.

Cannes puts you among the best in the world, in every field imaginable, and no cost is spared in ensuring that the experience lives up to its promise.

As a member of team SA, it was even more special to be recognised on this world stage.

It was amazing to reconnect with old friends who have made tremendous strides in their respective fields, across the globe. It was so surreal listening to Manthe Ribane performing in Setswana at the Cannes official closing party, and then to hear a bunch of South Africans singing ‘Shosholoza’ at the South Africa party on the same night. We were definitely making Mzansi proud!

Spine chills! TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris was one of the country’s most awarded ad agencies at Cannes Lions, bringing home Gold, campaign Gold, Silver, and campaign Silver. What does this level of global recognition mean to the agency and to your work going forward?

The phrase, ‘our competition is everything in culture’, is the perfect summation of the landscape we find ourselves operating in. That’s what makes these wins so special, as they are culturally relevant, engaging, entertaining, and had a massive influence on the audiences for which they were intended.

I think Khoury said it all here. The only thing I would add is that its clear that more and more of this type of work is impacting consumers as it naturally fits in with their interests, passions, likes, and puts a smile on their faces when it pops up on their timelines.

All we are doing here is listening to their views through social listening, scrubbing the internet, and working at the speed of culture to co-create these brand stories and platforms.

Advertising is entertainment. Think about it, when you ask someone in South Africa about their favourite ads, more often than not it’s the ones that made them laugh or put a smile on their face that they will always remember.

So entertainment for me has always been rooted in advertising, come to think of it, my memorable ads are the ones that entertained me.

Today, we see people making their own content and making the internet a pretty funny place to visit, essentially creating the need for entertainment in branding and advertising even greater in order to make a meaningful connection with consumers.

Spot on. What can brave clients and brands then teach others when it comes to allowing creative freedom?

D-Live, as we call it, gives us a clear view of where, how, and what to serve, and combining that with powerful storytelling will have a defining impact on brand performance.

The Samsung CMO mentioned that 48 brands have dropped off of the top 100 brands list in the past 10 years. Who would’ve thought that some of the brands that replaced them didn’t even exist 10 years ago?

So there you have it, being safe is no longer an option when managing brands as we are constantly disrupted as people, brands, and businesses.

With regard to creative freedom, I believe that it essentially has to be a partnership between clients, agencies, and now consumers. We have a saying at TBWA that ‘we are a radically open creative collective’, which means we have to embrace other views, talent, partnerships, and more in order to navigate this new world.

Seems we’re in for a real creative smorgasbord as we head into the final half of the year. Check in on our Loeries Creative Week special section and be sure to follow Denalane, TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris and the ACA on Twitter for the latest updates.