Purpose Work Has Dominated Cannes. Creatives Are Eying a Shift Toward Business Results and Humor

Purpose is a driving force behind what wins at Cannes. Last year all but a handful of the 32 Grand Prix winners contained a purpose element in the piece work. This year, there are 17 pieces of work shortlisted for the Dan Wieden Titanium Lion. Nearly every single one of them is purpose-driven. Brand purpose is an integral part of advertising and creativity at its core. But creatives view this dramatic shift toward purpose-based work winning at Cannes as going a bit too far. They're hoping juries will enter deliberations with more scrutiny toward whether purpose-based work actually drove real results for brands. Creatives told Adweek they're looking for humor and advertising that actually sells stuff will win more of the spotlight in 2023. And with new rules that put a focus on efficacy across nearly every category, they may get their wish. "I want CMOs to look at work that we lift up and go 'I want that and I will pay above market value for that,'" Susan Credle, FCB's global chief creative officer, told Adweek. "If we don't connect creative ideas to economic impact, we won't be paid the value that we want to be paid." Emphasizing efficacy This year, Cannes is introducing new opportunities for entrants to provide information around efficacy. It is not required in an entry, but unlike what info Cannes is asking for on sustainability and DEI, juries will be able to view that information and consider it during their deliberations. Efficacy will be included in all categories except Digital Craft, Film Craft and Industry Craft. Creators Will Take Over the Croisette, and CMOs’ Schedules, at Cannes Lions With efficacy more formally entering the conversation, creatives see a shift coming in what juries will elevate for the highest awards. "We're here—whether it's for a cause or brand—to make brands famous, get eyeballs and get attention," said Oriel Davis-Lyons, chief creative for Mother New York. He predicts the added rigor and proving the effectiveness of the work will help balance out the winning entries. Debbi Vandeven, who is VMLY&R's global chief creative, adds that creatives get into the field to change behavior and motivate consumers to take action on something. She said juries aren't recognizing brands that do that, and the awards lack a balance because juries are picking work that "saves the world" even if it lacks a stronger connection to a brand's purpose. The Martin Agency ecd Ashley Marshall is optimistic about how efficacy will make a difference this year. "It is is definitely going to help us see more real work for lack of a better way of describing it," adding work entered this year needs to be seen by a lot of consumers because work made for a case study video won't have the reach to prove it truly worked. But it's important to note—Cannes is not about effectiveness, it's about creativity—and creatives are quick to point out that the best ideas should win, whether they're purpose-driven or more commercially-minded ideas. Making purpose count Juries need to find work "that is clearly selling a product or changing a consumer behavior on behalf of the brand, while also showing something that can change people's hearts and minds for the better," said Maria D'Amato, ecd at GSD&M. She, like several creatives for this story, pointed to Apple's "The Greatest," which shows how new accessibility features on Apple products will aid millions of people. "That's real advertising for a real product done in a way that's true to the brand and in the same way that Apple does a lot of their work." One of Vandeven's first points she makes when leading juries is to ask whether the piece of work could have been done by any brand or if it has a true connection to their purpose. "If you're just trying to save the world—sorry, there's too much of it. It literally competes with each other." The exception to that rule, in the eyes of Margaret Johnson, the chief creative of Goodby, Silverstein and Partners, is with innovation. She values the idea above all, even if it doesn't tie too closely to a brand's purpose if it's a revolutionary idea. "I just am always blown away by things that have never been done before because that's the stuff really that just gets me excited.'" The antithesis to purpose at Cannes is humor, which creatives are hoping makes a comeback at the festival. Can I get a laugh? A good, universally hilarious spot should get its due with Cannes juries, said many of the creatives Adweek spoke to for this story. Many acknowledged that purpose, feel-good work is winning right now because of current state of the world, but a good piece of humor that can cut through and make people laugh should be lauded. "There's something to be said for joy and laughing. Those things have a place especially in a world that's pretty riddled with problems," Marshall said. And humor is memorable—with consumers and juries—and can leave a lasting impact, Vandeven said, adding juries constantly face dilemmas of picking between humorous pieces of work that drive business results or purpose work, and they're consistently choosing purpose work due to the current climate. "I hope we see more [humor] this year. The world might need a little bit of laughter." Without humor getting its proper due at Cannes, Davis-Lyons worries the industry isn't expressing its full range of emotions. "We have to show another generation that we are funny and we are sad and we're provocative and we can get angry." Ultimately, Cannes should be awarding the best pieces of work. What better tone than humor? "I love the phrase death is easy. Comedy is hard. It's a lot easier to make people feel compassion, be touched and even cry than to make someone genuinely laugh out loud," Credle said.