Journal House Brought Experiential to the Palais This Year

The Wall Street Journal returned to the Cannes Lions in a big way this year by building the Journal House, a two-story structure that featured elements of the brand throughout and called to mind the sophistication of the newspaper itself.

“If the newspaper, if the brand, were a place and a space, how would it feel? And what would it look like? I think this does a really elegant job of that,” said Josh Stinchcomb, CRO of Dow Jones.

Wallpaper throughout the house, for example, was designed in the same vein as the iconic WSJ stipple drawings. The newspaper was laid out throughout as were healthy snacks and drinks for those who stopped by to escape the sun. The newspaper was also distributed every morning along the Croisette by folks wearing distinguishable yellow hats.

WSJ also had a boat on hand to shuttle people from the Journal House to other spots along the Croisette.

But it was the pop-up house with the sweeping views that kept festival attendees talking. The house served as a workspace during the day, where festival attendees could charge their computers and phones. WSJ also put on several discussions (both open and closed to the public) and will host a party Thursday night.

Journal House, which first launched in Davos, represents a growing revenue area for WSJ, Stinchcomb said. “Over time, there will be fewer people who read a physical newspaper. It’s important to retain tangibility,” Stinchcomb said.