Future Cannes Lions Need to Value Creativity's Impact Over Vanity

Opinion: Juries need to put societal impact over tear-jerk creative this year more than any other metric

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Cannes arrives at its usual time this year, but its arrival is also a bit precarious and comes at the most unusual of times.

The international festival finds itself in a moment where half the world is emerging from a year of complete disruption and the other half of the world continues to be ravaged by the Covid-19 virus. It also follows a year that saw a massive racial justice movement in the U.S. that had ripple effects across the globe.

Needless to say, it’s an odd time to be judging creative, but here we are.

And since we’re here, here is my plea: After this year, we should consider it a festival of creativity with impact. If the creativity doesn’t move people to action, then doesn’t that mean that some creativity was actually left on the table? 

In this year’s judging rooms, brands need to show how they played a role in shaping society, showed up for people in their time of need and lived up to their values versus just making us teary-eyed. As we judge this year’s creativity, we need to remind ourselves who the creative is for and who it serves.

People want brands to solve these problems, not just reflect their issues back to them.

When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, we all saw the same sea of ads. Platitudes from companies telling us “we’re in this together.” Your favorite toothpaste brand dropping lines like, “While we can’t be close, we can be connected.” The Covid trope became a new category itself. But behind those failed attempts at connecting with consumers were people: people who struggled beyond belief with illnesses and infections, mental health, isolation, an impending recession—and the recovery is still happening.

People want brands to solve these problems, not just reflect their issues back to them. It’s not enough for brands to reflect our reality; they need to actively help shape it. This year we need to judge creativity for its action.

When I served as a judge for Cannes in 2019, even with my background in impact and purpose, it was easy to be drawn to the beautiful, emotional creative. But it was also easy to shake that off when I remembered who the creative is really for and how creativity is best deployed.

The responsibility being placed on brands is enormous. But impact can be delivered in both small and big ways: from Barilla leaning into “at home” pandemic culture with eight-minute Spotify playlists for boiling pasta to Anheuser-Busch sitting out the Super Bowl and spending that money to drive awareness for Covid vaccines. There is a spectrum of how brands surprised, delighted and helped through this trying year.

This is hard work. That’s why, as an international community, we need to reward the brands and campaigns and the creatives that are doing it right. We need to set the bar here so others have a path to follow. It’s what the world is asking for.