Another year at the Cannes Lions Festival brought a myriad of visionaries to the streets of La Croisette and the panels of the French Riviera's busiest media event. This year witnessed a surge of media personnel and creatives, including influencers, TikTok stars, and publishing royalty. The festival of creativity shone a spotlight on the future of marketing and advertising, dazzling attendees with a showcase of global creativity.
Among the notable names gracing the festival were actresses and lifestyle gurus Gwyneth Paltrow and Jessica Alba, alongside royalty such as Princess Beatrice. However, has the festival veered away from being a platform for creatives to be seen and heard, instead focusing on being a partying environment of who's who, rather than celebrating the best visual campaigns and marketing achievements?
Having attended previous years, it seemed to be a place where creatives were finally receiving well-deserved recognition, so it was somewhat disheartening to observe the shift towards the influencer era. This shift was evident in talks by Gen Z TikTok personalities, known for their front-row presence at fashion shows and publicised relationships with prominent UK artists. This contrasts with previous years when we were privileged to hear the poignant words of Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Malala and President Zelensky, who implored journalists to support Ukraine, stating our "work will make our fight for freedom legendary." Has the media festival become disconnected from the very origins it was once celebrated for?
We will explore the highlights and low points of this year's festival, sharing our thoughts on what could be improved for future events.
Let's delve into the presence of generative AI, which dominated this year's festival, with 12% of entries utilising AI technology. Last year, AI was a topic of curiosity; this year, the industry has embraced it, shedding previous apprehensions about its role in marketing. AI is clearly here to stay and elevate the industry.
A standout campaign was Jacquemus' "viral bag on wheels," featuring giant handbags racing past iconic Parisian monuments, capturing widespread attention. Fast-forward data shows that 61.4% of marketers have already integrated AI into their activities, normalising a technology once met with fear.
Despite this acceptance, concerns remain. Speaker Maria Ressa, the 2024 recipient of the Cannes LionHeart, and Sir John Hegarty, Creative Founder of The Garage Entertainment, both emphasised that "technology is both friend and foe." The music industry shares similar reservations about AI's disruptive potential. The abrupt removal of Drake's “Taylor Made Freestyle,” which featured AI-generated vocals of the late Tupac Shakur, highlights ongoing concerns about likeness exploitation and unauthorised profit.
Clearly, while AI's integration into marketing continues to grow, it also raises critical ethical and creative questions that the industry must address.
Next up, Tesla CEO and tech entrepreneur Elon Musk appealed to advertisers to support freedom of speech on X (formerly Twitter). Musk also shared his thoughts on the rising use of AI, echoing concerns expressed by Professor Geoffrey Hinton, dubbed the "Godfather of AI." Both Musk and Hinton estimate a "10-20% probability of something terrible happening," underscoring the potential risks associated with AI's rapid advancement.
Amongst the yachts, Miraval rosé, and lobster lunches, there were some truly great conversations. NYTimes bestselling author Deepak Chopra discussed his nine steps to creativity, emphasising the importance of setting intentions and finding inspiration. Another highlight was Amani Al-Khatahtbeh, the founder of Muslim Girl, who brought a vital element of diversity to the festival. She spoke passionately about the need for brands and advertisers to take more moral responsibility.
One of the Grand Prix winners was UN Women for their Child Wedding Cards campaign, motivating lawmakers to pass a bill protecting children from child marriage. The campaign featured wedding cards designed entirely by young girls aged between 5 and 15 years old, poignantly highlighting the issue and driving legislative change.
Last year, musician Kendrick Lamar and pgLang took home the Film Craft Grand Prix for their video "We Cry Together," a short one-take film featuring American actress Taylour Paige. Directed by Lamar's right-hand man Dave Free and Jake Schreier, the video vividly depicted the dynamics and tumult of an abusive relationship. Fast forward to 2024, and Lamar, pgLang, and Free return with the poignant video "Not Like Us," created in response to an ongoing dispute with rapper Drake, who, as mentioned earlier, used AI vocals to diss Lamar. The song and its visuals have sent ripples through the music industry, hinting that pgLang may once again triumph at next year's awards ceremony for this impactful video.
Wrapping up Cannes Lions 2024, there was a significant focus on sustainability, diversity, and equality. However, the festival appears to be losing sight of practising what it preaches. For instance, not encouraging plus-one press attendance for female media professionals, leaving them to travel alone. This is especially poignant given that, despite the Cannes and TimeTo initiative against sexual harassment, incidents were on the rise, and we experienced it firsthand. It's time to scrutinise the festival's culture and how Cannes Lions has become a playground for the wealthy to exploit the safety of women, with inappropriate behaviour from men being alarmingly common.
It's a shame that this issue persists, detracting from the primary purpose of the festival: to celebrate the most innovative campaigns and foster meaningful networking opportunities.
Words by Jheanelle Feanny
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