‘‘I didn’t hear the word metaverse
even once this year”
Alok Gadkar
CEO & CCO, Tuesday Communications
I first visited Cannes Lions in 2003. So, it has been two decades since I visited the festival, and I see that it has only grown to be more inclusive.
What I also find amazing is that the festival keeps re-inventing itself and because of that it keeps getting more relevant and innovative every year.
I recommend everyone to use Cannes Lions as a marker for our industry—unlearn everything from the last year, and soak in as much as you can for the year to come.
Most sessions at Cannes Lions are a gold mine of insights, knowledge, culture and creativity. But, over the years, I have developed a liking for these two sessions, and I never miss them.
First, Saatchi & Saatchi’s ‘The New Directors’ Showcase’, which is now called ‘The Saatchi & Saatchi New Creators’ Showcase’. This hour-long session at the Lumiere Theatre is an absolute crowd favourite. It’s always packed.
The second is the Lion of St. Mark. Its features inspiring stories of our industry’s leaders and the impact they have had on the business as well as this generation of creatives.
This year, it was Susan Hoffman who joined W+K as employee No. 8. She spent 40 years defining W+K’s culture and setting the bar for truly unforgettable and groundbreaking work.
It’s also interesting to note that people today trust their favourite brands more than they trust their government.
So, we have a great opportunity to leverage that trust and make an impact across industries such as energy, healthcare and retail.
We can effectively deliver key messages that can solve real humanitarian problems with ideas that now have the ability to reach more people than ever.
Cannes Lions is big on trends. Every year we see people talking about this one particular thing and then it quickly becomes a global obsession. In the past, we’ve seen trends like data, metaverse, TikTok, 6 seconders, etc.
This year, there’s hardly any guessing, AI was the talk of the town—literally.
There has been a lot of talk within the industry about creatives losing their jobs to a machine. Let me assure you, creativity and great minds are here to stay.
Deploy these tools to sharpen your delivery and move on. In a couple of years, there will be another new trend. Creativity is a by-product of curiosity, not fear.
Oh by the way, I didn’t hear the word metaverse even once at Cannes Lions this year.
This article is a part of the view from Cannes series, where regional creatives share their experiences and takeaways from this year’s Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity.
Find the other parts in the View from Cannes series here.
