Jack Blog
June 26th, 2015 By Jack Morton
So…its five days into my first Cannes experience. It’s been pretty epic. I mean, who goes to a storytelling workshop taught by Busta Rhymes? Me, luckily. Along with 30 other young creatives from 21 different countries attending the Young Lions Creative Academies. The collection of creative talent all in one place celebrating each other’s work is really, really inspiring. It’s also a bit overwhelming. There’s so much to see and listen to that your brain can become overloaded. In the best possible way, of course. So with most of the week done and two days left two go, here’s what I’ve learned…
Intention is the buzzword of the year.
It seems like every speaker I’ve seen here has talked about intention. Pharrell and Ryan Seacrest dug into the subject quite a bit. Pharrell said that millennials (everyone’s new favorite target audience) can spot fake in seconds. He followed up by saying you can see and hear intention. So I wouldn’t be surprised if brands/clients start to add it in as the new brief buzzword. Look out, authenticity. You’ve got company.
Simplicity is, as always, the key to awesome work.
The main gallery of work at Cannes is gigantic. You could spend days walking through the isles of shortlisted submissions and still not see everything. I spent a lot of time in the promo and activation section. It was judged first, so I got to see the submission as well as the awards they won. The one thing the winners all have in common is the idea is simple. I guess keeping things simple is easier said than done though.
Europeans know how to throw down.
Drinking. Dancing. Eating. Laughing. Folks on the other side of the pond know how celebrate. And they do it all week. And I mean ALLLLLL week. Getting home at 2am is considered turning in early. And things get kicked off around 9–10am. So how hard people are able to party for 7 days on minimal sleep is pretty impressive. But then again, we have some sleepless weeks when we’re in the office too.
An unopened bottle of rosé is unacceptable.
I bought a bottle of wine to take back to a teammate as a thank you. I walked maybe two blocks with the bottle and in that time I was offered three corkscrews to set the rose free. It’s definitely a favorite around these parts.
Overall it’s been a fantastic experience. It’s also been fun to meet other Jack people from around the world. They’re a ridiculously fun bunch. Tonight I’ll be competing in a live design competition called #pixelsoffurry sponsored by Shutterstock. Hopefully I walk away bringing some glory back to Jack. Can’t wait to see what the next two days hold.
Want more insights from the Cannes Lions Festival? Read our white paper Cannes guide to buzzwords: 8 newbies on what’s real and what matters to brand experience to learn about the marketing trends you can’t afford to miss.