Yes we Cannes!
Inspiration comes in many forms, but none is more condensed than the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity. This annual trade awards ceremony shows us the most impactful and creative ways that our contemporaries have found to communicate with the world.
At Ketchum Brussels, it’s our job to stay on top of the latest trends and cultural developments, so it inevitably fell to us to watch well over 500+ case studies to identify the creative and strategic trends of today and forecast how these will develop over the coming year. And before we get started with the trend-watching, it’s notable that most winning campaigns were driven by earned ideas – lending credence to our philosophy that earned campaigns are stronger because they look beyond the immediate to embed themselves in cultural conversation.
Purpose driven communications are winning
If we take a look at all of the entries into the festival, it’s safe to say that a clear majority are purpose driven, with brands moving more into the space of social awareness. Purpose driven NGOs and organizations will inevitably have that message at their core, but from a creative standpoint, they also brought fresh and new ways of conveying their story.
Reducing societal inequity: tipping the scales to redress the balance
This may seem like a repetition of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion campaigns we’ve seen in the past few years – but this year we see this trend maturing to include nuance and a more practical approach to the subjects. Where campaigns in previous years took an activist stance – painting a polarizing view of the world, this year we see the theme developing into solutions-focused campaigns which not only raise awareness, but also aim to raise up the communities affected by the issues so that we live in a more just and equitable world.
The messaging coming from brands is less of a call to activism, and more a message of unity of purpose, amplifying the voices and issues that affect marginalized communities, and providing a platform so that the scales of justice are tipped towards balance.
Case study: THE MORNING AFTER ISLAND
Case study: SEE MY SKIN
Technology as an enabler for good
Echoing the overarching purpose-led theme, a clear trend of ‘Tech as an enabler for good’ also connects this trend with the practical, solutions-based approach of the previous trend mentioned. Issues are identified, and technology is used to provide a solution – while also speaking to core brand promises. But this year we saw something new.
This year we saw that winning cases also combined practical technological solutions with a creative approach.
Case study: I WILL ALWAYS BE ME
Case study: DOJA CODE
Cultural understanding
The nuance we see being applied to social causes is also being demanded of global brands. We work across borders, in different cultural contexts – and a message will resonate better with an audience if the campaign shows genuine cultural awareness
Culture means region – but can also mean subculture. This trend is about tapping into cultural understanding and speaking directly to the core concerns of your audience.
We see this trend moving deeper in this direction – leading to further segmentation of subcultures and markets.
Case study: TOUGH TURBAN
Case study: THE MISSING CHAPTER
The last word
Rejoice! Humour is back on the menu! After a grueling couple of years where attention was rightly focused on the serious issues of our own health and that of our families and friends – we find ourselves emerging into a world that needs a smile. And so, we see that the tongue-in-cheek, wink-to-the-audience, cheeky campaign is re-emerging from hibernation. Using creative approaches and storytelling techniques that vary from the unexpected and shocking, as in EAT A SWEDE, to using the strength of your biggest competitor against them in ITEST, laughter is back in our lives and our campaigns, and it couldn’t come too soon!
