RECAP: CANNES VS. CAN’T DO: USING TECHNOLOGY TO ELEVATE STORYTELLING IN ADVERTISING

Last week, 212 NYC hosted an event titled “Cannes vs. Can’t Do: Using Technology to Elevate Storytelling in Advertising” to discuss how the effect of traditional media is fading as the standard 30-second spot no longer achieves the impact it once had. Industry leaders JiYoung Kim, Chief Digital Officer, Carat; Nate Nichols, Founder, Creative Director, Palette Group; Anselmo Ramos, Co-Founder and Creative Chairman, GUT; Erin Chin, Chief Marketing Officer, Streamers & Creators, Logitech; and Matt Maher, Founder, M7 Innovations, discussed how marketers can best position themselves for emerging forms of storytelling. The discussion was led by Erica Schmidt, Global CEO, Matterkind, and sponsored by LoopMe.

The panel kicked off the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. 

2020’s Impact on Media Behavior

2020 was an unprecedented year — to say the least — and it has changed many aspects of life, including media behavior. 

“A lot of our content that we produce for our clients was on-set. We went from not really being present on mobile to producing virtual events, producing remote content series, non-stop,” said Nichols.

Kim agrees that the shift to virtual was fast and says she noticed another important change that started in the pandemic, but it is here to stay.

“Content has actually become more important. I’m seeing a trend toward it, where before there was a little bit of an apathy to just media — like media is everywhere, there’s so much of it.” 

For Ramos, the most significant shift he saw in 2020 was much deeper.

“For me, the biggest lesson was humanity. We all became more human, which was related to both the pandemic and Black Lives Matter. It was a year that we all realized we are way more connected than we think we are, and we need to be there for our teams when it comes to mental health and making sure they’re okay. We also saw everyone’s dogs and kids in the backgrounds [of video calls, meetings, and events] — that was amazing. We all realized we need to be more diverse and inclusive. It was a tough year. But, I feel that we’re all better humans,” said Ramos.

Innovating Innovation

Chin said that, while traditionally innovation is thought of in terms of new products and technologies, her view of innovation has shifted.

“Yes, we [Logitech] innovate amazing products to help them create content, whether it be microphones and streaming software. But, also, I like to think of innovation in the way we market, being that marketing is one of my passions, and really thinking about how we can connect with our consumer in new and interesting ways,” she said. “So, it’s not about just typical digital media, social media, to engage them.”

Before the Grammy’s last year, Chin and her team wanted to celebrate streamers and creators for the enormous impact they’ve had on the music industry and how many of the songs that were nominated for Grammy’s were driven by creators on TikTok with the dances, TikTok trends, and challenges.

“We came up with our own IP and our own platform to honor these creators. We called it the Song Breaker Awards, and we honored 20 creators that had over 241 million reach,” she said. “Through their involvement, because we honored them and celebrated them in a way that nobody had done before, they were very effusive about connecting with the brand and their thanks to us for recognizing them. We had some really amazing results with 91 million social impressions; we had over 550 people tuning in to the livestream on TikTok. That just speaks to our mission of finding new ways to do marketing and thinking outside of the box.”

New Technologies at the Forefront of Innovation

Maher says that new technologies, many of which became vital during the pandemic, are leading innovation. 

“With technologies like air and voice, I don’t think it’s something you can stay out of for too long,” said Maher. “So what I say to my clients is ‘hey this is going to be an extremely important medium over the next decade or so, so how do we plan each step?’” 

A challenge facing advertisers when it comes to innovation is longevity. So, how do advertisers deploy innovative technologies while ensuring it’s not just a ‘flash in the pan’ and not worth the effort?

“It’s about people,” said Kim. “We’ve all seen really, really good ideas get handed off to people who don’t see the purpose of that innovation. Grounding on what we decide to innovate on, not based on the fact that it’s growing or cool, or because we think we should do it, but because the fact that it’s wanted and needed and relevant to a human being.”

Making Diversity and Inclusion a Priority 

Speaking about Cannes, Schmidt remarked about the infamous lack of diversity. When it comes to ensuring that diversity and inclusion become a priority, not only at Cannes but industry-wide, Chin offered the following advice.

“It has to be a priority, and we have to do the work. It sounds super simple, but that’s the answer. One thing that is a common theme in our industry is acknowledgment, and it always comes down to representation. It’s about making sure that the people who create and evaluate [products and campaigns] represent the people who we serve,” said Chin.

The need for diversity and inclusion stretches well beyond Cannes and must be done at an agency and brand level as well.

“We can’t just keep hiring our friends. We have to build in communities that we didn’t have access to prior; we have to get uncomfortable building in new communities and spaces. Everyone has to get uncomfortable in different spaces and places in order for us to grow as individuals and as an industry.”

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