By Mahima Mathur
Being at Cannes Lions is a lot of things. It is sunshine so aggressive, it feels like it’s personally judging your Q4 performance. It’s €15 gelato that tastes like poor financial planning and regret. It is networking in shoes that turn into medieval torture devices by lunchtime. It’s bumping into someone you ghosted on LinkedIn and suddenly pretending to be on a very important call with your global lead. It’s queueing for talks you didn’t read about, nodding like a thought leader, and dodging yet another conversation about how AI is stealing our jobs, and our Cannes entries.
But more than anything, Cannes reminds you just how brutally hard it is to make something good. Like really, really good. The kind of good that survives six rounds of feedback, three strategy pivots, two budget cuts, one timeline collapse, and still somehow manages to make someone feel something.
So even if your work only made the shortlist this year, know that it’s still a giant, glitter-drenched, unicorn-riding, confetti-exploding, champagne-soaked win.
Take it from someone who spent the last week in a jury room this year. Even the shortlists are carefully scrutinised, argued, debated and most importantly, applauded. Your work was picked out of thousands. It got noticed. It got remembered. That’s more than most ideas ever get. That’s 95% of the world’s best work, left behind you, eating your metaphorical dust.
So, whether you walked away with a Lion or a shortlist, hold your head high. Call your mom. You made something that travelled across the world to be seen, felt and fought for. That’s rare. And powerful.
Now go get that overpriced gelato. Add toppings. Add more toppings. Happy cry into it a little. You’ve earned it.
The author is creative director, DDB Mudra