After the 47 metal haul last year, all hopes were pinned on India’s creative contingent at Cannes last week. While the performance was nowhere close to last year’s, India brought home 25 Lions, including a Grand Prix and two gold Lions.
Though a comparison with last year’s stupendous wins is only natural, industry leaders assert that India’s outing this year was something to celebrate and that 2022 was a happy anomaly. “What’s working for us as a country is that our work is meaningful, yet very new age, with the use of data, technology and platforms. We just need to continue to create global benchmark beating work for clients, solving business and human problems. And Lions will keep coming home,” says Dheeraj Sinha, CEO at Leo Burnett South Asia & Chairman for BBH India.
So what are the major takeaways from Cannes Lions this year?
For one, AI — the threat and potential of it — is something the ad world in general and India in particular must get a handle on. “AI is omnipresent in discussions and sessions, blurring the lines between innovation and creativity,” says Rana Barua, group CEO, Havas India. “It has always been intricately woven into our online experiences, but new platforms like ChatGPT, Midjourney, and DALL-E have brought renewed focus to AI’s contributions and has raised many questions, and challenges. I firmly believe AI will not replace human talent and creativity; it requires human intervention to deliver the best outcomes”.
Second, there’s a large body of work these days that’s going upstream and solving bigger business and human problems than just clever advertising. The quality of execution, whether in terms of creative craft or technology has indeed raised its standards in a big way. In other words, being clever is great; delivering performance is better.
Finally, points out Sinha, “We are seeing work from many more parts of the world win at the Cannes Lions stage, giving a voice to markets beyond America and Europe”.
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