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TRENDS

2014 TOP

As ever, the Cannes Lions International Festival of

Creativity was a marathon of ideas and insights. Now

into its 61st year, this action packed festival, set along

the French Riviera, attracted over 12,000 people from

94 countries. There was no shortage of data or

points-of-view. Liberty & Co. took a few steps back

to distill for you what we found to be the key, and

consistent, themes.

TRENDS

2014 TOP

‘Datamagination’ should have won a Lion for the

best buzzword on the Croisette this year. As

the industry finds its feet in the shifting sands of

the creativity and data convergence, there was

much debate on the importance and application

of data. Ultimately, tech companies can’t ignore

the beauty of creativity. And so-called creative

agencies can’t ignore the measurement of data.

It’s a symbiotic relationship.

No surprise, really, that the swankiest events are

no longer hosted by the big creative agencies but,

rather, from the likes of Google, Twitter, and

Microsoft. These enormous digital and tech

platforms were clearly out to flaunt to the

creative community that they, too, can foster

compelling content and brand advertising.

Yahoo’s Marissa Mayer keynote address

demonstrated her love for art, including our

favorite Chihuly—and how this can relate to the

creation of powerful stories on Tumblr.

Meanwhile, Google’s ‘Creative Sandbox’ on the

beach, accelerated this year with lightning talks,

coding for juice, and a trial of Google Glass. (For

the record, DVF was our preferred choice.)

BBH’s iconic ad man, John Hegarty, and Droga5

creative visionary, Dave Droga, agreed in a press

conference that creativity must remain to be at

the heart of the business, even within this big data

debate. Advertising must still capture people’s

imagination. Hegarty strongly suggested that big

data itself isn’t the solution. Creativity must still

be implemented to turn the intelligence of

data into magic—for people are always most

interested in what technology can do for them.

There is little doubt that data alone does not

equal insight. Human perception must always

interpret data, and data will guide human

understanding. Data should be treated as a

partner of creativity, as it can help us understand,

but it can’t predict the future.

Datamagination

Building great brands isa mix of magic and logic,a blend of art and science.

KEITH WEED, Chief Marketing &

Communications Officer at Unilever

ONE

Purpose-driven, meaningful campaigns set the

stage this year at Cannes. Google’s new study

uncovered that consumer purchasing is all about

purpose:

Consumers are 1.5 more likely to choose brands

that engage them on their passions and interests

than items that simply urge them to buy the

advertised product. There is a new consumer

mindset with a perspective that has implications

for purchasing behaviour: they shop with the

same purpose with which they consume content.

What does this mean for brands? Success will

require creating content that is share-worthy.

And media plans will require being spot-on points

of influence. As well, brands that provide

consumers with ownership-like experiences for

their products will win at the point-of-purchase.

BBDO’s session ‘Nice is the New Black’,

extended the theme of creating purpose. David

Lubars, Chairman / Chief Creative Officer, spoke

of the importance in creating beautiful stories of

relevancy and purpose—especially in today’s

complex, and often cynical, world. Therefore,

creating purpose-driven content is more

important than ever before.

Brands that help people to feel are the brands that win.

TARA WALPERT LEVY,

Director of Marketing, Google

TWO

Brands With Purpose

Will Win!

Nanotechnology. Biotechnology and extended

consciousness? PHD’s Mind Trip session coined

‘A Complete Reboot of the Way we See the

World’ was the most talked-about, awe-inspiring

session from techno-philosopher, Jason Silva.

Jason’s evangelistic style and captivating theories

revealed how human attention spans are a scarce

resource to compete for. Understanding that,

the world needs more ‘shots of awe’ to reboot,

refresh and reset our imaginations.

The audience was presented films on the

evolution of technology and biology — seeing it

not as a linear process, but at a rapid, exponential

rate that will amplify the effects on human

intelligence. With this intelligence — not singular,

but global human intelligence — he believes that

this is the time where we genuinely have the

power to change the world. And that everyone

has the opportunity to do so.

Applying the magic of wonder ultimately opens

the door to more creative thinking. This is what

allows us to transcend what we ‘know’ without

sinking under the weight of evaluation. In our

most creative moments, it is wonder that saves

us from overthinking and keeps us creatively

inspired.

Ben Silberman, CEO Pinterest, views stimulating

creativity by putting the magical experience of

discovery online. People are the ‘other’ that put

the magic into digital ‘a-ha’ moments.

Silberman described Pinterest as a visual

search-engine to allow exploration of a database

of images and ideas for inspiration — or to find

other people with similar tastes as yours. He

referred to the millions of Pinterest users as

“curators”, depicting his company as more

interested in art and beauty than as a company

of pure tech. His fastest-growing, image-based,

social-network site is a platform routed in

technology but, according to Silberman, it’s really

about visual splendor and creativity.

It’s time for a reboot ofhow we see the world.

JASON SILVA, Futurist

THREE

MagicThe

Behind Discovery

Wendy Clark, SVP Integrated Marketing at

Coca-Cola, was her sparkling and strategic self,

focusing on the importance of real-time

marketing. “The rush to real-time content

generation isn’t a rush to just more content: It

has to be more good content,” she said.

Via Skype, Clarke brought the entire audience for

her Cannes session to Coke's Consumer

Interaction Center in Rio. Clarke insisted brands

could not afford to ignore the conversation:

"Silence is not an option. In a socially networked

world you are not safe being silent. Your truths

will be filled in for you. You must engage in the

conversation around your brand and your

company."

The need for agility and flexibility was another

core theme. And that speed must trump

perfection. However, Clarke said this was not a

call for more content: “The world doesn’t need

more content, the world needs more good

content. We’ve got to put out work that matters

into this real-time conversation."

In short, the guiding values for Coca-Cola in

real-time marketing are:

Speed trumps perfection.WENDY CLARK, Coca-Cola

Marketing Chief

Silence is not an option – if you don’t

speak someone will for you.

Speed trumps perfection.

Develop new models of working and new

ways of making.

Do work that matters. The world doesn't

need more content, the world needs

more good content.

Learn more, guess less. Measurement is

real-time so we know in real-time when

we haven't succeeded.

Be more open, more transparent, more

real, allow more humanity.

Think like a global newsroom.

FOUR

Real-TimeMarketing

People understand most profoundly through

story. Over thousands of years, this has not

changed. What has, are the tools we employ to

tell our stories. Storytelling was a prominent

theme at the festival. Many high-profile speakers

made storytelling their topic — from celebrities

like Kayne West, Bono, and Spike Jonze to brand

storytellers like BBH’s Sir John Hegarty,

SapientNitro’s Gaston Legorburu, and Twitter’s

Joel Lunefeld.

Twitter’s session on storytelling focused on the

beauty of the live nature of its platform to create,

share and experience stories. With the

increasingly real-time nature of creativity, it is

essential for brands to listen to and learn from

consumers. Joel Lunefeld suggested, “We’re set up

like classical orchestras but we should be like jazz

players and riff off each other to improve ideas.”

During Twitter’s live session, President of the Art

Director’s Club, Ignacio Oreamuno, illustrated

the power and importance of social listening.

He referenced a thought-provoking campaign

for charity: Water is Life. The video features

Haitian children and adults reading “the everyday

gripes and minor irritations first-world citizens

post on Twitter with the popular hashtag

#FirstWorldProblems”.

Not only do we need good stories, we need new

and interesting ways to tell them. A Grand Prix

awarded content-driven campaign ‘Cultivate a

Better World’ from Chipotle tells a compelling

story of the brand’s journey to create a

sustainable future. The brand takes on big food

issues in order to highlight its own sustainability

sourced brand ethos. The campaign launched on

YouTube, as well as an interactive game and

mobile coupon to drive consumers to Chipotle

restaurants. It was the storytelling that made

this campaign stand out. Through the art of

gamification, the content was entertaining,

memorable and share-worthy.

FIVE

Storytelling

The intersection between linear storytelling and social

engagement is the next big thing.

JEFFREY KATZENBERG,

CEO DreamWorks Animation

We believe that every company, every brand and

every executive has a story to tell. And really,

what’s a compelling story without the right

audience to share it with? Liberty & Co. is a

strategic communications consultancy dedicated

to elevating your profile, both corporate and

professional. By crafting impactful stories to

amplify your brand in media, online, and into

conversations, we’re out to win the hearts and

minds of all your reputation stakeholders — your

employees, clients, and the business community.

Nimble and connected, at Liberty & Co. we make

things happen. By leveraging our global expertise

and fingertip-access to the most talented

resources in media, design, and technology,

we ensure your story reaches the right audience.

President of Liberty & Co.

Communications

Shannon Lewis