A Tale of Two Cannes -- Actually Three Cannes

Let39s look at the multiple personalities of Cannes amp8211 it is Mount Olympus Yalta the Super Bowl and so much moreMount Olympus In my very first blog seven or eight years ago I described Cannes as a place where amp8220Mere Mortals Can Interact With Godsamp8221 Looking around this year it was impossible to miss the superstars of our industry today folks like Sheryl Sandberg Dick Costolo Ben Silbermann John Wren Sir Martin Sorrell Maurice Levy Michael Roth Tim Andree Bill Koenigsberg Miles Nadal Sir John Hegarty Ben Horowitz Ron Conway Nikesh Arora Keith Weed Marc Pritchard Wendy Clark Irwin Gotlieb Andrew Robertson Daryl Simm Laura Desmond Steve King Jerry Buhlmann Todd Pendleton Dana Anderson John Costello Kevin Burke Anne Finucane Salmin Amin and Frank Cooper to name a few Let39s not forget the entertainment bold face names Jeffrey Katzenberg Ari Emanuel Bono Jared Leto Spike Jonze Kanye and Kim and Kris Jenner Courtney Love there was even a Springsteen sightingThese folks are there as much to present as they are to learn This happens directly and indirectly at the inPalais thought leadership sessions they anchor and at the social gatherings they attendThe only thing they canamp8217t get vs the hoi polloi is better service on the Carlton Terrace In France all are created equal when it comes to table service What draws such a diverse array of notables Creativity truly serves as the glue of the festival and allows for continued growth while retaining a common core As the number of Lions awards categories increases or the population of mediatechnologydata vendors expands that expansion is anchored in the creative work that drives engagement Whether itamp8217s the right time right device or right audience it starts with the right messageamp160Yalta In a place that attracts so many luminaries and puts them on an equal playing field while their work on behalf of clients is going headtohead you could see a battle royale Instead you have mutual respect and even damp233tenteThat is because Cannes fosters a strong sense of community and connection amongst its attendees I thought about using the word amp8220celebrationamp8221 here but that would minimize the importance of this aspect of the Festival Cannes is Switzerland well almostThe clearest example of this was the Viacom dinner on Thursday evening hosted by Philippe Dauman which brought together every Agency Holding Company CEO not only at one event but at the same table Truly remarkable Sir Martin even opened up his main stage debate with a picture from the eventThis was the first time since the conscious uncoupling of PublicisOmnicom that Maurice Levy and John Wren saw each other and they greeted each other with a hug and pleasant conversation including a good joke or twoThe Super Bowl Weamp8217re an industry about awareness and engagement In a world where amp8220everything is contentamp8221 one of the refrains for the week marketing is getting closer to show business than everCannes like the Super Bowl is where the marketing takes over the content It is a place for advertisers to make their statements and trumpet their messageAnd lest we forget this content is in pursuit of commerce the notion of amp8220Cannes as a Marketplaceamp8221 continues to expand Admittedly or not the Festival has always been an epicenter for recruiting talent Today just walk along the Marina or the Croisette and you can see for yourself the cavalcade of mediatechnology companies in attendanceBloomberg News observed that the trend amp8220was more evident this year than ever when companies such as Google Facebook and Microsoft spent the week pitching advertisers amp8230 Smaller independent ad technology companies entertained prospective clients with dinners drinks and parties on yachts in Cannesamp8217 harbor while venture capitalists and bankers prowled the town on the lookout for potential investment opportunitiesamp8221Cannes can be these three personalities and many more because itamp8217s a unique event in that its evolution reflects the industry today The Festival attracts everincreasing constituencies and with this expansion it demands more of its participants For an industry focused on innovation and engagement in an ever more fragmented world the event is a mirror to what marketers deal with every dayIntegration isnamp8217t a buzzword itamp8217s a reality If the goal is celebrating excellence in an industry that is often described as a mix of amp8220art and scienceamp8221 or amp8220psychology and businessamp8221 then weaving together the solutions offered by the many constituencies becomes table stakes in the game of successThatamp8217s what we heard time and time again in the MediaLink Daily Dose sessions featuring industry luminaries such as Tony Weisman CEO of Digitas North America Keith Weed CMO of Unilever Ben Silbermann CEO of Pinterest and Bonin Bough VP of Global Media and Consumer Engagement at Mondelez This was echoed in panel sessions by the leadership of companies such as SalesforceExactTarget Ace Metrix Return Path Simulmedia Vibrant Outbrain Collective Digital Studio Popsugar Talenthouse trueX Zonza Deep Focus VEVO ZEFR Maker Studios and Unified SocialItamp8217s why the major publishers Conde Nast Time Inc The New York Times The Guardian The New York Post Hearst and of course Adweek and Ad Age all show up in forceItamp8217s not enough to educate One has to activateIntegration is exactly that not doing something for its own sake but utilizing different factors in pursuit of a goal business or personal And itamp8217s the difference in work done with meaning and purpose that which is rewarded even if not awardedIt reminds me of a beautiful sentiment from novelist John Fowles in his postmodern classic The Magus amp8220He had the charm of all people who believe implicitly in themselves that of integrationamp8221Hmmmmamp8230this gives me a good idea for a business The opinions and points of view expressed in this commentary are exclusively the views of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaBizBloggerscom management or associated bloggers MediaBizBloggers is an open thought leadership platform and readers may share their comments and opinions in response to all commentaries

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A Tale of Two Cannes -- Actually Three Cannes

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Michael Kassan

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A Tale of Two Cannes -- Actually Three Cannes

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