Togetherness is high on both the cultural and commercial agenda as businesses and brands come together to ‘partner’ the Olympic Games. Just how these partnerships will play out come the middle of August is anybody’s guess. But if profile has been raised and sales figures have increased then this association has served its purpose. Short-term partnerships are popular branding exercises to create excitement and exposure. But ultimately so is building long-term value and finding the right brand fit to maximise this is not always easy.

The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, the largest and most prestigious annual awards in the advertising industry, culminated on Saturday, June 23, after announcing all winners in 15 categories. Traditionally, the festival is not only the platform for celebrating achievements in the industry for the past twelve months, but also a space where creative professionals come to debate, learn and get inspired via numerous creative exhibitions, seminars, screenings and workshops for both experts and emerging professionals.

The fashion giant Prada has recently teamed up with artist and designer Vahram Muratyan to create an unparallel presentation of the new items of the brand’s latest collection. The fashion house unveiled a series of animated pictures by Muratyan, in which accessories got integrated into the everyday environment in a totally unexpected way. The ‘Parallel Universes’ experience has been taken to the official Prada website, where images can be views and shared via social media by clicking on the buttons.