As the 60th Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity has entered its second day after the opening this Sunday, June 16th, the shortlists in five more categories (Creative Effectiveness, Media, Mobile, Outdoor, PR and Press) have been revealed today, following the announcement of the shortlisted finalists in the Direct, Innovation and Promo & Activation categories. The first winners are to be named tomorrow, on Tuesday, June 18th.
As in the previous 26 years, creative agency Leo Burnett makes a forecast, a so-called Cannes Predictions Reel, known for its high accuracy (90% accurate for the shortlists and about 40%—for the winners).
The 2013 Cannes Predictions features 35 contenders from 10 countries that have submitted their most innovative and thoughtful projects across a range of categories. The selection of the best works has been published on the Leo Burnett’s Cannes Predictions Pinterest page.
Along with the predictions, the agency’s analysts, curated by Global Chief Creative Officer Mark Tutssel, have spotted the following major trends for this year’s Festival.
1. The speed of communications
Creative communications are becoming faster, real-time executions—more significant. With the real-time campaigns, such as Oreo’s “Daily Twist,” Paddy Power’s “Sky Tweets” and Water Is Life’s “HashTag Killer” brands make the most of up-to-the minutee news to enter a larger conversation.
2. Universal, cross-cultural reach
Great and meaningful creative doesn’t have to be «culturally relevant» any more, as it appeals to some universal human values and is beyond cultural peculiarities. Take campaigns like Metro Trains “Dumb Ways To Die” or Dove “Real Beauty Sketches”—is universally comprehensible in any part of the world.
3. Growing importance of earned media
Successful creative is the one that people want to share and talk about. The number of mentions and shares in social media is becoming a new hallmark of success. Such best-in-class works as Red Bull’s “Stratos,” the Victoria “My Blood Is Red and Black” campaign and the Diary of a Call Girl’s “Call Girl” prove the point.
4. Music as a soul of the film
While the visceral emotional connections are built on images, infectious, charming and live music creates a spellbinding, long-lasting, emotional aftertaste when the image is consumed. This year’s best creatives demonstrate the deep understanding of the music art and craft—consider Southern Comfort’s “Whatever’s Comfortable—Beach,” Odetta’s “Hit or Miss” and others.
Besides «The Work» part, all the delegates can attend the Learning sessions—daily seminars chosen by public voting. For those who didn’t make it to the south of France this year, YouTube and Mindshare, the festival’s sponsors, have brought live seminar sessions, directly from the Cannes stage.
The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity is the world’s most prestigious international award in advertising and communications that now in its 60th year gathers together about 11,000 delegates from 90 countries to learn, share knowledge and inspiration, participate in fun networking activities. This year’s festival takes place since June 16 through June 22, 2013. Delegate registration is still open at The Cannes Lions website.