Walking along the Croisette during the last two days, there has been plenty of evidence that the technology companies take Cannes seriously, says Jacques Massardo.
YouTube, Google and Microsoft have taken over prime real estate on the private beaches. They’ve built mini-villages, real world manifestations of their digital selves, where delegates can hang out, connect and party offline.
The new kids are also here. A giant Snapchat ghost hangs over the entrance to the Palais.
Sean Rad, Tinder CEO and founder, was an early speaker on Sunday. With eight billion matches so far, users spend an average time of 11 minutes a day with the app. Brands are taking note and we’re certain to see more of them using Tinder to woo and ultimately hook up with Generation Y. Goodness knows what this means for brand loyalty.
In another seminar, Billie Whitehouse spoke about her willingness to push her own boundaries to progress from fashion to wearable tech design. For Durex she created ‘Fundawear’, a way for couples to connect even when apart by transferring touch over the internet. More recently for FoxTel, she gave football fans a richer viewing experience, enabling them to feel what the players feel live. Check out ‘Alert Shirt’, it’s from last year but worth a watch if you haven’t yet seen it.
Peter Esperson, head of co-creation at Lego, explained how open culture and crowd wisdom is generating new ideas for Lego sets. Here’s an example, where a bird enthusiast and AFOL (adult fan of Lego) used the online platform, Lego Ideas, to get support for and buy-in for his series of birds… it’s lovely and I wish I’d been given one for Father’s Day.
Then, the guys at Paper explained how they broke the internet with Kim Kardashian’s derriere. And surprise, surprise, though they suspected they might just have created a viral hit, even they weren’t certain.
Intersections between humanity and technology, using creativity to transform our discomfort and uncertainty, the fact that we can never do it alone; these are some of the take-outs so far.
The shortlists for Direct, Promo, Mobile and Press are out, and today they’ll be on display. It’ll be fascinating to see the work and which pieces go on to win.
Ogilvy Cape Town is on the board with shortlists for the Volkswagen ‘Do It Right The First Time’ and Terminal Velocity campaign.
As Cannes continues to fill up with delegates, the anticipation builds.
This blog was first posted by Ogilvy and is republished here with permission.
Follow @jacquesmassardo @ogilvyCT, #OgilvyCannes for regular updates.
