We are back from this year’s Cannes Lions and ready to share some memories, while they are still fresh! In Cannes, we were part of BWLions, the official representatives of Baden-Württemberg, the state where our Mannheim studio is based. We spent all week with our nine fellow delegates, learning about our pre-picked individual subjects and meeting new people.
Inhaltsverzeichnis:
And the BW Lions Award for Roaring Human(ized) Conversation goes to….
Each representative awarded their personal “BW Lions Award” in a particular category. Our category was “Human(ized) Conversation”. Our BW Lion Award for roaring Human(ized) Conversation went to Pernod Ricard for their fun use of IoT to target specific groups, their model of testing “pilot mindsets” & their work with chatbots. We thought them worthy of the prize because they have understood the importance of a clear goal, purpose and problem definition while trying to get to know their multiple target groups interacting with their products on multiple platforms.
The decision was not easy! The prize could have gone to many contenders because, in a multi-screen world in which people are bombarded with many messages from competing senders, the recurrent question at this year’s Cannes Lions is how to get your customers to listen to or even notice your brand. The suggested answers were diverse.
A solution for micro-attention span: many answers to one question
One solution praised over and over again is STORYTELLING. The adjectives of storytelling highlighted in the sessions varied: next-gen, modern, conversational, digital/human, and multi-platform to just name a few. Storytelling was then proclaimed dead and to be replaced by Storymaking in a different session. Another suggested answer to the question was to utilize (BIG)DATA, while other sessions recommend throwing all that collected (big)data into the bin because the answer to our question lies in understanding human biology, biochemistry and neurology.
But no matter what the answer is… or to rephrase: no matter what answer/method you choose, the common understanding is that our world requires humanized conversations. Because these types of conversations are always based on good ideas relevant to the people, who they have been created for. Ideas that allow interaction from a target group that the sender has at least tried to understand.
If you haven’t gotten started on the subject you better get going. It seems we (humans) have been surpassed by the goldfish when it comes to our attention span. While goldfish have 9 seconds, we have measly 8 seconds.
24/7
During the meet-up for leaders of independent creative businesses. 30 minutes packed with many tips and solutions.
Our days were packed with many workshops and sessions but when the Palais grows quiet, the beaches come alive. There is something about the climate that keeps people in a cheerful, open mood and easy to connect with. Some might say it is because of the Rosé but I am putting my bet on the beautiful surrounding and the climate.
While every evening was packed with multiple parties at which you could connect and network by shouting over the DJ’s “massive set” the festival offered ways to have great conversations with interesting people: Braindates, a format developed by e180 labs. There is something about the time restraint of 30 minutes, an agenda and two individuals (one eager to share the other eager to learn) that just makes those dates very effective and fun.
Various moderated thematic meetups were also held throughout the day, helping you connect with like-minded people or people who are simply dealing with the same challenges. The format surprised me with its effectiveness and the good conversations it produced.
Up next: decompression time & Cannes Lions Reports
Now that the whirlwind week is over preparations for the Cannes Lions Reports start, the first one happening in just three weeks. If you are eager to find out more about our findings in Cannes join us for the reports in Stuttgart, Mannheim or Karlsruhe.
Cannes Lions Report, Stuttgart
Thu, 20. Juli 2017, 18.30 – 22.30 Uhr
Hospitalhof (Büchsenstraße 33, Stuttgart)
Cannes Lions Report, Mannheim
Wed, 20. September 2017, 18.30 – 22.30 Uhr
C-Hub (Hafenstraße 25, Mannheim)
Cannes Lions Report, Karlsruhe
Wed, 8. November 2017, 18:30 Uhr – 22:00 Uhr
Perfekt Futur (Alter Schlachthof 39, Karlsruhe)
