A consumer perspective on the Cannes Lion 2017 winners

1. w
CONSUMER
TRENDS AT
CANNES LIONS 2017

2. CANNES LIONS 2017 2
This year’s Cannes Lions was populated by campaigns looking to offer a
helping hand with life’s difficult moments, grab people’s attention with
subtle shock tactics and hijack platforms to speak to people
via the mediums they’re most familiar with.
Discover 10 behaviours that ran through this year’s winning campaigns.
A consumer perspective on the Cannes Lions 2017 winners

3. CANNES LIONS 2017 3
1. HELPING HANDS
Life is complicated; brands are helping out at tricky times
As our life stories become less predictable – think ‘beta marriage’, ‘partnered
parenting’ and ‘divorce parties’ – brands are rethinking the ways in which they
can play a relevant role. Rather than depicting glossy perfectionism, it’s about
truly understanding that life isn’t always sunny.
OF BOOMERS WORRY
ABOUT JUGGLING
RESPONSIBILITIES
Senior Helpers, 2017
60%

4. CANNES LIONS 2017 4
1. HELPING HANDS
Three winners that help navigate ‘milestone moments’
CHILD REPLACEMENT
Offering a helping hand to empty
nesters, the campaign matched the
characteristics of people’s children
with pooches waiting to be adopted.
MOTOR DREAMS
Knowing that car rides can get little
ones to nod off, Ford Motors made
a crib that simulates the sound and
movement of its new MAX model.
HANDLE WITH CARE
Using the Gillette TREO Razor – a
product specifically designed for
assisted shaving – the son helps
his dad maintain a sense of pride.
Procter & Gamble | Grey, New York Ford | GTB Argentina Mars NZ | Colenso BBDO

5. CANNES LIONS 2017 5
2. QUICK THINKING
Brands are creating content in real time
Compromise isn’t an option, and brands are responding to diva-like
behaviour by generating ads and campaigns in real time. Whether that’s
using artificial intelligence to troll people on social media or offering
cheaper chocolate when the internet is angry.
EXPECT COMPANIES TO
RESPOND WITHIN AN
HOUR ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Altitude Software, 2016
47%

6. CANNES LIONS 2017 6
2. QUICK THINKING
Three winners that delivered immediacy
M LIVE
By tracking geo-tagged posts on
social media, Marriott jumped on
real-time opportunities to give back
to guests staying at its hotels.
AIMEN
The main character of a new TV
show – The Young Pope – trolled
people with verses from the Bible
to put them in their righteous place.
SNICKERS HUNGERITHM
By analysing social media posts, the
algorithm gauged the mood of the
internet and changed the price of
Snickers bars in 7-Eleven stores.
Mars | Clemenger BBDO Melbourne Canal+ | BETC Paris Marriott International | HYP3R

7. CANNES LIONS 2017 7
3. PLOT TWISTS
Brands are revealing hidden truths
Using misleading narratives to reveal hard-hitting hidden truths was a
recurring theme. By highlighting people’s naivety to these problems, it’s
prompting deeper discussion about real-world issues. Whether that’s
drawing attention to alcoholism, gun crime or domestic abuse.
IS ONE OF THE TOP
THREE EMOTIONS VITAL
IN VIRAL CONTENT
Frac.tl, 2016
SURPRISE

8. CANNES LIONS 2017 8
Three winners that perfect the art of storytelling
LOVE SONG BY A MURDERER
Peruvian musician Diego Dibos
released a popular love song that,
unbeknown to fans, was taken from
a man’s apology for killing his wife.
EVAN
The ad seems to tell the story of a
high-school romance, but it rewinds
to make a disturbing revelation –
a student was planning a shooting.
LIKE MY ADDICTION
This campaign created a fake
Instagram account for influencer
Louise Delage, with almost every
picture featuring an alcoholic drink.
Addict’Aide | BETC Paris Sandy Hook Promise | BBDO New York Vida Mujer Organization | Circus Grey Peru
3. PLOT TWISTS

9. CANNES LIONS 2017 9
Brands are hijacking current infrastructures
Brands are hijacking current infrastructures in a bid generate maximum
impact with minimum spend. Whether that’s hijacking home tech devices
to promote fast food or using Google Adwords to commandeer the most
expensive space for free.
EXPECT CONTENT TO
ENTERTAIN AND OFFER
AN EXPERIENCE
Havas Group, 2017
84%
4. AD APPROPRIATION

10. CANNES LIONS 2017 10
Three winners that hijack to grab attention
INNOVATION SAVING
By using key words and tagging to
dodge the costs, this campaign
about ‘Super’ bowls proved more
relevant than real Super Bowl ones.
I’M MOVING TO CANADA
This ad used Google Adwords to
hijack searches about moving
to Canada and direct Americans
towards the plight of real refugees.
GOOGLE HOME OF THE WHOPPER
Prompted by the phrase “OK, Google,
what is the Whopper Burger?”, any
tech in earshot started reading aloud
from the burger’s Wikipedia page.
Burger King | David Miami Doctors of the World | Publicis New York jet.com | R/GA
4. AD APPROPRIATION

11. CANNES LIONS 2017 11
5. DOUBLE TAKE
Brands are getting people to look twice
In a bid to highlight real-world issues, Cannes Lions 2017 saw brands adopt
subtle shock tactics, with campaigns that appear more than what meets the
eye. By encouraging deeper discussion about issues, they’re making people
feel uncomfortable about harsh realities.
GLOBAL AD BLOCKER
USE GREW BY 30%
IN 2016
Page Fair, 2017

12. CANNES LIONS 2017 12
Three winners that make you feel uncomfortable
MY NEIGHBOURHOOD
To help the nation empathise, a
children’s book was created using
kid’s real-life experiences of drug
abuse, violence and hunger.
OPEN YOUR EYES
With shocking visuals, this campaign
encouraged people to educate
themselves about the cruel tradition
of female genital mutilation (FGM).
Terres des Femmes | GREY German Youth Ambassadors | VML
5. DOUBLE TAKE
MEET GRAHAM
Graham is the only human designed
to survive a car crash. His shocking
features encourage people to think
deeper about their vulnerability.
TAC Victoria | Clemenger BBDO Melbourne

13. CANNES LIONS 2017 13
6. EVERYDAY AID
Brands are offering support through familiar totems
People interact with about 140 objects every day, but we often don’t give a
second thought about how their functionality can go beyond its everyday
use. Now, brands are using common totems to offer people support, improve
their quality of life and turn the mundane into superheroes.
OF PEOPLE WANT
BRANDS TO CONTRIBUTE
TO THEIR WELLBEING
Havas, 2017
75%

14. CANNES LIONS 2017 14
6. EVERYDAY AID
Three winners that are giving the everyday more meaning
CARE COUNTS
By installing free washers and
dryers in schools, this campaign
gave kids clean clothes and, as a
result, boosted their attendance.
SAVLON HEALTHY HANDS
In rural India, children often get sick
from poor hygiene. This campaign
infused chalk - a common play tool -
with soap to help clean kids’ hands.
COINS OF HOPE
To mark International Missing
Children’s Day, this campaign
circulated 1 million €2 coins etched
with the faces of missing children.
ITC Savlon | Ogilvy & Mather Mumbai Whirlpool | DigitasLBIChild Focus | These Days - Wunderman

15. CANNES LIONS 2017 15
7. TRASH TO TREASURE
Helping people make the most of what they haven’t got
Treasuring is becoming the new materialism, as people are buying into
products that can last a lifetime. With sustainability a staple in diets and
wardrobes alike, people are on a mission to make the most of what they’ve
got. Brands are helping people turn what seems like nothing into something.
“UPCYCLED” PRODUCTS
ON ETSY INCREASED
FROM 7,900 IN 2010
TO 200,000 IN JAN 2017
Etsy

16. CANNES LIONS 2017 16
7. TRASH TO TREASURE
Three winners that turned nothing into something
ORIGINAL IS NEVER FINISHED
In a bid to resonate with younger
audiences, this campaign
modernised Frank Sinatra’s ‘My Way’
with help from modern-day artists.
ASH TO ART
Following a fire at The Glasgow
School of Art, this campaign created
– and then auctioned off – pieces of
immortal art made from the debris.
THE UNUSUAL FOOTBALL FIELD
This campaign turned derelict areas
of land into asymmetrical football
pitches to make the most of the
city’s limited free space.
The Glasgow School of Art | JWT Adidas Original | Johannes LeonardoAP (Thailand) | CJ Worx
Sharon Liu

17. CANNES LIONS 2017 17
8. FIGHTING BACK
People are sticking two fingers up at oppressors
From the 200,000 people who deleted their Uber account in moral outrage,
to the millions that marched against Trump’s inauguration, people are
becoming increasingly vocal about their beliefs. And brands are becoming
equally as outspoken by not just advocating for change but by fighting it, too. Edelman, 2017
OF PEOPLE WANT
BRANDS TO INFLUENCE
SOCIAL ISSUES
68%

18. CANNES LIONS 2017 18
8. FIGHTING BACK
Three winners that helped make a difference
BOOST YOUR VOICE
Boost Mobile morphed its stores
into polling stations during the 2016
US Presidential Election to try to
make voting more convenient.
REWORD
In a bid to eradicate bullying
behaviour online, this campaign
created a Google Chrome extension
to strike through negative words.
FEARLESS GIRL
To raise awareness around the lack
of women in leadership roles, a
statue of a defiant young girl stared
down Wall Street’s Charging Bull.
SSGA | McCann New York Headspace | Leo Burnett Melbourne Boost Mobile | 180LA
Anthony Quintano

19. CANNES LIONS 2017 19
9. MEMEFIED MEDIA
Brands are sending us funny, familiar messages
From grumpy cat to side-eyeing Chloe, memes strike a common chord in
pop culture and, thanks to social media, they’re becoming ubiquitous. Taking
note of this phenomena, brands are peppering quick wit throughout their
campaigns and making online chatter their own in a bid to engage audiences.
IN 2016, GOOGLE
SEARCHES FOR ‘MEMES’
OVERTOOK SEARCHES
FOR ‘JESUS’
Google Trends

20. CANNES LIONS 2017 20
9. MEMEFIED MEDIA
Three winners that played people at their own game
ULTIMATE GIVING PLEASURE
After people heard of a free toll
booth reserved for BMW drivers,
the campaign made printable
stickers so everyone could benefit.
CHEETOS MUSEUM
Cheetos rewarded its fans with a
cash prize for submitting uniquely-
shaped Cheetos and created a real-
world museum of the entries.
SPANISH LESSONS
Narcos noticed its fans chatting on
Twitter about how the show was
helping them learn Spanish, so it
made some spoof lessons for fans.
Netflix | Alma DDB Cheetos | Goodby Silverstein & Partners BMW Russia | FCB Moscow

21. CANNES LIONS 2017 21
10. EXPERT OPINION
Brands are using voices we can relate to
Between the spread of fake news and the revelation of ‘dark advertising’,
we’re entering a post-trust era, leaving the hard facts and figures gathering
dust. With people’s trust in the media, the government and even scientists
dwindling, brands are using the ‘experts’ their audiences can relate to best.
OF PEOPLE TRUST NEWS
SHARED BY FRIENDS;
65% TRUST ACADEMICS
Edelmen, 2016
78%

22. CANNES LIONS 2017 22
10. EXPERT OPINIONS
Three winners that used the ‘real’ experts
MILK SLAMS
In a bid to make drinking milk cool
for Gen Yers, this ad used a world-
famous slam poet and visual artists
to engage younger audiences.
DOWN SYNDROME ANSWERS
This ad used the top-40 most
Googled questions about Down
Syndrome and got people with
the disability to answer them.
TV DOCTORS OF THE US
Famous TV doctors, from the likes
of Scrubs, were recruited for this
campaign to encourage people to
see their real GP for a check-up.
Cigna | McCann New York Canadian Down Syndrome Society | FCB Fonterra | Colenso BBDO

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