First top five insights from Cannes Lions 2013

Hi all, Austin here. I’ve just arrived back from an educational and insightful week at Cannes Lions 2013 and I’ve been thinking hard about how to summarise my learnings in just 10 points.

During my time at Cannes Lions, I focused on attending sessions that covered branding and bottom line performance to ensure that Traffic is at the forefront of strategic planning, digital and ROI for all of our clients. Overall, the key message was that TRUST and TRANSPARENCY are the mandatory ingredients for successful brand health and ROI

Here are the first 5 insights that will influence my thinking for the immediate future.

1. BRAND PURPOSE

There has been a significant shift, in the past two years, for big brands to invest significantly in establishing a strong brand direction. All stakeholders need to feel that the brand is working towards something that is actually disruptive and worthwhile.

My take. Every brand, big or small, should contain a brand purpose statement as part of the company values if it is to survive and prosper. We know at Traffic that brand purpose empowers employees and has a positive influence on consumer brand preference, loyalty & ROI.

2. SHAREABILITY (OR ELECTRONIC WORD OF MOUTH)

The power of shareability is staggering once you understand the numbers and the dynamics that make it work. Unilever (until recently, a risk averse company), told us how their online presence was the major contributor to their ROI for two of their most successful brands (DOVE and AXE).

My take. We need to convince all our clients that shareability delivers results if managed correctly. Traffic already have a proven track record in this space and have the creative and production resources ready to scale up.

3. STORYTELLING & CONTENT

Almost every session I attended discussed the power of storytelling and importance of sharing ideas. The best example of the power of storytelling is Facebook – 4 billion videos shared every day. The main reason is trust, an attribute that traditional media is losing.

My take. It’s time to move on from the traditional copy headline, with offer, body copy and layout. Disruption and personalisation is most likely to gain ‘shareability’ and engagement in the coming era of ‘on-demand’ marketing.

4. YOUTUBE DELIVERS BRAND ROI

I never knew that YouTube was so powerful! At Cannes I discovered the power of YouTube and the explosive, exhilarating and contagious attributes that it delivers. Consumers are no longer audiences, they are contributors.

My take. Make YouTube a mandatory inclusion and recommendation in every client presentation to gain experience in effectively managing and leveraging this powerful channel.

5. CONVERGENCE

>All the technological devices and media channels are in the process of integrating and converging. The TV set in the home will soon become the new hub of advertising activity. Increased momentum to ‘crowd gathering’ strategies via omni channel marketing/commerce will allow brands to access the largest global audience in history.

My take. The stored data on each individual will now permit precise targeting and delivery of highly personalised experiences. We must transform our strategic mindsets and budgets to create new customer engagement initiatives across all channels.

To the advertising agencies and digital agencies who are looking to step to the forefront in digital and strategic marketing, my final 5 learnings will follow tomorrow. To business endorsers looking to rebrand, maximise your ROI or pave the way in the marketing industry, visit Our Expertise to find out more.