Ever since it was re-branded as the 'Creativity Conference', opening the doors for more than just advertisers, The Cannes Lions (colloquially referred to as “The Academy Awards of the advertising world) has gone from strength to strength, year after year. At this year's festival, which kicked off yesterday and continues through until Sunday, the bar is set to be raised once again with planned appearances by such names as Bono, Ralph Fiennes, Jared Leto, Game of Thrones creator, David Benioff, director, Spike Jonze and Kayne West, arguably one of the most famous faces on planet earth right now.
There are planned appearances by such names as Bono, Ralph Fiennes, Jared Leto, Game of Thrones creator, David Benioff, director, Spike Jonze and Kayne West
Though initially solely focused on the world of advertising, the festival has expanded in recent years to explore creative content creation and branding. The various assorted celebrities are not there to push themselves or their work, but their brands. Bono, for example, will be discussing his (RED) brand, a charity brand that has raised over $250 million for the Global AIDS Fund, in partnership with corporate giants such as Coca-Cola and Apple. As well as the glittery celebrity speakers, executives from YouTube, Vice Media and Maker Studios will be discussing the increasingly blurred lines between entertainment and advertising and how brands can monetize online content. There will also be talks from Yahoo's Marissa Mayer and Sheryl Sandberg from Facebook.
Kayne West, who will appear at Cannes Lions this afternoon
The theme behind this year's festival is 'Storytelling', with talks from some of the world's leading storytellers, such as The West Wing's Aaron Sorkin and Dreamworks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg, who will be talking about crafting tales in order to move people and using digital storytelling to engage with consumers. West, who has been announced as a surprise last-minute addition to the festival, will be speaking this afternoon at a seminar dubbed “Translation: Technology, Culture and Consumer Adoption: Learning to Read the Cultural Landscape.” The multi-platinum recording artist and venture capitalist will be focusing on how he grew his brand to a global scale.
There were over 1,400 entries to the Lions Health Awards, which resulted in 55 awards; a total of 2 Grand prix awards, 8 Gold, 19 Silver and 26 Bronze
In other Cannes Lions news, the winers of the inaugural Lions Health awards for creative excellence in healthcare communications, were announced yesterday. There were over 1,400 entries, which resulted in 55 awards; a total of 2 Grand prix awards, 8 Gold, 19 Silver and 26 Bronze. The first ever Health & Wellness Grand prix went to Dentsu Nagoya from Japan, for their 'Mother Book' entry for the Kishokai Medical Corporation. The United Nations Foundation Grand Prix for Good, meanwhile, which recognises the best entry for non-for-profit clients, went to Leo Burnett Colombia for their 'Cancer tweets' work for the League Against Cancer. Brazil walked away with the most trophies, closely followed by the UK and Australia. The full list of winners can be found in the link below.
Lions Health 2014 Full Winners List
Official Cannes Lions 2014 Website
Benjamin Hiorns is a freelance writer and musician from the UK who is completely baffled by the cultural phenomenon that is Kanye West. Everyone knows he's a gay fish anyway!
