What is Cannesxiety and other musings from day one at Cannes Lions

It's 9 AM and I find myself right in front of the red carpet. A white flag with the Lion emblem waves in the sky. A banner reads, 'This is history in the making.'

Hell yes, I'm at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, representing India in the 'See It Be It 2023' Cohort.

This blog is a recollection of everything I've picked up in the last eight hours - things I overheard, intentionally listened in to, and everything in between.

One of the first words that got added to my vocabulary was 'Cannesxiety!'

Usage: 'Oh my god! The shortlists are out and I'm feeling massive cannesxiety.'

It's true. Since 70 years (yes, since 1954) the global benchmark of creativity has been set within the walls of these Palais'. This year, the festival revealed a total of 26,992 entries 😱😱 - the competition is cut throat - the Cannesxiety is real. But when it's channelled in the right direction, it turns into world class work that we live and breathe for.

World Class work that questions why 'player one is always size zero,' an introspective campaign with a new take on gaming by Dove. Yes, this is also the year when the festival organisers introduced the Entertainment Lions for Gaming - an instant hit that received over 600 submissions; that shows the power of the gaming industry.

World-class work like the Bread of the Nation, or a genius hack like the 'Dashboard Billboard' by Skoda - a billboard that was designed to be seen in a dashboard within parking lots, or the incredibly human use of AI with 'bAIgrapher' that helps those diagnosed with Alzheimer's connect with their past, or 'Heinekicks' - where Heineken brilliantly tapped into sneaker culture and injected soles with beer. What!

And within all this, it was a moment of pride to see Talented's 'Why is this a Swiggy ad' and 'Or travel on Cleartrip' in the mix, in our very first year - as they raked up seven shortlists. I've seen the creative teams behind these pieces of work put in everything they had, to make this work shine - and shine it does.

In one of our sessions, Madonna Badger (Badger Agency and Creator of Women not Objects) - said something that will forever stay with me - "The best work resides within us. And so we need to treat ourselves with all the care we can. Eat the most nourishing food, spend time with family, get sleep, exercise." It's easy to forget that in our industry. We get wired, overwork ourselves, eat emotionally, smoke to bust stress. We all smiled sheepishly as she said this, including her.

Halle Berry was in the house, and that session was packed with a beeline of folks (like me) who wanted to breathe in the same air as her. But in the crowd, I picked up an interesting conversation, as a creative quoted Andre Gray (CCO, Havas' Annes88) and said, "I learnt something new today - we've heard enough about product placement. But conversation placement is the future. Instead of infiltrating our entertainment with products we want to buy, maybe brands can sell products by contributing to cultural conversations. Not by only placing a product, but also placing conversations that chip away at larger systemic issues." That's some food for thought.

A day at Cannes Lions cannot end without celebrating the work. These gold winners struck gold with their insights, ideas and execution. The Pharma Lion winners showed that the world doesn't just need more female creatives, but also more female trees - 'Diversitree' was a standout. As was 'The Most Beautiful Sound' that helped cancer patients hear a cancer cell dying. Or 'Scrolling Therapy' that turned social media behaviour into exercise for Parkinsons. Dove continued to fight against cultural standards of beautyism with 'Cost of beauty.'

The incredible Print and Publishing winners - 'Prêt à Voter' - a campaign that drove legislative change. And 'We didn't write this campaign' by Not Milk that turned big diary's lawsuits against it into a print ad. (Mind blown!)

And the best use of audio - 'Missing Matoaka' - that rewrote the story of Pocahontas from an indigenous perspective. The Outdoor Lions recognised Lacoste's 'Socks and Sandals' with a Gold. 'Rethink' for Heinz was genius in simplicity. And 'Fitchix' - that printed the stepcount of the hen on the egg. 'The Last Photo' has many wins ahead of it (I hope) - an overwhelming and important campaign that raised awareness about suicide and mental health - that lifted its first gold. The Grand Prix for Outdoor went to my favourite 'A British Original' by British Airways.

There's so much more to see and love - make sure to love the work or love the work more 😉

I'll be back again tomorrow with more overheards, intently heards and words that will be forever etched in my mind.

Until then, feel the Cannesxiety and here's hoping that India roars the loudest.

(Our guest author is a founding member and creative, Talented.)