Cannes Launches Committee to Shape Festival Future

After Publicis Groupe saying this week that they would not be entering work from any of their agencies at next year's Cannes Lions festival and Sir Martin Sorrell, CEO of WPP, then implying, at a talk held by the Financial Times, that his network might reconsider its approach to the event, Ascential, the company which owns the Cannes Lions, has announced that is will launch an advisory committee "to help shape the future of the festival".

Arthur Sadoun, chief executive of Publicis Groupe [below], announced earlier this week that Publicis would not be entering any award shows, including Cannes Lions 2018, for 12 months while they concentrate on financing a new AI project called Marcel, which aims to connect the group's 80,00 employees from 130 countries enabling better pan-global creative partnerships. 

The announcement shocked the industry, and some of the network's staff who had been unaware of the plan before it was announced. While the official reason for Publicis Groupe's withdrawal was to siphon the large financial outlay of entering Cannes and other shows, WPP's Sorrell [below] was more forthright in his opinions about the festival's shortcomings. 

"There have been a lot of discussions this week about the structure of the Festival, and we want to create the right Cannes Lions experience for all participants." Philip Thomas

Speaking at the Financial Times event on Tuesday he stated that the Lions had become "too bold and too brash" and “too much of a money making exercise”, going on to criticise the fact that the festival continued to be held in Cannes. "Cannes in June is not the cheapest place in the world to be," he said, saying that other locations might be "more accessible" such as New York, London or Paris.

In a separate seminar event at the festival, where Sorrell was in conversation with Ron Howard and Robert Craft, Sorrell went on to say that he didn't think Publicis' all-out boycott of the festival was the right approach, saying he didn't think a boycott was "the right way to do it", adding, "The reason I say that is we know that our people enjoy this and are proud if they win an award and they go on stage. Similarly, clients like it, I would say even love it. By boycotting, what you’re doing is destroying that and I think that’s wrong.”

The Lions festival has met the withdrawal of Publicis and the criticism of WPP's CEO head on by announcing that they will examine how the festival can take on board the comments and improve. The planned advisory committee has already seen commitments to be involved received from Marc Pritchard, chief brand officer of Procter & Gamble; Keith Weed, chief marketing and communications officer, Unilever; Fernando Machado, head of brand marketing, Burger King; Fiona Carter, chief brand officer, AT&T and Jan Derck van Karnebeek, chief commercial officer at Heineken, with more members to be announced soon.

Philip Thomas [above], CEO of Ascential Events, organisers of Cannes Lions said; “As well as clients who have offered to help shape the future of the festival, we will – as usual – consult with all global creative leaders, heads of holding companies and other major partners. There have been a lot of discussions this week about the structure of the Festival, and we want to create the right Cannes Lions experience for all participants. The thing that unites them all is their belief in creativity as a powerful force in the world, and this is at the heart of everything we do.”

The future size, shape and overarching approach of the Cannes Lions looks set to be an ongoing discussion which could see fundamental shifts in the industry's largest and most prestigious event.