The Lion’s share

As the holder of three monikers within the Publicis Groupe, Bruno Bertelli is a man of many titles. But nowhere near as many as his awards. 

With over 300 trophies to his name (including 143 Cannes Lions) making him not only the most awarded Italian creative in the world, but the most awarded Chief Creative Officer in 2021 – it begs the question: where on earth does he keep them all? 

His mantlepiece must have long since buckled under the weight. The guest loo? A secret lock-up garage? Or has he had them smelted down and turned into the advertising equivalent of the Iron Throne? Sadly, we’ll never know – for along with being one of the most decorated creatives in the business, Bertelli is also one of the hardest to pin down. Having finally managed to carve out half an hour from his hectic schedule, there’s no time to waste on fanciful chatter when weightier matters – such his role as Jury President of the Film Lions at Cannes this year – are on the agenda.     

The Film Lions category is an institution: one of the most pivotal categories of Cannes Lions and a true expression of creativity at its highest level. 

Although it’s not Bertelli’s first rodeo, having helmed the Outdoor Lions judging panel in 2017, he’s far from blasé about his responsibilities. Film, after all, is very close to Bertelli’s heart – in a previous interview with shots, he admitted that if he wasn’t doing his current job, he’d be a filmmaker. 

But on an industry-wide rather than personal level, it’s fair to say the Film Lions retains a unique cachet amidst the festival’s mushrooming categories (the new Entertainment Lions for Gaming brings the total to 30 this year). “The Film Lions category is an institution: one of the most pivotal categories of Cannes Lions and a true expression of creativity at its highest level,” he says.

Bertelli has overseen groundbreaking work for Diesel, including the Go With The Flaw series.

With entries required to “demonstrate brilliant brand storytelling intended for a screen”, the overall criteria remains deceptively simple, but, says Bertelli, “the complexity of the film environment [has] certainly [become] greater: the number of films to be analysed and evaluated will be higher and it will be important to [judge] each film in its own sub-category of reference.” 

As a result, he’ll be directing the jury to laser-focus in on the entry sub-categories, “because on the basis of this, a film can be seen through a different lens and get a different evaluation.” He’s also keenly aware of the numbing effect the hours spent in darkened rooms can have on even the sharpest creative minds – “our brains ‘get used to’ watching films and start losing the high levels of concentration needed to give each piece the attention it deserves” – and as a result, will propose limiting judging sessions to an hour at a time, with regular breaks.  

Our brains ‘get used to’ watching films and start losing the high levels of concentration needed to give each piece the attention it deserves. 

With the methodology sorted, what makes a film Lion-worthy, in his book? For Bertelli, it’s no longer enough that a film combines a blinder of a creative idea with beautiful craft: “Films today are the result and the strongest expression of a brand’s strategic positioning. Therefore, not only is the creative idea very important but also how it corresponds to the positioning of the brand and its tone of voice. The latter must be consistent with how the brand wants to position itself.” 

Bertelli's work for Diesel includes the celebration of the transgender experience, Francesca. 

That consistency of tone is what unifies the award-winning work that Bertelli has overseen for brands as diverse as Netflix Italia, Heineken and Diesel since taking the creative reins at Publicis Italia in 2011. 

2020’s “anti-ad” for Heineken, Daniel Craig vs James Bond, is a prime example – a delicious bottling of the brewer’s ironic, relatable humour and lighthearted approach into a spot that outshone at least one of the more recent Bond films (Quantum of Solace, we’re looking at you) – and was unmistakably Heineken. 

Similarly, Diesel’s creative renaissance over the past decade owes much to films that express the brand’s anarchic spirit in unexpected and authentic ways – from lauding squints and sticking-out ears in Go With The Flaw, to poking fun at influencers (Be A Follower) and celebrating transgender values in Francesca. 

I think we will encounter a shift towards purpose being expressed through a more humorous way, a macro-trend that is pervading more and more areas at the moment. 

Consistency of tone of voice is key for success – but so is the ability to read the room and capture the zeitgeist. So what trends are we looking at in film this year? Humour prevailed in 2022, and Bertelli reckons it’s here to stay, as brands look to lighten the collective mood amidst the soaring cost of living and the war in Ukraine. 

“With the situation of uncertainty that the world is experiencing right now, brands’ needs have shifted from delivering brand campaigns to delivering product campaigns,” he says. “I think we will encounter a shift towards purpose being expressed through a more humorous way, a macro-trend that is pervading more and more areas at the moment, and which I think is a response and reaction to the period of instability that we are all going through.”