Purpose was once again rightly on the agenda at Cannes Lions, with 66% of Grand Prix or Titanium Award winners containing a purposeful brand action, up 4% from the year before. Despite this, there was perhaps less of the fevered debate of previous festivals about the role of purpose. This year the discussion was about unlocking the value of purpose and the need for it to be part of both the company culture and the marketing mindset.
Ahead of the festival, Unilever was named Cannes Lions Creative Marketer of the Year. As a company that has been very public about the purpose approach for its brands, CMO Esi Eggleston Bracey told the Cannes audience she’d been quizzed heavily about this. She was clear that purpose was still at the core of Unilever’s business and values, but stressed that purpose marketing is not a one-size-fits-all for every brand.
In the conference sessions, standouts for me were Inclusive and Sustainable Business Impact: Unlocking Possibilities in a Changing Climate, bestselling author Deepak Chora’s session looking at the intersection of neuroscience, creativity, and artificial intelligence, and the Unstereotype Alliance’s session on the business case for inclusion, featuring Mars and Diageo.
The importance of inclusion was a particularly notable talking point at Cannes
From how the diverse AI experts threatening the future of creators still need to be represented, to the importance of inclusion in business growth. Here, the Unstereotype Alliance used a great phrase: ‘Inclusion = income’. Having just released a new report with Oxford Saïd Business School and four of its coalition members, the organisation proved that progressive ad campaigns deliver a direct sales uplift, in both the long and short term.
We even saw this through some great examples in this year’s Cannes winners, such as Nurofen’s gender pain gap campaign, with Nurofen sharing that the campaign leaning in on one core audience through inclusion does not have to come at the detriment of others. And Pedigree’s ‘Adoptable’. Its AI model transforming amateur photos of shelter dogs into dynamic, ‘live’ representations is incredibly impressive — a technique which doesn’t change an existing sales-driving ad campaign.
Elsewhere sustainability was less high on the Cannes agenda, with only two out of 32 Grand Prix winners focused on sustainability and climate change. Is this green-hushing playing out, with brands having had their fingers burned creating fear around how to communicate on sustainability?
Striking the balance between credibility and creativity is both a science and an art. So while there is rightly a greater focus on the business results of purpose campaigns, measuring the impact on people and planet is often still sorely lacking. Cannes Lions actually organised a whole session on how to win a Sustainable Development Goals Lion, where the criteria is judged 40% on impact. So while Coca-Cola must be congratulated for winning the Grand Prix in Print & Publishing for its ‘Recycle Me’ campaign, the narrative from the brand speaks to consumer action versus what the brand is doing.
Since it’s a recent launch it remains to be seen if the campaign is driving behaviour change and positive impact.
The other Grand Prix sustainability winner was Philips ‘Refurb: Better than New. It succeeded in driving real distinctiveness by looking at the issue through the lens of their brands and products.
This winner saw a range of refurbished and returned products completely sell out and avoided 185 tonnes of e-waste.
Either way, the purpose winners at Cannes have realised that purpose is not only the right thing for brands to do, but is actually another tool in the marketers’ toolbox towards great creativity and measurable value.
Featured image: Diane Picchiottino / Unsplash