Coming out of two pretty crazy years of organically supplied PUSH | PULL | PILL | PLONK, "push your creativity further" seems like a rather intense instruction coming out of the Cannes Lions 2021 Creativity Report.
Do more? But we're exhausted!
While most of us don't like being told what to do or being handed a ticket card (trello or traffic), PUSH YOUR CREATIVITY FURTHER might be just the ticket indeed. In fact, as creativity is the key to unlock and solve both small and big problems - our lives might just depend on it.
“ The thing is, creativity is needed in all industries. There are creative thinkers in the medical profession, politics, in manufacturing — you name it, and there are some creative minds tackling the biggest challenges of our time" Sarah Malcom, Founder of Quiet Valor and Forbes Agency Council member.
Let's have a look at want else Cannes Lions told us...
In this article we connect on 3 key insights from the Cannes Lions 2021 Creativity Report on how we can push our creativity further. We'll be looking at 3 more insights next week, or to read the full report click on the link above (access is through your Cannes Lions subscription).
1. Future proofing purpose
There was a 61% increase in the 2020/2021 Cannes Lions Purpose driven entries with long term commitment to change as a key theme. Sustainability / responsibility is now on par with emotion in terms of an effective creative strategy in creating real enduring change.
“... we're not going to bore or bully people into making responsible choices; we have to inspire them with beautiful inspiring ideas."
SARAH LEMARIÉ Co-head of strategic planning | Marcel Paris Grand Prix Winner: Carrefour "Act for food". Creative Business Transformation Lions
Moving forward with a clear purpose creates direction and enables us to make choices at each turn with this clear purpose as our traction point or anchor. A clear purpose enables us to clearly communicate it to others and invite them to partner on the journey; linking our purpose with transformation objectives connects us to communities to inspire true creative change at a social level. What project, task or partnership can't be linked to a (small or big) transformation goal - maybe we can just start by just asking the question.
“Nike's Dream Crazy was the next chapter in advertising, helping the industry think about what's possible and redefining the roles brands can play in making a positive dent in the universe..."
ANN MUKHERJEE CEO and CHAIR Pernod Ricard NA Jury Chair Creative Effectiveness Lions
Cannes Lions 2021 take aways from the winning work: AIM TO LEAVE A LEGACY | USE EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE | TREAT PURPOSE-LEAD TRANSFORMATION AS ONGOING | LONG TERM PARTNERSHIPS
Simplicity cuts through
“Simple with the right amount of unforgettable creativity is the holy grail for Apple. Simple is hard.”
TOR MYRHEN Vice President, Marketing Communications | Apple Grand Prix Winner: Carrefour "Act for food". Creative Business Transformation Lions
K.I.S.S. Keep it Simple Stupid was developed as a design principle by the Navy Seals in 1960 (thought to have been coined by Kelly Johnson, who was the lead engineer at the Lockheed Skunk Works) and considering the complex, busy lives we lead, bringing ideas, communication and processes to their simplest form feels just right [read Futureboard.online article "If it's too hard, make it easier"]. And when we experience more value, engagement and output from making things simpler, it makes the time to consider what can be condensed, cut-down, edited, and then re-edited that much more meaningful. Where and to what can we apply this principle to in our daily lives? Less is more.
2020-2021 Lion winners showed us how to cut through by keeping it simple. The insights from Kantar's Link database showed that the more messages we try to communicate, the less chance there is of a single message getting through. Brands like Cheetos, German Rail, Pernod Ricard and Womaninkin excelled, demonstrating the following key take aways:
Cannes Lions 2021 take aways from the winning work:
TURN A FLAW INTO A FEATURE | MAKE THE MUNDANE MEANINGFUL | SUPER_CHARGE SIMPLICITY WITH EMOTION | DON'T OVER THINK - SIMPLIFY
Applying enviro-mentality
42% of the work entered in to the Design Lions was geared towards environmental problem solving. The two Grands Prix were about practical solutions to address different aspects of climate change: one addressing the fashion industry's sustainability crisis; and the other addressing our over-reliance on plastic packaging. 'address pollution.org' reframed pollution statistics as a harmful threat, not only to our health, but also to our wealth, by linking it to housing prices. And Doconomy 2030 Calculator armed consumers with information to make more responsible purchasing decisions. The tool took the Grand Prix in the Sustainable Development Goals Lions.
“In 2021, 'reduce, reuse, recycle' is not enough. We have to rethink, repurpose, reinvent and reimagine. The stakes are high, which means the creative bar for creative solutions is higher than ever. As we tackle a host of new hot-button issues such as climate justice, fair trade, carbon impact and social equity, we need to operate with an enviro-mentality' first and foremost".
PUM LEFEBURE Chief Creative Officer | Design Army Design Lions Jury President Creative Business Transformation Lions
An environmentalist is a person who is concerned with protecting the earth's environment, solving environmental problems and preserving natural resources. Some concepts or titles make it trickier to resonate with or imagine how to become and do things at that scale. Becoming an environmentalist is a noble but big role, becoming a creative similarly so. Applying enviro-mentality (or creativity) as a state-of-mind and set of values to live by, not only gives us access to daily activities we can easily do to preserve the physical environment around us, it also enables us to use the same mentality to preserve the many other environments in our lives: our community, our work, our teams, our family, our home and even our minds. Where can we apply the simple principles of enviro-mentality to our daily lives?
Cannes Lions 2021 take aways from the winning work:
FOCUS ON THE UPCYCLE | KNOW THE NUMBERS | TRY ALTERNATIVES | REFRAME THE PROBLEM - MAKE IT PERSONAL
We look forward to connecting next week with 3 more insights from the Cannes Lions 2021 Creativity Report and will end with a second quote from Sarah Malcom, Founder of Quiet Valor and Forbes Agency Council member. You can also read her full article here.
" Instead of thinking of creative people as entertainers, we should recognize the creativity that exists within the business and scientific realms. One of the reasons I like working in marketing is because it merges what we would see as traditional creative skills, like graphic design and creative writing, with data analysis, like click-throughs and conversion rates. We take these together to create solutions."
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