Day 2 in Cannes!

Day 2 in Cannes! 

Today was filled with seminars, a workshop and a tour of Microsoft Advertising Experience Center. The day started off right when we found a cute, small coffee shop on our way to Cannes. With normal size coffee cups (not just the “shots” of espresso we typically see) and cookies (my favorite…we finally found some!), we were all thrilled to find our new Cannes hangout.

I started off the day by attending a Wunderman workshop about how to dominate the world and the steps to building and launching a successful global brand. Though I was hesitant about attending the workshop, I was glad that I did. The speakers gave us 20 rules to building a global brand. The one that I found most interesting was to think visual. Given the various language barriers and the occasional inaccurate translation, it is best for a brand to create a visual identity with the consumer. For example, coke is known world wide, even if one is unable to read the word “soda.” On the other hand, everyone in the room recognized Febreeze, which is a global brand. However, about ½ of the participants did not know the purpose of febreeze. This is a prime example of what the leaders of the workshop conveyed to us; they promote thinking of the big picture, the overall image and your overall goal when launching a global brand.

I then attended the PHD, AOL and Act Responsible seminars. I found the PHD seminar to be very interesting. Mark Hoden predicted that by 2016, one will be able to project images from phones, use your mobile device as a personal assistant and be able to purchase flexible cell phones. Can you imagine being able to roll up your phone? Though I am not sure how to apply this today today’s advertising industry, it was exciting to hear about the future technologies.  

During the AOL seminar, Arianna Huffington and Tim Armstrong explained the new partnership between AOL and the Huffington Post. Armstrong explained the importance of using content when marketing. He claimed that 1 AD with content is better than 14. This is AOL’s new strategy, so I guess time will tell if it is successful. The part I struggled with understanding is where the majority of AOL’s revenue is coming from. To keep the website running, it seems like you would need more than 1 ad on every page to receive substantial revenue.

The beginning of the ACT Responsible seminar was interesting. The “earth hour” campaign by Leo Burnett showed how a simple campaign could make a huge impact. I enjoyed listening to how large companies can embrace social responsibility and use it to promote positive change. The Pepsi Refresh program, which funded projects, was an example of how an influential company can help society while simultaneously improving the image of the company. During Salman Amin’s presentation, he stated that more people voted for the winner of the refresh project than voted in the presidential election. This was shocking! Though the overall idea was interesting, my only problem with this approach is that it was unclear if the intentions of Pepsi were to help their brand or if they had a genuine interest in helping the community.

Today’s seminars were good, but I am looking forward to Martha Stewart and the Yahoo Seminar tomorrow!