Day 5- Train Delays, Will.I.AM and an Egyptian Super-Star

Day 5- Thursday!

After a long night at the awards ceremony and then the Microsoft party (which was awesome, by the way), I jumped on the 10:10 train to make the 10:30 Kraft master class. Of course, the trains were having a little bit of difficulty this morning. After arriving 10 minutes late and stopping randomly in the middle of the tracks for a few minutes at a time, we finally arrived at the master class fashionably late. Unfortunately, I cannot say I got much out of it. I was difficult to hear and hard to see. Hopefully tomorrow mornings master class will be more of a success!

I then decided I would watch the much talked about Saatchi & Saatchi New Director’s Showcase. Though I loved the Dirt Devil Vacuum cleaner ad, I felt like the showcase was dragged on (and it went way over time). Some of the films were interesting and innovative, like the “Don’t Drink and Drive” film. But, there were many that looked cool but its message was unclear. I thought I would enjoy this seminar more.

After the New Director’s Showcase, the McCann Worldgroup & MRM Worldwide seminar with Will.I.Am finally began. The platform of the discussion was that technology is creativity. I never thought of technology as creativity, but rather as promoting it. I now understand this perspective. There is tons of creative thought that goes into technology. For example, Tod Machover explained how he and his team created Guitar Hero. I was amazed! I 100% believed that Guitar Hero was created based on the idea that someone wanted an interactive guitar experience. I never imagined that the idea for Guitar Hero was created from a scientific error.

During the seminar, Will.I.Am. talked about the importance of collective consciousness. I had not heard this term used when referring to advertising and the promotion of a product. He argued that twitter is collective consciousness. For example, at concerts, the Black Eyed Peas use twitter to see what people are thinking about the concert. Before twitter was invented, they struggled to find out what people thought about their concerts. I found this idea to be obvious, but yet still brilliant.

The last event of the day was a session with Amr Salama. This session was one of my favorites the entire week! Of course we have all heard about the revolution in Egypt. Yet, listening to someone talk about the revolution that was part of the uprising was amazing. His courage, creativeness and dedication to the cause came through with everything he said. As part of the revolution, the Egyptians utilized all facets of social media. This event shows the power that social media can have now and in the future. During the discussion, Salama stated that everyone was the leader during the revolution. I found this concept to be interesting. Normally, I would have guessed there was one leader who encouraged everyone to participate in the revolt. Yet, it amazes me that everyone was part of the uprising. I plan on learning more about this man! He was truly inspirational.

Tomorrow is the last full day at the festival…weird. I look forward to making the most of it and staying there all day! 

Day 4- Jesse Eisenberg at the festival!

Day 4

Compared to the rest of the week, today does not rank as one of my favorites (as far as the seminars go). I started off the day by attending the MOFILM seminar with Jesse Eisenberg from the social network. I was excited to hear Jesse, but I was disappointed by the overall conversation. Jesse was awkward at first, but once he became more comfortable on the stage, things improved. The game site Eisenberg created, One Up On me, offered an interesting perspective to the idea of crowd sourcing.  Eisenberg promoted the idea that outsider’s participation offers the best material. I think the idea is valid. Yet, I still believe that research is needed to back up the final idea. In the example of Eisenberg’s site, everyone gives his or her own perspective on the topic. It is a great way to get people involved!

During the seminar, they showcased the new Chevy commercials. Chevy recently partnered with MOFILM in hopes of producing more creative ads. Since I am from Texas, I am used to the “Chevy Is The Best In Texas” slogan. I was shocked to see something else! The first video did not even show a truck; instead it showed a small car and based the ad on the idea that the person “knows what drives me.” It was catchy!

Chevrolet is also investing in a global campaign called “Chevrolet Route 66.” In it, individuals film their favorite routes and submit it to the company. I found this to be a very interesting concept. Normally, large companies specialize a campaign to the specific country or even city. I am curious to see if a global, non-specialized campaign will be a success!

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to Jennifer Frommer from inerscope records. Like many others, I love listening to music. But, I never considered integrating music into my future career. Frommer did a wonderful job explaining the various tasks necessary for signing a client. She used Eminem and Lady Gaga as examples for placing your client with a brand. She emphasized the importance of sticking with your client’s morals, personality and beliefs. Often, it seems like celebrities randomly promote brands, probably for money. I now understand the importance of knowing your clients in order to accurately place them with a brand. Frommer also stressed the importance of authenticity.

Allison Arden from Ad Age was also enjoyable to listen to. She was good at engaging our group in the conversation as opposed to her talking the whole time. When asked if the publication had ever considered changing its name (due to the changing environment of advertising), she said she firmly believed that it would not happen. Though I understand that Ad Age could change its name to become more diverse of a publication, I respect their decision to keep its name. I think it is important that the advertising industry acknowledges the changing environment, but still sticks to its roots.

I am now off to the awards show and then the Microsoft Party! I’m excited to see Will.I.Am. tomorrow! 

Day 3- Robert Redford, Pharell and Martha Stewart!

So, yesterday I tried to post a portion of my blog via my phone, but after typing it the internet went out and I was unable to post anything yesterday. But, Anna saw me write out my entire blog in the Young Lions Zone yesterday, but I did not have internet to post it. But, here it is:

Today was by far my favorite day. It was a fun-filled, packed day with various seminars and mettings with different companies. I started off the day by attending the AgenciaClick Isobar and Fiat seminar. My day started off well, when I learned the man sitting next to me was not only from  Brazil (which is the country I am following at the festival), but is a director of marketing for McDonalds. We immidiately started talking about the future of Brazil's advertising, and in particular, the new initiative McDonalds is taking. Since there is controversy over McDonald's advertising to young children (because of health reasons), they are working on ways to change the McDonald's kids menu to make it up to par with health standars. He said to look out for a big release from McDonald's by the end of August!

The fiat seminar was an interesting concept---a crowdsourced car. I typically think of manufacturers producing cars and revealing them, without the consumer input. It sounds interesting!

The Women Leadership Network was enlightning. At the beginning, it was stated that 3% of women hold creative positions, yet, women influence 85% of purchases. This left me wondering why the presence of powerful women is lacking in this industry? I immediately thought that family must be a main component as to why women struggle to reach higher positions. Time spent at work vs time spent with the kids becomes a hard decision at times. While I still believe that family ultimately affects ones commitment to work, I also believe that the mentality of women in the advertising industry is negatively affected by incorrect stereotypes. Women are fully capable of working at high levels with men, but they have to believe that they are just as powerful as men.

During this seminar, I was surprised by some of the statements Carol Lam made. She made it seem like there are not gender gaps in China, which I do not believe. I would have thought China would have more issues with gender gap than the United States. I believe that the first step to fixing gender gaps is recognizing the gap and then working towards ways to fix it.

The Yahoo seminar was also very interesting. Robert Redford spoke about the importance of persistance and passion. Eventhough you might fail at first or it may take a while to reach your goal, it is necessary to persist through and believe in what you are doing. Overall, Robert Redford was extremely engaging and a great speaker!

It then attended the Digitals and Vevo seminar and then the Coca-Cola seminar. I agreed with Pharell on the importance of taking responsibility for your own destiny and taking risks. Risk taking seemed like a theme for the day!

The Coca- Cola seminar was very engaging. Their new campaign to increase the love for coke with teens seemed like an innovative and effect campaign. The "secret formula" campaign was original ad created lots of conversation for the brand.  It seems like cosumer engagement, 2 way conversations and consumer driven campaigns tend to lead to the most success!

Tomorrow is another packed day...I can't wait!

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! 

Day 1 At The Festival!

Day 1 At The Festival- Cannes!

Going into the festival, I was unsure of what I was going to encounter. We had heard about the various speakers, important people and the young lions zone, but I was shocked when we walked into the Palais. It was amazing! We arrived a little before the first seminar, goviral. In the seminar, Martin Lindstrom explained that brands and religion coincide. His recent research revealed that the part of the brain activated during religious activities is also activated when you see a powerful brand. If found this concept to be exceptionally interesting. I felt that this exhibited the power of a successful, strong and meaningful brand. Lindstrom also went on to reveal that 37% of everything we talk about is about brands. Though this is a startling statistic, it further demonstrates the power of branding.

After this seminar, I listened to the last 6 seminars. Though some were better than others, I thoroughly enjoyed thenetworkone independent agencies showcase. Though I was originally hesitant about attending this seminar, I was pleasantly surprised with the speakers. Both Ali Ali and John Matejczyk were enthusiastic during their jobs and positions as leaders in independent agencies. I had never heard ones perspective from an independent agency standpoint. During the presentation, Ali Ali stated that no idea is a bad idea. He encouraged creative’s to present one solid idea to their client, not multiple. His view was that you should have one idea that you are confident in and thoroughly believe in, not multiple mediocre ideas. In an industry where many times one is working to please the client, it was encouraging to listen to people who believed in the power of creativity and originality. The campaigns that these individuals showed (a panda campaign, imeet and a google pizza) were original and interesting to watch.

The Fishman- Hillard presentation was also one of my favorites. Both Mitch Spolan and Dr. Orin Levine had interesting presentations. I was impressed with how Dr. Levine used social mobile marketing to improve the lives of so many in Kenya. In such an improvised nation, it amazes me that technology can be employed to help saves lives. Furthermore, this Endeavour illustrates the power of technology and what it can do to help millions.

I also really enjoyed Mitch Spolan’s presentation. In his PowerPoint, he showed a video he made that centered around a delicious looking turkey club sandwich (that I really wanted to eat!). He used this sandwich as a metaphor for decision-making. Are you going to eat your favorite sandwich or try something new from the restaurant next store? Every decision he made came down to an incentive. To change a behavior, it seems almost necessary to have some sort of incentive.

The last seminar I attended, Naked: The Three Cs of Modern Creativity was very confusing. I enjoyed the Nokia Push Snowboarding video, but I found the overall presentation to be meaningless. The three Cs, community, crowd sourcing and co-creation, seem like they are almost synonyms of each other. I also did not follow how all the speakers connected.

Overall though, I enjoyed the seminars I attended today. I am looking forward to tomorrow. I plan on attending my first workshop! Watch out Cannes Lions…UGA is taking over!  

France In a Nutshell!

So, I have been unsuccessful at writing in my blog. But, I am finally making progress! Here is France so far (in a nutshell):

Day 1 (Sunday)- A group of us decided to venture into Antibes, a small town about 10 minutes away from Juan Les Pins (by train). There is a huge port there with lots of expensive yachts and millionaires. We walked through the port, wishing we owned one of the yachts! We then went through the market, which was filled with various products from locals. I loved the market, as it wasn't as "americanized" as everything else!

Trying to be adventurous, we decided we would walk back to JLP (since it's only a 25 minute walk). Failure. We ended up taking the "scenic" route down the coast, which took us over 2 hours! NEVER FOLLOW THE COAST LINE. We later learned we were supposed to stay straight down President Wilson Boulevard. Whooops!

On Monday we started class. Our classroom overlooks the port in JLP and has a gorgeous view. We attend class for about 2-3 hrs a day, and it is pretty enjoyable.

Wednesday- We took a class field trip to Niece and met with the publisher of the Riviera Times. What I learned? Don't start your own newspaper. It sounds awful! But, it was very interesting to hear her speak about her experiences!

Friday- Yesterday a group of us decided to go to Italy for lunch (so crazy we can do that!). So, we took the train into Ventimiglia and had a delicious pizza for lunch and toured the markets. We then took the train to Monaco where we saw the castle. We tried to take a tour, but could never figure out how to get in. Maybe they had the castle closed because the Prince is getting married?? Monaco was gorgeous! We caught a bus and ended up staying on it for 45 minutes (not b/c we wanted to), but we saw the whole city!

Today we are off to Cannes to get our badges for the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. I can't wait! Updates from the festival are coming soon!

Au Revoir from France!