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Cannes Lions 2015 Highlights

"Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity", the 7-day creative communications industry jamboree, is one of the top events on the city's festival program.

Often billed as "The Academy Awards for Advertising" because of its celebration of the past year in communications creativity with its plethora of coveted awards, the festival offers far more than just mutual back-slapping.

THIS YEAR'S BUZZ-WORDS:
'CREATION', 'INNOVATION' and 2015's ubiquitous 'GENDER'

SEMINARS - 70 this year, " from the brightest creative talents on the planet", including:

LESSONS ON RETHINKING EVERYTHING, Sean Rad, Founder/President, Tinder told how he "with a single swipe...changed the dating game for the Millennial generation... In the age of the start-up, experience counts for less than innovating quickly"

DIGITAL CHINA 2015, SY Lou, President, Tencent - On-line Media Group, "a creative communications industry moving from simply 'bigger' to 'better'..on a wave of constant innovation"

CREATIVITY IN THE AGE OF DATA, Daito Manabe & Kaoru Sugano, Dentsu, "Data drives creativity and creativity brings data to life"

PLAY TO WIN, Sir David Brailsford, Team Sky & Jerry Buhlmann, Dentsu, "The journey to great success will have failure in it. Use that t to learn from. Go after the impossible."

THE COMING AI REVOLUTION, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, Computer Scientist, creator of the first Web Browser: " we are at 11:59pm on the evening before the dawn of this promising, sometimes terrifying technology... AI will be biggest success in human history, and it may be the last... If robots get the same legal rights as human beings then it's time to put the brakes on"

FORUMS - 50 thirty-minute sessions to "dig deep daily into a new fundamental theme".

Sunday was Visual Language Day.

Rama Allen, Creative Director, The Mill on HANGING OUT AT THE FRONTIERS OF VISUAL NARRATIVE "At the intersection of film, art & technology...creating stunning visual narrative..."
Wednesday was Media and Audiences.

Becca Saraga, Partner, Addiction North America; Charnelle Anderson, Vice President, A+E Networks; D'nae Kingsley, Senior Vice President, Trailerpark MARKETING TO WOMEN IN THE 4TH WAVE OF FEMINISM : "Enthusiasm for feminist marketing has reached a tipping point into consumer dislike. As brands are blatantly attempting to appeal to women, some efforts feel insincere and consumers are rebelling"
Thursday the turn of Creative Talent.

HOW TO REBUILD A CREATIVE CULTURE WHEN EVERYTHING'S F*UCKED Al Moseley, President, 180 Amsterdam: A week after he joined the company, Holland played Spain in the World Cup Final and lost and that day 180 Amsterdam lost Adidas, the agency's biggest client. "We behaved like a start up. Start ups have energy. We went from hierarchy to flat, made everyone equal and responsible...from 160 employees to 50 leaders..."

MASTER CLASSES - 10 one-hour sessions "to get close to your creative heroes":

PJ Pereira, Chief Creative Officer, Pereira & O'Dell on creativity: "Think like a marketer. Behave like an entertainer. Move like a tech start-up"

WORKSHOPS - "Interactive practical programs to sharpen your creative skills"

"Harnessing the power of consumer involvement... co-creating the future with the people that care the most" , Peter Espersen, Head of co-Creation, Lego Systems A/S

AN INTERACTIVE MEDITATION SESSION with Charlie Knoles, Director, Veda Center & Jason Wachob, CEO, MindBodyGreen: "The mindfulness revolution focuses on mental fitness for everyday life"

WAKE-UP SESSIONS - "Beach Breakfasts to launch your day in style...Senior client execs from major industry groups together with the Executive Editor of The Economist"

Panels included Jonathan Mildenhall, CMO, Airbnb Bruce McColl, CMO, MARS Soren Hagh, Executive Director Global Marketing, Heineken

CANNES LIONS AWARDS - A new one this year, the Glass Lion for Change for the campaign that best addresses issues of gender inequality and prejudice

Grand Prix in the category was Procter & Gamble India's "Touch the Pickle" for its Whisper brand napkins - aimed at shattering menstruation taboos.

In India, women once a month can't touch the kitchen's pickle jar, lest the contents are made 'impure'

Cannes Lions 2015 Highlights