Bronwyn van der Merwe’s Cannes Diary #1

Bronwyn van der Merwe (fourth from left), general manager, Fjord Asia Pacific is representing Australia on the Cannes Brand Experience & Activation Lions jury. van der Merwe, along with most of the other Australian and NZ jurors, writes exclusively for CB.

Emerging from a hard day’s judging in the brand experience and activation category, I’m definitely feeling the impact! It’s an incredibly intense process. But the quality of the work makes it all worthwhile – it’s truly inspirational.

The biggest trend we’re seeing across this year’s entries? It’s definitely inclusion. Brands are really engaging with big questions and issues, like gender, race, LGBTQI+ and disability. Big global brands are taking a hyperlocal approach and telling stories that resonate powerfully.

Probably it’s fair to say that there’s more emphasis on brand activation than there is on offering a more holistic brand experience. Maybe that’s something we’ll see more of in the future.

It’s amazing to see how quickly the whole event comes to life. People are flooding in, the harbour looks amazing and the buzz is building. Roll on tomorrow!