Annabel Acton’s Cannes Diary #3

Annabel Acton, strategy director at Deloitte Digital represented Australia on the Cannes Creative Business Transformation Lions jury. Acton, along with most of the other Australian and NZ jurors, writes exclusively for CB.

Done! After rigorous debate, we selected 4 bronze, 3 silver, 2 gold and 1 grand prix.

The biggest challenge was selecting the 10 medallists; once we had nailed that list, they slipped pretty naturally into their tiers. As a jury, there were some ideas we gravitated to, but they were so early on in their journey that their impact was difficult to measure. Conversely, there were a few case studies that were heavy on impact, but it was difficult to point to deep creativity as the driving force of the transformation. Interestingly, the majority of the entries were submitted by banks and beer – which is partly a reflection of their budgets, as well as the maturity of their categories and increasingly unreasonable expectations on behalf of consumers. There were also a few entries in the agriculture space (often driven by food and beverage brands). These entries represent a shift in the way brands are thinking of their supply chain as part of their marketing and innovation remit. Massive shout out to an incredible jury team. The split in the room were strategy consultants, creatives and brand owners – there were many heated debates, all delivered and entertained with thought, respect and passion.