Young Lions winners return to Cannes: Day 1-3
After winning silver last year in the Cannes Young Lions competition, Carl Robertson and Tristan Viney are back, documenting their time in Cannes on their blog, 2 Lions 2 Furious.
This time last year we popped our Cannes Lions cherry.
We were fortunate enough to represent Australia and win a silver lion in the Young Lions Film competition. And right now we’re back in Cannes for this year’s festival – but not because we’ve earned it. Some miscommunication during the award announcements resulted in us being incorrectly announced as winning gold – instead of silver. Yep, just like in Australia’s Next Top Model. Not that we watch it or anything. Because we’re heaps manly and love things like beer and monster trucks.
We detailed the experience for Campaign Brief last year, but the cliff notes go like this.
After being shortlisted in the Australian Young Lions Film competition, we made this.
We won the title of Australian Young Film Lions, and were flown to Cannes by NewsCorp to compete against 41 international teams of Young Lions from around the world. We had a brief, GoPro camera, 48 hours, and more Red Bull than we can count to in French to make this.
The Cannes Lions Film jury got together and judged the entries. After they’d done their thing, we were announced as winning gold. And we celebrated for 23 minutes, before being told it was a mistake and handing our prizes over to Bulgaria. (You can see their entry here. It’s actually really good.)
Then we celebrated and did this:
We’re still very, very stoked with our little win and, as is turns out, with the judging switcheroo. Because Cannes gave us a we’re-really-sorry-please-don’t-hate-us return festival pass.
So, now that we’re old news and back in Cannes, we’re going to be documenting our festival experience so young advertisers back home know what to expect when they get to the festival.
DAY 2 and how to get laid on Tinder
, 3 things I learnt from Tinder founder Sean Rod – By Tristan Viney
Day one of Cannes is over. After the bombardment of knowledge and paying $20 for a beer in a plastic cup (which I obviously stole), the most memorable talk of the day was from Tinder founder and president, Sean Rod.
Love it or hate it, there’s no denying that Tinder has changed the way we meet people. This month, they reached 8 billion connections. To give that some context, McDonalds recently reached 8 billion hamburgers sold. Only Tinder did it in a little over 2 years.
So, how can a tech start-up reach the heights of Tinder? These next three points could be helpful.
1. Solve a real problem and do it in a fun way
We’ve always had the need to meet new people. Tinder just found an extremely simple way to satisfy that need – swipe right for yes. That’s it. The double opt-in nature of the app means there are no barriers like rejection and embarrassment.
2. Remember who you’re building your product for
Sounds simple enough. But it’s too easy to get caught up in your own little bubble and forget why you’re really there. I know I do from time to time. Tinder’s office is in LA and every day they’re surrounded by a diverse range of people, not tech guys. This keeps them grounded and reminds them of who they’re building the product for – regular people.
3. Work towards a fully transparent future
Tinder’s success is founded on the same principals as a successful Tinder date. The more open and honest you are, the better your chances. So think like a tinder user. No one connects long-term with inauthenticity.
Oh, and how to get laid on Tinder? From the founder himself: just be yourself. And it helps if you use a photo where you’re doing something interesting. They have a much, much higher chance of being swiped right. So no close-ups and group photos.
What I learnt from playing with Lego – By Carl Robertson
OK, so today was pretty special. Today we played with LEGO.
In a workshop hosted by Lego and their creative agency, Another, we learned that if you give 30 people the same 6 Lego pieces and tell them to make a duck, you’ll get a lot of different ducks!
This simple demonstration shows the power of collaboration and the number of solutions possible from the one brief. But that’s probably just me post-rationalising being an adult and still geeking out over Lego!
I also learned that there’s a term for my affliction – AFOL, or Adult Fan of Lego.
DAY 3 and life lessons from the God of fuck – By Tristan Viney
What can Marilyn Manson teach us about marketing?
A lot.
So far, he’s been one of the most intelligent, articulate, entertaining, and, without a doubt, the most vulgar speakers at the festival. During his 45-minute interview, he dropped so many nuggets of wisdom in a way that only Marilyn Manson could. Some appropriate for brands. Some appropriate for life. Some appropriate for neither.
Here goes.
1. If you take a girl home, squirt lemon on her genitals. If she screams, don’t have sex with her – she has a disease.
2. You can’t sell something that’s fake. No one wants it.
3. Only appealing to your fan base is lazy. Make new fans.
4. Never trust a girl with three names. They’re the ones who count your eyelashes while you sleep.
5. Fire someone on your first day so people fear you.
6. Stay true to yourself. But keep evolving.
7. Instead of committing suicide – express yourself. That’s art.
He touched a lot on what’s become a very common theme at the festival – authenticity. It’s a philosophy he lives by and he’s the exact same person whether he’s performing on stage, talking to thousands of strangers in Cannes, or trying to convince girls to have sex with him on his recently purchased embalming table. (Yes, I’m serious.)
This is how he’s maintained his prolific status for so long – and how we can create brands that do the same.