We made a selection of talks from Cannes Lions 2019 we consider relevant and inspiring to brand owners and their partners in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. All attendees will get online access to all of them after the Cannes in Prague event.

Martin Weigel – Head of Planning, Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam
Rob Campbell – Head of Strategy EMEA, R/GA

It’s better to be interesting than to be right. Martin Weigel from W+K Amsterdam and Rob Campbell from R/GA London – joint founders of the School of Strategic Arts – explain why chaos is the critical element to enable creativity go to interesting places – with some practical ideas on how you can inject some into your next project.

Fernando Machado – Global Chief Marketing Officer, Burger King
Marcelo Pascoa – Head of Global Marketing, Burger King

I try not to look at advertising [anymore] because I think by and large it’s quite boring” – Sir John Hegarty For years now, critics of all kinds have been propheticizing the death of advertising. Whether brought by the VHS, TiVo, Social Media, Ad Blockers, Netflix, AR, AI, the Russians or the demonetization of YouTube videos, the Adpocalypse is coming – and yes, just like the night, it is dark and full of terrors. That’s why Cannes is a festival of creativity, not just of advertising. And this year Fernando Machado (Global CMO @ Burger King) and Marcelo Pascoa (Head of Global Marketing @ Burger King) will go beyond Burger King’s advertising to talk about how the brand continues to reinvent itself through design, technology, and product innovation. All wrapped up on what really matters: Creativity.

Jay Pattisall – Principal Analyst, Forrester
Jeff Robertson – Chief Marketing Officer, Blue Shield of California
Laurent Faracci – Executive Vice President of Global Category Develeopment, RB
Kimberley Gardiner – VP & Chief Marketing Officer, Mitsubishi Motors North America

CThe CMO’s focus on improving customer experience and building direct to consumer relationships has delivered their firms growth, but at the expense of differentiating their brands and the solvency of agencies, their go-to partners for creative brand thinking. As customer experiences become commodified, creative thinking has never been more important. The Value of Agency Creativity will explore the rise of technology investments in contrast with the deterioration of execution quality, agency and production investments. We will use exclusive Forrester data and ROI models to demonstrate the value of creativity to business goals and financial growth. Most importantly, we will draw the conclusions for what it means for marketers, their firms and agencies.

Dr. Itiel Dror – Cognitive Neuroscientist
Nir Wegrzyn – CEO, BrandOpus

Marketers need to rethink what they know about cognitive neuroscience and its application in building effective brands. There are a host of fundamental conflicting tensions and paradox, which cognitive neuroscience can help with, including; rationality vs emotions, data vs instinct, cognitive penetration vs memorability. Experts disagree on the basics, agencies offer competing strategy models and creativity is misunderstood by being subjected to literal scientific examination and explicit dissection. This cutting edge and advanced talk from Dr. Dror, a world leading cognitive neuroscientist, will explore a new approach that exposes and deals with the key paradox, and Wegrzyn will consider how this enables a radical creative approach, developing ideas that drive commercial success and long-term growth.

Rory Sutherland – Vice Chairman, Ogilvy

Why is it so hard to make the case for investment in creativity when all the evidence suggests it is effective? Because we have made a rational, not an emotional, case for it. Rory Sutherland, vice chairman of Ogilvy, leads a session on how to make your colleagues and clients think differently about advertising – and how to restore confidence to the advertising business.

Julia Goldin – Global Chief Marketing Officer, LEGO

With many brands seeking deeper meaning to help them navigate a world of continual flux, how can finding the right purpose be a guiding ‘North Star’ that delivers innovation and success? For more than six decades, the LEGO brick has been on a mission to ‘inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow’; to get children thinking creatively and reasoning systematically so they can unleash their potential and shape their own future. This strong, simple purpose has built a brand that is loved my millions around the world. Join Julia Goldin, Chief Marketing Officer of the LEGO Group, to hear how purpose can drive innovation and ensure a brand remains inspiring, trusted and loved, from one generation to the next.

Malcolm Devoy – Chief Strategy Officer, EMEA, PHD
Adam Morgan – Founder and Partner, eatbigfish

Challenger thinking has become increasingly important to a broad range of brands—whether they are legacy brands or scrappy start-ups. That’s not surprising when you consider that in US packaged goods alone, challenger brands secured $22bn of value from bigger brands over a five-year period. But what’s the secret recipe to success? This session has Adam Morgan, world expert on challenger thinking, sharing insights from those disrupting the status quo, with Malcolm Devoy, chief strategy officer for PHD EMEA, on the five commonalities in marketing and media behaviours they seem to use.

Jason Heller – Partner, Global Lead Digital Marketing, McKinsey and Company
Biljana Cvetanovski – Senior Expert, McKinsey and Company

In this seminar, McKinsey and Cannes Lions will unveil the findings of a new study highlighting the evolving expectations of the modern marketing organisation in the eyes of the CEO – and by extension the CFO, and board of directors. CEOs need growth. That should be good news for marketers. With the creativity to drive innovation and advanced data and tech enabled capabilities to execute, marketing is developing the tools and skillsets to lead the corporate growth agenda. But is marketing making the grade? Come learn about what the senior most executives expect when it comes to driving predictable growth, the role of marketing and creativity — and how to the c-suite is getting involved.

Jonny Bauer – Global Chief Strategy Officer

How Tourism Australia hijacked something very American. In the crowded travel category, the Dundee campaign mimicked the behaviours of a Hollywood blockbuster. Its star-studded content was part of an elaborate system of work identified as Tourism Australia at the 2018 Super Bowl. Find out how a sophisticated media strategy shifted perceptions among Americans and converted desire to see Australia into action.

Raja Rajamannar – Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, Mastercard

Push the boundaries and explore the new dimensions that our senses — sight, sound and taste — can play in future-proofing your brand. As the world continues to transform at an incredible pace, it’s impacting how consumers interact with everything around them – including brands. Mastercard’s Chief Marketing and Communications Officer Raja Rajamannar will demonstrate the power of multisensory branding during an immersive presentation. Don’t miss out on this priceless opportunity to get inspired, featuring live sonic branding performances and special guest renowned Chinese concert pianist and composer Lang Lang.

Dark room, big screen, crystal clear sound, comfy seats. Like in the Palais des Festivals in Cannes. Just come and enjoy.
We selected this venue so you are not tempted to look at your laptops and mobiles and you can focus on what is important – get inspiration for your thinking of where communication of your brands will be heading in the near future.