Cannes 2014: Jose Miguel Sokoloff on Outdoor

President, Lowe Global Creative Council & Co Chairman and CCO Lowe SSP3 Colombia, Jose Miguel Sokoloff, is chairing this year's Outdoor jury at the Cannes Lions. Prior to the festival he told LBB why he likes to feel a bit of jealousy in the judging room. 

LBB> What Words of advice will you be giving to the jury this year?

JMS> Respect the work. I believe there are a lot of people out there who have made a great effort to share their work with the jury. They are proud of it and we must look at it with all the attention and respect we expect for our own work. 

LBB> What are you personally hoping to see from the entries this year?

JMS> Every year has new and exciting entries that emerge and excel. I just want to be surprised, entertained and stimulated. I also want to see work that makes me jealous. 

LBB> Of all the categories judged in Cannes I sometimes think that outdoor has the most pervasive impact on our daily lives, just thinking about the street furniture we pass on our walk to work in the morning, or walking through an airport… With this in mind, how do you think advertisers/creative should bear in mind the aesthetic impact of their work on our environment?

JMS> I think it is a fundamental consideration. In cities where the outdoor regulation is very lax the urban landscape tends to be very crowded and ugly.But  Outdoor can make cities and places more beautiful, and that is part of what we need to achieve. I think it was Frank Lloyd Wright who said that the house should be of the hill and not on the hill. To me brilliant outdoor is part of its environment in a harmonic way. 

LBB> I loved your phrase ‘if people don’t go outdoors, there is no revolution’ in the President’s message. Is outdoor undergoing something of its own revolution?

JMS> Outdoor is where we can gather in big numbers. Outdoor is what surrounds us when we commute, when we travel, when we take a walk or when we look out a window. Humanity has "tamed" the outdoor for as long as it has existed. It is a major force in our lives. And conquering with communication is probably the oldest form of advertising. But it has remained basically static. I think outdoor is becoming more "immediate", more interactive and a lot less passive. 

LBB> Outside of the jury room, is there anything in particular you’re looking forward to this year?

JMS> I love being in Cannes. There are so many people I see there that I don't run into anywhere else, there are so many interesting people I meet every year. I really look forward to that. And of course the work. 

LBB> What’s your favourite spot in Cannes?

JMS> The stage, surrounded by my team with a lion in our hands.