A First-Timer's View on Cannes Lions: The Only (Marketing) Trend That Matters Is "2"

If you’ve heard about the dream of having the average 1.8 kids and a golden retriever, owning a beige Volvo and a house - please read this. 

Last week, the first time in my life, I took part in the infamous Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity - an event that gathers all the marketing masterminds from around the world to hear about the upcoming trends, sharing their award winning work, while networking around gallons of rosé wine. The experience was thought provoking, to say the least.

On one hand, it was the most inspiring week of my life. I was able to witness loads of world class creative work and take part in the Young Lions competition. But, at the same time, it raised a huge amount of frustration towards the whole business world.

The typical question, whether you are physically in France or not, around the Cannes Lions seems to be - "what’s the big trend this year?" During the last few years topics such as storytelling, sustainability, brand purpose, technology and artificial intelligence have been discussed and debated.

F*ck that shit.

My generation isn’t privileged to live the dream that opened this piece of writing. We live in a world where the ways of consuming now is paid for with the future of the youth. What does your brand purpose or AI driven marketing gimmicks matter when we don’t have a planet to live on? 

The overwhelming feeling that I left Cannes with is that behind this brand purpose and sustainability bullshit, what we really need to do is radically change our consumption habits. If we really think sustainably, then why do industry representatives need to fly to Cannes? Especially when digital ways of communicating have developed so rapidly?

It is scary how hard it seems to be - especially for the older generation - to unlearn modern consumption habits. What is achieved through hard work is not that easily abandoned. 

My father is one of the leading environmental researchers in Finland. I’ve witnessed first-hand how frustrating it is when the alarming story that our planet is telling us through research data isn’t really heard among our decision makers. It is sad that it takes a 16-year-old girl quitting her studies temporarily, to make the world listen for a moment.

We work in an industry that is supposed to influence people in a way that leads to action. The Cannes Lions showcased a glimpse of hope through some cases such as 'The People’s Seat,' but I can’t help but have a feeling that we are not doing enough. The best example from that week was the 'The Last Ever Issue' made in Poland by Gazeta.pl, Mastercard and BNP Paribas.

The lesson I took from this is simply that some businesses don’t have the right to exist anymore. Because the only "trend" that we should all be focusing on is "2". Or, better yet, 1.5. That is how much, in degrees Celsius, the temperature of our planet will rise before there is no point of return.