AUNZ Cannes Jurors Want Work That Stops Them In Their Tracks

Leaders from across AUNZ are preparing to step into the most influential jury rooms in advertising. 

For Cannes Lions jurors like Alan Jones, creative director at FCB Aotearoa and a member of the Print and Publishing jury, the experience has a near-mythical quality.

“I know what happens in there. But also I don’t,” the first-time Cannes juror told LBB. “I’m excited to step inside, experience it firsthand, and gain a deeper insight into what makes certain work sink or swim.”

He’s particularly excited to be judging print – a medium he’s admired since ad school. “I like that judging Print is more clear cut than some of the other categories, like Direct for example. There’s nowhere to hide.

“Whether it’s a headline that stops me in my tracks and forces me to read on, or an unignorable visual that makes me work to ‘solve’ it, the best print work rewards the audience mentally in a way I’m not sure many other channels can.”

Esther Clerehan, founder and CEO of recruitment business CLEREHAN, and member of the Glass Lion jury, is excited to meet her fellow jurors in person. Her first impression though, was about the volume of entries. “It was quite startling to receive the culled list from online judging.”

Alison Tilling is chief strategy officer at VML AUNZ, and a member of the Creative Strategy Lions jury, “We’ve been talking about the long and the short of it for a while now and I’m interested to see what we get to in this category and the angles on long term thinking,” she said.

Meanwhile, Mike Felix, chief creative officer at dentsu Aotearoa New Zealand, is on the Film jury, and acutely aware of what’s at stake. “The results are announced on the Friday night with the top prizes of the show. In many ways, it is the heart of the show, but like a heart, it’s also one of the most fragile categories.”

Film, he said, can reveal the true state of the industry. “A challenging financial year – it will impact film. A shift away from risk – it will impact film. And the zeitgeist of the year, the major statements the brands want to make – they make those in film.”

Trends and Hopes for the Work

What are the jurors hoping to see in the work itself?

Alan wants originality. “I’m hoping to see work that bucks current trends… what would’ve made it stand out last year is what’s making it feel formulaic this year.”

He’s also looking to be surprised. “I’d also really love to find some hidden gems … genuinely funny work, long copy, and work that serves an actual commercial purpose.”

Esther is “looking for purpose with impact,” but warns of something that’s turning into a cliche. “As a trend, I would say there’s an overuse of the word ‘movement’ in entries.”

Alison values risk when it’s driven by insight, adding those risks are “my favourite kind.”

“I’m looking forward to seeing insight I’m jealous of. I know insight has a bad rap from some at the moment but for me it’s still some of the best creative fuel out there.”

Last year was the year “humour was back,” according to Mike – “I wonder if the same will happen this year?”

“I also know we’ll be on the cusp where AI is starting to be a major player in the production space. How will that impact the work? My prediction is that it will actually force creativity to be a larger factor in our jury’s decision making process, because ‘visual spectacle’ will no longer be as spectacular when the intern on reception can create the same video during their lunch break.”

An International View

Judging at Cannes means being in the room with the best creative minds worldwide.

Alan has judged shows in NZ and the UK but said, “I’ve never been a part of a truly international jury room. So it’ll be interesting to see if my criteria for what makes a good idea is universally upheld, or if that’s just what I think based on my experience and where I’m from. Are there other ways to evaluate the work that I’m missing or hadn’t considered? Getting that international perspective will be invaluable.”

His jury, he said, is “stacked with people I admire from all around the world – Icaro Doria [President and CCO, DM9], Samira Ansari [CCO, Ogilvy New York], and Sadé Muhammad [CMO, Time Magazine] to name a few. So I’m genuinely just keen to meet them, hear their stories, and learn from their points of view.”

Esther added she feels “incredibly privileged to be in this group. I am most looking forward to the live presentations and the discussions afterwards. Everyone on the Glass Jury has something to add to the conversations around the work.”

“I'm looking forward to healthy debate with people whose perspective and cultural take on the work is different to mine,” said Alison. “Valuing difference of opinion, valuing the best creative strategy out there. Because it is valuable, done well, I really believe that.”

Mike noted one of the best parts of being on a jury are the connections made.

“When I judged One Show, it gave me a real appreciation for the calibre of the talent in the room and you connect in a way that you just don’t do in other settings. I’m looking forward to hearing how my fellow jury members approach the work and I’m looking forward to learning a ton.”

Outside the Judging Room

When they’re not looking over entries, the jurors will be soaking in the festival.Alan laughed he will be “attending inspiring talks. Let’s just leave it at that.”

Esther first attended Cannes in 1994.

”If you told 1994 me that I’d be back in 2025 as a judge, I’d have assumed you’d drunk far too much rosé. This trip I am going to be as wide-eyed and awe-struck as I was back then.”

Alison plans to spend “a lot of time in the basement, where all the work is. I’m also looking forward to getting to some of the talks and seeing colleagues from around the globe. I’m incredibly fortunate to get to do this so I intend to make the most of it.”

The week after Mike gets back, he will be presenting at the Advanced Marketing Leadership course run by NZ’s Marketing Association. 

“Because I’m doing so much judging this year, I’ll be turning that hour session into The Creative Courtroom, where the leading marketers in attendance get to be the jury and learn some of the techniques to be more comfortable having work presented to them. So, most of my free time in Cannes will be extracting learnings and tools to share during that course.”