John Raúl Forero on the Search for Brave New Perspectives in Print & Publishing

John Raúl Forero is the president and chief creative officer of DDB Colombia, as well as a member of the network’s Worldwide Creative Council. There, he’s led the office to become Agency of the Year, and twice the most effective Colombian agency at the LATAM Effies. Previously, he was CCO at Ogilvy Latin America, where they were awarded Most Innovative Network in the World and Latin American Network of the Year at Cannes Lions.

This year, John is the jury president for the Print & Publishing Lions, finding the best work that shows ingenuity and outstanding craftsmanship in published media. This includes projects that leap from the pages of books, magazines, covers and digital publications. 

A Grand Prix winner himself, accumulating dozens of Lions during his career, John will be bringing his expertise to the jury room where he says they’ll be searching for work that “shows an evolution of the category and a new perspective.” LBB’s Ben Conway caught up with him to find out more about his Cannes preparation.

LBB> How are you preparing yourself and your jury for the jury room this year?

John> Being a jury president at Cannes Lions is not only a great honour, but also a great responsibility. The work we select must be a powerful and inspiring sample that elevates the category to another level and inspires the entire industry to continue developing the work to its full potential. It’s something that thousands of students, young talents, professionals and clients around the world will see, and will be taken as the way forward.

This is why we are preparing very thoroughly, particularly on my side. And as I suggested to the jury: It’s important to analyse not only the current work, but also the category’s winners from previous years. I would like us, as a team, to show an evolution of the category and a new perspective.

LBB> What is it about the Print & Publishing category that really excites or interests you?

John> From everything I have judged so far in Print & Publishing, you can clearly see three very marked styles of work. The first, and it is one that I love, is storytelling. These are the projects with a video case study. They are those wonderful stories that are built and that pass or end in a print or a publication. Without a doubt, the great stories will have a prominent place on the podium. 

On the other hand, artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies will have a leading role. But in this I want to be clear, we are not going to award technology. We are going to award great ideas that use technology in innovative and ingenious ways and that, in one way or another, improve the idea. 

And on the other hand, there is the classic print [work], which we all love and will undoubtedly have an important place within the show. However, I want to note that we want those classic prints that inspire, with new visuals and powerful insights. Prints that will be remembered in five years or more.

LBB> How do you expect AI to impact your category?

John> Without a doubt, artificial intelligence will have a decisive impact in this category. I have already seen several works where artificial intelligence plays a primary role, however I can say that there are some very good ones and others where the role of artificial intelligence is too leading and the idea that supports it is very weak. Those types of jobs probably won't get you very far.

LBB> What are the current big debates within the category – or more generally across the industry – that you expect to see coming through in the judging?

John> I think there will undoubtedly be two big debates. The first of them will have to do with artificial intelligence. Regarding that, I must be honest; I love jobs where artificial intelligence enhances an idea in innovative ways, but I also don't want it to become a bias in a certain way – awarding artificial intelligence (or not) to demonstrate progress in the category. All works that have artificial intelligence or emerging technologies will be taken into account based on an idea and a brand purpose behind them, otherwise they will not have a place. I insist, we are not going to award technology, we are going to award great ideas that use technology in surprising ways.

Surely, the other big debate will be the classic prints, and how much space they will have within the sample. From my point of view, classic prints will always have their place within the category.

LBB> Humour is the big new 'culture and context' subcategory this year - how do you think comedy could be better leveraged, and specifically in the Print & Publishing category?

John> There is a well-known quote among colleagues who have been judges at many festivals, and it is the one that says: ‘If you make people laugh, you are already on the shortlist’. We say this because there are so few pieces of work with humour that when a piece of work makes you laugh, it instinctively fits in very well. Without a doubt, humour will always be a very powerful tool when it comes to telling a story or an idea. However, it’s important to keep in mind that humour must have a purpose, a context, and a strategic alignment with the brand. I haven't particularly seen much humour in the category, but the few things I have seen with humour, I´ve liked.

LBB> The category looks at ingenuity and craftsmanship – how will you approach this balance between judging the idea itself, and how the idea has been executed so it ‘jumps off the page’? 

John> It must be very clear that this category is Print & Publishing, and not Industry Craft. As I mentioned to the jury, the craft and art direction must be impeccable. They must be of a very high level – it’s a requirement for the piece to be awarded. If the piece does not have perfect craftsmanship, you will surely not receive a lion. Now, that doesn't mean that if the piece has wonderful craft it will win. Every piece that wins at Print & Publishing must have perfect craft, but just because you have perfect craft doesn't mean you're going to get a Lion. Ideas rule this category.

LBB> Looking at last year's Grand Prix winner how do you think this year’s entries will build from, and differ, from that? AnNahar’s publication-based idea was a purpose-forward campaign which defended the sanctity of a free press - will you be looking for similar bravery this year?

John> We are looking for brave pieces without a doubt – bravery will be our main driver, but there is one very important thing to keep in mind. Courage can be seen from many perspectives – you can even be brave by returning to the roots of the print or the brand with iconic and wonderful work. But, you can also be brave with the inclusion of new technologies. Courage can be explained in many ways, but it is not necessarily synonymous with technology.

LBB> Cannes is also a time of celebration. What will you be celebrating this year?

John> This year, I would like to celebrate three things at Cannes Lions. The first: that we manage to put together an absolutely powerful and inspiring selection of work at Print & Publishing that will be applauded and celebrated by the entire industry. The second thing I want to celebrate is learning, continuing to grow and learn from other people, and listening to other points of view that expand our vision of the business. And third, of course, I would like to take many Lions back home in my suitcase. I would love to pay for extra weight in the suitcase at the airport.