The Young Lions Cannes Countdown

One minute you’re supping celebratory Guinness in the Owl & Pussycat toasting your UK Cannes Young Lions victory for inventing a new kinda blue cheese. The next, you’re sipping rosé in the south of France, contemplating the last few days of competing against creatives from around the world.

With hindsight being the wonderful thing it is, we thought we’d share the top five tips we wish we'd known before stepping on that EasyJet flight…

1. The Language Barrier is REAL

Who would have thought a French festival of creativity with a multi-national jury wouldn’t speak the Queen's? Well, it turns out, us, because despite it being utterly obvious, it still blindsides you to get briefed entirely in French, let alone the Q&A. Moral of the story: be ready for some Google Translate action or, better yet, Gemini to translate for you in real time.

2. Stalk Study your judges

You wouldn’t pitch to a client without knowing what makes them tick, so why would you enter a competition without knowing who is judging? Where do they work? What campaigns have they raved about? What’s their dog’s name? (OK, maybe not that far, but you get the point.) Understanding their taste, passions and back catalogue will help shape your idea, but most importantly give you that extra edge when you present. Basically, a little LinkedIn stalking never hurt anyone.

3. This Is Cannes Not Client

This isn’t a standard agency pitch. The judges aren’t fussed if your idea is slightly over budget or doesn’t tick every single KPI box. They want something simple, different, and sticky. The kind of idea you can sum up in one sentence. Something that takes the brief and flips it on its head. If you need a big-name talent to front it, it’s probably not right. Keep it bold. Keep it surprising. And remember: Cannes is about creative brilliance, not practicality.

4. Keep Calm and Cannes On

Breathe. You have time. Especially if your brief isn’t local to your country. Spend time researching properly. Dig deep for that killer insight. The one that makes the judges sit up and take notice. If it’s something they already know, it’s probably not a killer insight. And once you’re in the ideation phase? Relax. It’s supposed to be fun. Trust that your ideas are good and treat it like any other brief. It’s all too easy to psych yourselves out.

5. Losing Doesn’t Define You, Your Work Does

Sometimes, the cards just don’t fall your way. Sometimes, it just doesn’t come together in 24 hours. Sometimes, despite your best efforts, another idea shines that little bit brighter. And that’s okay. What matters is what you do next. If you take the tenacity, the dedication, and the pure creative energy you poured into Cannes and apply it to the rest of your work, you’ll have award winning campaigns in no time.

So, to our next wave of Cannes Young Lions, bonne chance! And if all else fails remember, there’s always a Guinness waiting for you at the Owl & Pussycat.