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Before we get into the serious stuff, here's a quiz-let for you. Do you know what was the most viral, and, arguably, the funniest piece of content created in Cannes this year? Hint: It wasn't branded, and the colour red had something to do with it. Any guesses? No, it didn't involve Pharell Williams, or Kim Kardashian. Although it probably is something she wishes she had done and Instagrammed. That truly would have broken the Internet.
Nothing? Ok, I'll let the cat out of the bag. Once the Palais had shut for the night, a couple of people decided to turn red carpet outside into a bed. Thinking they were alone and unobserved, they stripped down and got busy. Happily for us, a voyeur armed with great instincts and a mobile phone, snapped them in the throes of passion. Now, did this generous soul keep the picture to himself? No. He tweeted it, which led to several thousand retweets. Now, this lovesome-twosome has become one of the many Cannes legends. Beat that David Droga.
Anyhow, back to the topic at hand. If you ask most Indian creatives why they come to Cannes, you'd get two standard answers. A) See the great work happening around the world. B) Hope they will win a metal when they are here.
There's nothing wrong with that. But that doesn't mean everything is right about it either. By all means come here and get inspired. If you are driven that will motivate you for a few days.
But if you want to make this whole Cannes experience truly worthwhile, you must use it to discover your weaknesses. What don't you know? What can't you do? What can't you do well? Are you trapped in the old ways, old days, and what the old farts say?
Many of us come here to be judged, and hopefully, to win. If you have, I salute and congratulate you. Josy Paul, Ajay Jhala and the BBDO team did all of us proud by winning the Glass Lion Grand Prix. So did all the winners from McCann, Grey, Ogilvy, etc. But I'd like to suggest that if several hunks of sculpted metal are all we take back from here, it is too little.
What should we take then, remains the question. Fear. There are some things being said here in seminars and around coffee tables that should make us afraid. Afraid that we are falling back. Afraid that we are too comfortable in what we know. Afraid that if we don't innovate, our clients will find someone who does. Afraid that today's great is tomorrow's average. Afraid that India mein aisa nahi hota is no longer an excuse, because India is changing and so will waha kya hota hai.
Fear is good. It makes us question where we stand and what we know to be true. It makes us look for different answers because it is suspicious of the old ones. Someone said, only the paranoid survive. Not true. The paranoid thrive. They take chances no one will dare. They change before they are made to.
There's no doubt it's the people who are infected with these fears who will lead our business into the future. Some of them maybe holding awards today, but all of them will be winning in the days to come. Sometimes even at big award shows.
Flash back to the present though. Journalists and some other folks ask what I think about India's disappointing metals tally thus far. Yeah, it's not great.
I worry, not about the award count, but our attitude. If we go back thinking about how to win more, we will have lost. If we start planning what we need to do differently, we will do newer/better/effectiver (I know, I know, that's not a word) work. Maybe that will win an award, maybe that won't, the jury is a capricious mistress. But I guarantee you this, it will win where it matters most, in people's hearts.
(The author is director & chief creative officer, Publicis South Asia)
