Why the hell are you going to Cannes?

Hello. After yesterday's rain, we've suddenly got a blue sky here—a typical Cannes sky. I say "typical," but this is actually my first time in Cannes.

Cannes' bright beach stretches right before the venue

I work in the Media & Content Planning Division, helping solve corporate challenges through the power of media. I spent many years handling magazines, and currently, I primarily work with publishers to leverage the editorial team's insights into readers' lifestyles and sentiments to solve clients' marketing challenges.

My background up to this point has been in media; I'm what you'd call a "media person" in an advertising agency. So when I ended up going to Cannes, I got the question: "Why the hell are you going to Cannes?" It's a perfectly natural reaction. Because this is the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity – a festival for creatives. That question essentially boils down to: "Is there any reason for a media person to go to Cannes Lions, a festival for creatives?" I think this perfectly natural question is the theme of this report.

For ten years since joining the company, I've consistently worked as a media specialist. Honestly, until very recently, I didn't even know what month Cannes Lions (though "Cannes Advertising Festival" feels more natural to me...) took place. I'd barely engaged with the annual award-winning or buzzworthy work. You could say it was a matter of awareness, but not knowing didn't really interfere with my regular work (or so I thought), and perhaps I simply didn't have the bandwidth to pay attention. For someone like me in media, Cannes felt like a distant place.

But this year, by chance, my agency told me, "Go see Cannes!" (though not in such a commanding tone), and I got this lucky break. I understand the background for this assignment is that there's something here for media people to see and bring back. It's "something useful not just for creative professionals, but for anyone working in communications to solve corporate challenges." I hope to see what that is and share at least a little of it in this report.

Within this venue, various events are held—from judging and award ceremonies to seminars and screenings of entries.

While I've been given the theme "Cannes Report," I don't think this will cover trends in this year's winning works or tips for aiming to win next year. I ask for your understanding in advance that it won't meet such expectations.

As I write this, we are midway through the second day. Being here confirms that the majority of attendees are involved in planning and production. However, viewing the submitted works and listening to the seminars reveals that what truly gathers here is the process of "how to generate ideas that solve problems and how to actually bring them to life," along with the resulting outcomes, methodologies, case studies, and organizational theories. Putting it that way, doesn't it suggest there might be something useful here even for those who aren't creative specialists?

Over the next few days, I will be exposed to outstanding ideas from around the world. I will share what I see in my next report. I hope to provide insights that make Cannes feel a little more accessible to those who might otherwise see it as a distant world.

Shortlists and award winners for each category are being announced one after another