Cannes is only valuable when it focuses on ideas. Kentaro Kimura (Hakuhodo Kettle) × Yuya Furukawa (Dentsu Inc.) × Ray Inamoto (AKQA)

How did the creators feel looking back on the entire schedule? We asked three individuals with extensive experience as judges at international advertising awards, including Cannes: Kentaro Kimura, Yuya Furukawa, and Ray Inamoto.
(This content is reprinted from the September issue of "Brain")

From Campaigns to Platforms Solving Social Issues

――What trends did you notice at this year's Cannes Lions?

Ray: One is the rise of tech companies. What struck me as symbolic was that the meeting rooms at the hotel I stayed in were completely booked by tech companies like LinkedIn, Mashable, Facebook, and Oracle. Ten years ago, those rooms were all occupied by agencies. About five years ago, clients like Unilever, Coca-Cola, and McDonald's started taking over, and this year, it's been completely overtaken by tech companies.

Kimura: Following that trend, I felt the award-winning work has shifted from campaigns to platforms. Even for the same social good challenges, while past work focused on raising awareness, this year's winners developed solutions, turning them into actual usable tools or systems. It felt less driven by client briefs and more about creators having an idea first, building it, and then spreading it. I noticed many entries were product or technology-driven.

Furukawa: From a brand perspective, VOLVO's "Life Paint" is a prime example. Every existence has its good and bad sides—fated, like "original sin." For instance, cars and planes bring convenience but also accidents; the internet can lead to excessive bullying. VOLVO has long stated, "Our mission is to eliminate traffic accidents worldwide." "Life Paint" embodies this mission at the everyday level.

Watch the "Life Paint" video here.

Starting from the premise that all products contain both good and bad, they considered what a brand should do within society and gave it form. I believe this is one of the few truly "meaningful for good" initiatives. The idea of it glowing at night feels like something even a slightly clever neighborhood association might do (laughs). I think it's a valuable social good deeply rooted in the brand's essence.

Kimura: True. When you think about it, any player could tackle traffic safety issues—tech companies like Google or mobile carriers, governments, local authorities, anyone. The key point is why Volvo chose to engage in this, amidst an environment where anyone could start it in any form. It's become all about work that truly doesn't start with a brief.

Ray: When you mention "non-brief-driven work," the Ice Bucket Challenge immediately comes to mind. It sparked a massive movement last year. A grassroots activity started by someone with a family member suffering from ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) exploded to that level. Considering even people outside advertising know about it, it's truly remarkable. Winning an award from thousands of entries is tough, but I'm interested to see how much "Life Paint" will actually be used going forward.

Kimura: My first time at Cannes Lions was about 10 years ago in 2004. Back then, Cannes was an "idea competition." But gradually, it's shifted towards being a "solution competition," placing greater emphasis on how well a problem was solved, how well the work performed. I think that's a good thing, but this year, it felt like entries were being judged based on the "size of the issue" they addressed. Honestly, it felt like the "Social Good Effie Awards."

Furukawa: There was also a tendency for entries with a social good theme to be valued more than the actual idea. As a result, "correct but boring" entries ended up ranking highly. If Cannes abandons prioritizing the idea itself, I think it loses all meaning.

How do you view the new "Glass Lions"? The wave of diversity hits the ad world

Kimura: When I judged the Titanium category last year, the "five major issues common to humanity" listed were gender and prejudice, war and crime, illness and physical disability, poverty and inequality, and the environment. Even then, the debate split between those focused on social good results—arguing, "Let's show how we tackled these problems and demonstrate the power of creativity!"—and those championing the pioneering nature of ideas, insisting, "No, we should select game-changing ideas that advance the industry itself."

Furukawa: My take on social good is that we shouldn't overextend ourselves by tackling problems far beyond our capabilities or issues unrelated to our company. The fundamental premise should be addressing problems closely tied to our own brand, like "Life Paint." Forcing connections to social issues just to win awards is, frankly, a poor attitude. It's also becoming a new breeding ground for scams. Unfortunately, I think it speaks to the immaturity of the advertising industry.

Ray: There were far too many socially conscious campaigns this year. It's concerning how far they've strayed from the fundamentals of the advertising business.

Kimura: Thinking about it, "#LikeAGirl" stands apart; it's properly integrated into P&G's brand. By centering on adolescence while raising awareness of biases against women and calling for the restoration of pride, it simultaneously addresses both the problem the product (sanitary products) aims to solve and the societal issue that needs solving. I think that ad contains as much philosophy as reading an entire book.

Furukawa: While the execution of "#LikeAGirl" is trendy and experimental, its core idea aligns with what P&G excels at lately – "encouraging women," like in "Thanks, Mom." Since the product is a daily necessity, having this kind of philosophy makes for effective branding.

Watch the"#LikeAGirl"video here.

(Full text available in the September issue of Brain )

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Kentaro Kimura
Representative Director, Co-CEO / Creative Director & Account Planner, Hakuhodo Kettle. Joined Hakuhodo in 1992; established Hakuhodo Kettle in 2006. Recipient of numerous domestic and international advertising awards. Jury member for the 2014 Cannes Lions Titanium & Integrated category.

Yuya Furukawa
Dentsu Inc. CDC, Head of CDC Center / Executive Creative Director. Joined Dentsu Inc. in 1980. Winner of numerous domestic and international advertising awards. Jury member for the Titanium & Integrated category at Cannes Lions 2013 and the Film category at Cannes Lions 2014. Senior Jury Member for the NY Festivals 2015.

Rei Inamoto
AKQA Worldwide CCO. Based in New York. Joined AKQA in 2004. Winner of numerous advertising awards. Jury member for the Titanium & Integrated category at Cannes Lions 2010. Overall Jury President for AdFest 2015 and Jury President for the Mobile Marketing category at D&AD.