The nonsense of brand purpose negates the Ai blowback

CANNES DAY 2 Big Themes:
✓ Over all the work is much stronger this year
✓ Fear of AI

My office for the day:

The Work I Loved:
The work this year is so much stronger. It’s an embarrassment of riches (especially for Canada). But if I was a betting gal, I’d say some sheep will turn into a Lion. A flock of rogue sheep in a small Bavarian town found their way into a Penny grocery store. Penny seized the moment and made hay. It spurred a 48-hour rebrand which included new store signage, a wanted poster, a woolly re-do of their social feed, and even inspired a fuzzy jingle.

This campaign demonstrated the power of ramming an idea through in real time. Bending time triumphs a modest budget every time. A good reminder for marketers to seize the day.

Overheard at Cannes regarding the Mark Ritson + Byron Sharp session:

“I hated that Ritson session.”
“I loved it!”

But such is Cannes.

It’s all the creative wattage
in Canada to blame.

Oprah gives a master class in branding:
Having traveled from her humble childhood roots in rural Mississippi to the glittery stage in Cannes, LionHeart recipient Oprah Winfrey gave a master class in branding with five simple words.  When asked to articulate her personal brand by Cannes Lions Chairmen Phil Thomas, she distilled it down to one sentence, “My heart is my brand.”

This guiding principle has informed her legacy of improving life better for those around her, using her power and fame for good. Beyond being an inspirational role model, Oprah underscored the importance of intentionality, and taking the time to understand what truly matters.

For brilliant branding I’m holding onto this lesson: sometimes all you need is exactly five words.

Today in photos:

Provocateur author and VoxMedia podcaster Kara Swisher explores the role AI plays in the news and advertising ecosystem today at Adweek House:
In a time where real news is so polarizing brand struggle to find safe harbour, and AI glitches don’t always deliver the safe spaces. We are in time when longevity is one of the hottest topics, yet inevitably the word “death” appears in that coverage, and AI will deem it an unsafe space for ads through keyword blocking. In other words, we are all still working out the kinks of AI. No one can fully define AI’s role at this point and many fear it. Yet news is still the best place for many big brand advertisers, like GM. It was a thought-provoking session enhanced by the usual Swish sass.

Kara Swisher. I love her.