The Cannes comedown: After all the rosé here are the lessons that actually stuck

Elizabeth Nan Tie (left) and Tayla Orr (right) from Nine represented Australia in the Media category of Cannes Young Lions Competition last week. Here, they reflect on the lessons that made it through the haze.

Waking up after Cannes feels a bit like finding yourself fully clothed, shoes still on, atop the covers after a big night out. And Cannes is a big week out, a big party where the conversation is intellectual and the rosé free flowing.

So as we shake off the jetlag, here are the insights that made it through the noise…

1. The power of ruthlessly concise storytelling

Can you tell your story in ten slides? In one? That was the challenge we undertook this week. In the Young Lions media competition we were asked to respond to a brief for Ovarian Cancer within 24hrs culminating in a ten page deck, a one slide presentation board and a five minute presentation.

As seasoned brief responders, let us be clear: a 24-hour turnaround isn’t ideal for truly groundbreaking ideas (although we still enjoyed the challenge!). But a 10 slide limit, that’s an idea we can get behind. It forces you to be ruthless, to strip away the fluff and get to the very core of the idea, the bits that really sell it. So we challenge you all to take on the ten page deck and see the difference for yourselves.

For a masterclass in concise storytelling, check out Ibis Creative, the pop-up agency we formed with our fellow Young Lions competitors.

2. Creators are just as tuned into the advertising landscape as we are

There were a huge number of creators and celebs taking part in this year’s Cannes Lions and the one thing that struck us was their remarkable openness and interest in advertising. It was fascinating to see both big names and micro-influencers hitting the same notes around brand collaborations. There’s a clear shift from any past apprehension about “selling out” to a genuine interest in partnerships.

These days the ‘talent’ get it, they get the algorithms, they get their audiences and know how to help you connect authentically. They are also incredibly creative; we witnessed Jimmy Fallon live on stage spontaneously brainstorming a genuinely good TVC idea for a biscuit brand in mere seconds. The takeaway? Include creators early in the process – they can be real strategic and creative partners.

3. Say the weird idea.

As two newbies at Cannes it was a delight to see the breath and depth of work on show. We spent hours wandering around The Work, seeing live judgings, and watching case studies at the award shows. The variety of work was staggering and frankly a lot of it was weird – brilliant but deeply off kilter.

From this eye-gougingly good film to Bees being used for good in Ukraine we loved these glorious unexpected executions. We loved to imagine the offices across the world where these ideas were first created. From the person that was brave enough to say them to the teams that nurtured them into something award winning. So keep saying the weird idea and most importantly, crucially, foster environments – rooms, teams, cultures – that don’t dismiss but instead empower and celebrate the crazy, fun, and wonderfully weird connections that lead to truly memorable work.

As we shake off the Cannes hangover and return to our daily grind, our heads continue to buzz with inspiration. But it’s these thoughts in the immediate aftermath that have been the most pronounced, the ones we simply can’t get out of our heads.

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