Cannes Lions Day Three: Senthil Kumar’s blog

Managed to wake up early and undress for some stimulating conversation between 04 rockstars whose careers have switched from advertising to marketing.
Here's how the seminar panned out. Not everything was new but there was quite a lot of stripping down to engage the average consumer with content and communities that are created by the consumers.
Hope you guys find something that stimulates you to step into the shoes of the consumer like Nike and become part of their journey called real life.
---------------------------
Speakers: Naked Communications, Google, Nike and Coca Cola:
Paul Woolmington: Naked Communications
Andy Berndt: Google
Stefan Olander: Nike
Jonathan Mildenhall: Coca Cola
-----------------------------
The Changing Nature of Communication
What would you shag?
What would you marry?
What would you throw off a cliff?

Throw out: Distrust btw team members across disciplines and correct the urge of going all the way and reaching a spot where the wheels r n the roof of the car.

Marry: User Generated Content, Facebook Applications and all the Basic media that's working because that's what people want

Shag : Sweat on Experimentation , Engage with Communities of people which are interested in anything no matter what it is.
Finding Smart solutions to simple things using logistics

Role of Advertising that's evolving now?
----------------------------
Nike: Understand the consumer lives and contexts and how the brand fits in before you engage with the consumer.
Start a relationship and show some respect and understanding of the average consumer and their lives :)

Google: Show what people want and ask for. Innovation completely new that interrupts but working backwards from the consumers needs. Become a part of the lives.

Coke: Inject cultural leadership by not just inviting consumers to buy the product but engage them to buy into the cultural ideals of the brand. Mixing races of people, taking Coke into fighting street crime and embracing real touch points of real people.

Role of Communities:
------------------------
Nike: all about people and how can we engage and play a relevant role in their sport spaces. Inspiring and enhancing sport. "Great Shoes but built around how do they fit into people’s lives than just the enormous effort that goes into fitting their feet. " Making Shoes that Make Your Lives better.

Google: DNA is of an Engineering company creating tools that are driven by the end user and what's useful to them. Always trying to build Real relationships with the users.
Youtube is literally a canvas for communities. Average people become heroes here by doing crazy stuff and Youtube is the creative platform that opens new ways of creating and sharing your individuality.
Google Maps can grow business and lead new consumers home.

Coke: Nervous about user generated content, however we are one of the world's best loved brand with 4 million fans on Facebook. We are Baking new media into our plans and 60sec user generated expressions starting with a crate of Coke and inviting consumers to create new stories in Mexico. Engage the audience to Consume and Create is the journey forward.

Detroit auto industry: lacked innovation and evolution of the process. So what's evolving in advertising?
------------------------
Google eco system:
Making things in the digital zone is empowered by the ability of 1 or 2 individuals who create something new and amplify it into something big by just thinking for 3 nights without sleep and it is done.

Coke: Share the Consumer journey and become a part of their lives. Connect with just common agenda across idea and media.
Nike: The courage to let go of ownership of  and adopt the best. To believe in your talent and allow others to build on the idea without fear.

Who Owns Creative?
----------------------
Nike: if anyone thinks they own something that's the problem. Because you have to allow everyone in to contribute and create more.
Everyone has to create together but important that all pull in one direction.
Partnerships are key.
"Creativity has a life cycle and like life itself it can never ever be pinned down."

Coke: Nobody achieves creativity. We just put it into public domain and let consumers take whatever they want out of it. Creativity never reaches its destination. It's always a journey.
Grip the wheel a bit loose to allow others to add on.
------------------------------
So what do we take out from this? Creative has to leap straight into the consumer's life and become a part of it and join their journey with a freshness that engages them and invites them to create their own version of our ideas. Strip ourselves of trying to own our ideas and invite everyone else including the end user to push the journey of the idea forward, no matter where or how wild the creative journey amplifies itself into...