#CannesLions: One eye on Cannes, one on Twitter
20-06-2014 (12:18) - Bureaus
Sipping rose by the pool, attending inspiring seminars, being surrounded by the creme de la creme - that’s Cannes Lions, or at least Cannes, in a nutshell.
The Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity is not all about Cannes though, it is also living a vibrant life in the world of social media. Even though this world can’t be completely separated from the physical, fabulous Cannes we see on Instagram and Twitter, it is worthwhile keeping an eye on both.
Already the second official day of the festival, online conversation averages at over 1.100 per hour. Till today, activities in the #CannesLions social media world tend to reach its peaks when celebrities hit the stage. And there is no doubt that this year’s festival has had a few of them. Celebrities clearly help boosting a brand’s social presence. When Calvin Harris tweeted about the Microsoft Beach Club party, he almost doubled the popularity of the brand’s hashtag #msftCannes. They also steer online conversation around buzzwords, driving hot topics as #creativity and #storytelling.
Legendary film director Spike Jonze, presenting on the crossover between technology and storytelling, sparked #storytelling as a trending hashtag. Golin’s session starring David Hasselhoff is another stellar example, where the ex-Baywatch celebrity helped lifting the agency into a prominent position online and promoting the #Hoffornot hashtag. The list continues, from Jared Leto and Courtney Love to other A-listers as Sarah Jessica Parker, Calvin Harris and Pharrel Williams. The biggest social splash so far was surrounding Kanye West, generating lively conversation across most social media platforms.
Stepping out of the social world, the power of the celebrity has manifested itself in several ways at this year’s festival. Pharrel Williams’ recycled plastic fashion won the first ever Product Design Grand Prix. Volvo’s ‘Epic Split’, featuring Jean-Claude Van Damme, won the Cyber category. Heineken’s #ShareTheSofa, linking football fans directly with stars as Di Matteo and Van Nistelrooy, earned a Direct Lion for best use of social audience in DM campaign.
No doubt, Cannes Lions, as a festival of creativity, has embraced the cult of celebrity and social media. Or, in the words of Kanye West himself: 'Celebrity is the highest form of communication, we are like walking networks or TV shows or brands.'
