TITANIUM

So THIS will be the last entry. Fun picks follow but I want to end with a thought about the Titanium Lion winner this year.
It went to a Japanese company called Design Barcode, who re-design UPC barcodes into cool, relevant designs on consumer goods packages. They have implemented these designs into 15 different products in Japan and have some 60 designs on the way. So cool, so simple. Take that ugly bar code on EVERY PACKEAGE IN THE WORLD and have some fun with it. It has been there all along and someone decided to make something of it, functionally so, and they won the only Titanium Lion for their efforts. The Jury said that when they saw this entry they knew they were done. They also looked like the only Jury that got a tan, so I think that was true.

You can check out all the winners and info at
www.lionsdailynews.com
and
www.canneslions.com

Thanks for checking out the cannesblog. I appreciate the interest and those who took the time to comment.
See you back in Chicago July 6th and see you on the cannesblog next year.

-David

PARTY PICS

The big agency parties at Cannes are way over the top. At the Leo Burnett Party you walked down a row of torches to the laser beam covered ROTATING dance floor and bars. And this is all at the beach. Spotlights twirling around, hipsters with glowing drinks and security with guard dogs.

The DDB party was bigger but a little more grown up. Still a spectacle and right on the beach in front of one of the big hotels. Part of the party goes out on the pier. Plenty of famous and infamous ad folks there.

The final gala was also at the beach and was by far the biggest party I have ever been to in my life. people were lined up taking pictures of people going to the party. You felt like a movie star. A live band, HUGE desert tables and FIREWORKS at the end that were better than most 4th of July shows I've seen.

It appears there is money to be made in this ad business. Or at least the Ad Award show business.

CANNES PICS

Cannes is lovely. Yachts and cafes. If it weren't for being overrun with either THE FRENCH or, even worse, AD PEOPLE, it wouldn't be all that bad

BACK with FESTIVAL PICS

I'm connected in Italy and wanted to blog just a bit more and share some pics from the fest and the parties
These are pictures from the Palais, where the screenings, seminars and award presentations are held.

THIS COULD BE IT

Unless I find a better blogging home in my Italy travels next week, this could be my final post until I'm back in the U.S. The final show and gala is tonight in a couple hours. I'll post new shots from that and all the rest of the pics when I return.

GRAFT WATCH

I've done OK in the crappy graft department and as you know, when I win big YOU win big. Start lobbying now for the following...

Black Cannes T Shirt (size small) Black Cannes CYBER T shirt (L) Cannes Mouse Pad, Black Africa Film Department T Shirt (L) Coasters, baloons, flip books, goofy silver trinkets on chains, hip stickers, Topless girl postcard, stock film company straw hat (may not travel well) and Bronze Lion for Outdoor (stolen)

It's all up in the air.

The Cyber Cafe is gone, man.

When Chris Bing told me that the Creativity cyber cafe, an air conditioned Mac oasis where I could post pics and have tiny pizzas and samosas served to me had packed up and left town, I was devistated. I have now returned to the CRAPPY 1973 IBM PC in the HOT hotel conference room where I pay 10 Euros for 45 minutes of online time. I can't post pics which is too bad, as I have some amazing shots from the Leo Burnett Party ( 1000 people, searchlights, lasers, a revolving dance floor, guy Seese dancing with his beard, French cops hauling 4 people out of a bathroom stall) or the DDB beachside party after that (2000 people, glowing drinks, Me and Chuck Porter chatting in line for the urinals, David Rolfe going on about how much he likes Alex Zamiar, me dissagreeing)

If I can connect with a working mac (thanks again, help desk!!!) then I will post MANY more pics to give all a full visual understanding of Cannes by day and by night.

Oh yeah. Work.

I realize it might have been bad form to start with the party pics and stories before the work and all that, but that seems to be what happens out here.
I have been attending screenings and seminars and toured the gallery of print and outdoor this morning, too. This was no easy task as I was out again until 4am again.
But I digress. First the work.

Simplicity rules the day. FCB South Africa's LEGO print that won the Grand Prix for print is about as simple as you can get. Universal humor and human truths shine the brightest in these global audiences. I was truly inspired, as cliched as that sounds/is, by the work I saw in the screenings and galleries. Cyber is now hugely competitive, but I see real opportunity within seemingly smaller categories like BEST USE OF TV where I think we can win something here. Which reminds me...

WE CAN WIN SOMETHING OUT HERE
Easy Mac TV and Eat it Dude, DOW TV and online, The Discover Card Brand TV, The FANTASTIC FCB ad that Jensen qand Ron Lazaretti did about what you say VS How you say it could DEFINATELY do well here. Seeing the reaction to that type of thinking convinces me of it.

I sat in on a seminar by a Viral company called GO VIRAL and I was really UNIMPRESSED that the same old info qualifies as a SEMINAR. They were nice folks and all, but I wasn't terribly inspired nor did I learn much from their seminar which I could sumarize as... "We don't know if this works. We can't promise anything. Please call us if you'd like to do business together."

The work inspires and amazes. The people, when they attempt to explain it, for the most part sound like any one of us trying to retro fit a giant philosophy into what was in fact, a blurry mash of talent, timing, luck and chance.

BORAT is very CANNES

Not bad as far as Hillside French Villas go.

My friend Karim Bartoletti hosted Blake Ebel, my wife Dawn and I for dinner at his Italian film production company's hillside villa. Homemade pasta and grilled steak and plenty of wine. Incredibly nice people.
Long story short, but from now on ALL FCBi productions must be done in Milan.

Party. Pics.

A few pics from last night. Looked in focus at the time.

Last night wasn't an "official" party, just the usual evening activities.
No go for the Crispin party as my friend Alison Fahey, the Editor in Chief of Adweek, spaced the date (it was Wed eve, not Thurs) and left her phone on a yacht and I couldn't get in touch with her. Leaving phones on yachts happens out here.

Tonight is the DDB party which is supposed to be the BIG one. It is out on the beach in front of the hotel.

WORK wise, I attended a seminar with Bob Greenberg. Smart fellow, in case you hadn't heard.
He talked about walking the talk, essentially, when it comes to the new agency model. It wasn't in his presentation but I think we are doing it - and much better than most.

The Sureal life

Still no in room internet access. Still no Blackberry service. The consierge at the hotel is amazingly polite and completely useless. Back at the Creativity Mag cyber cafe for some quality post time.

Officially hit the party circuit last night which involves well orchestrated groupings and moves from specific hotels and bars throughout the night. Started at the Majestic hotel for the lovely and civilized DRAFT FCB cocktail party and ended at the rowdy and chaotic Gutter Bar at 4am. Rather than attempt to provide prose on the evening, I'll hit you with the bulletpoints and odd moments that made up the experience.

RAN INTO BRETT FROM FCB SOUTH AFRICA IN THE PARKING LOT CARRYING HIS GRAND PRIX. STILL. FROM THE NIGHT BEFORE.
SAW MAURICE LEVY AT THE PATIO BAR AND OVERHEARD HIM EXCLAIM TO SOMEONE...YOU ARE DESTROYING THE INFORMATION!!!
BLAKE EBEL IN THE LOBBY BAR SHOWING ME HIS COLLECTION OF "FAMOUS AD PEOPLE PICS" ON HIS DIGITAL CAMERA
MIDNIGHT AT THE CARLTON BAR. BOB SCARPELLI TALKING TO STEPHAN POSTEAR AND JIM FURGISON. CHUCK PORTER SIPPING HEINEKEN AT A TABLE IN THE FRONT. LEE CLOW AND CHUCK MCBRIDE WALKING PAST, LAUGHING. ANN BROWN UNINTENTIONALLY ACTING AS HOSTESS AND GREETER IN FRONT OF THE HOTEL. GAY GUTHRIE BUYING OUR TABLE A ROUND OF CHAMPAGNE AND WINE. PELE FROM FCB NY EXCLAIMING TO ME... YOU MUST, MUST, MUST GO TO SOMORA!!!!!! CHRIS BING IN THE BACK OF THE TERRACE SHARRING STORIES WITH KELLY JACKOWSKI FROM Z GROUP FILMS. MEETING THE "OTHER" DAVID JONES FROM EURO AND MAKING JOKES ABOUT GETTING EACH OTHER'S EMAILS. TERRESSA ITZI FROM CREATIVITY MAG STEALING A CHAIR FROM OUR TABLE. SOMEONE TOTALLY MAKING OFF WITH THE HEINEKEN I ORDERED. MIGHT HAVE BEEN CHUCK PORTER.

So the scene was a little wild. I have some advice. If you have Advertising Idols, it might be best not to ever meet them, or certainly not at the "gutterbar" at 4am.

From the Creativity Cafe

OK, so it seems that the keyboard thing is European so I'd best get used to it if i am going to be borrowing computers the entire time i'm here.

Logging in from the Creativity Mag cafe at the Majestic Hotel. Beautiful day here. Just attended a seminar by Maurice Saatchi about the death of Advertising and the need for ONE WORD briefs. His seminar was supposed to be 45 minutes long but he only went 20. Brief indeed.

Its hard out here for a blogger

Im in Cannes. That much I have accomplished.
What I dont have is my luggage, which never made it past London.
I also dont have wireless or blackberry service DESPITE the assurances of the FCB help desk that it was, to quote, ALL GOOD.

So I am posting from the Hotel computer in the back of the business ceneter conference room on a keyboard with either European or simply screwed up key with missplaced letters with the q, w, m and a keys in a different spot than I am used to.
So get ready for sentences like... I; hqving q greqt ti,e in Cqnnes

SO... Cannes, or Cqnnes as I like to call it, is pretty amazing. Like times square on a beach. Wild stuff. I am off to the Palais to pick up the registration info, hit a couple seminars and buy a SIM card or two.

More to come

I have a Sherpa

I just got word that my friend Karim Bartoletti is going to be at Cannes this year. Karim is the former head of production at Y&R Chicago and now lives in Milan, Italy where he is Executive Producer at FILMMASTER Milan. He is a seasoned Cannes vet as well as probably the single most popular person on earth. He will be my guide. I can feel the hangover already.

Packing

I finally found my passport. After that, all the packing kind of falls in line.
I am traveling with 3 ipods, (1 video) a cell phone, a Blackberry, a laptop, a digital camera and a PSP in my carry-on alone.
In packing terms this puts my gadget to underwear ratio at a level that Dawn, my wife and traveling companion, will certainly not approve of so adjustments must be made.

Aside from all the normal finding someone to water the plants kind of arrangements you need to make before a trip, going to Cannes means you need to arrange TICKETS to all the big parties. I'll be attending the Draft / FCB party, of course, but the fest is also a chance to check out how our friends at the other agencies live, or in this case, drink. I have scored tickets to the DDB party (apparently a HUGE annual event) the Leo Burnett party and the Crispin party Thursday night. I'll see what others I can get invites to and/or crash.

What is the cannesblog?

This is a blog to chronicle my trip to the 2006 Cannes Advertising Festival for the FCBi and Emerging Platforms team at the Draft / FCB Group in Chicago.

The intent is to capture the experience, share the knowledge, but keep the tan and hangover for myself.

Check in often as I am going to do my best to share the fest with my bretheren in Chicago via this, the cannesblog.