Alina Damaschin: There was a lot of talk at Cannes-2022 about “purpose fatigue”

Alina Damaschin, jury at Cannes Lions 2022: There was a lot of talk in this year's edition of “purpose fatigue”

Alina Damaschin, Managing Partner Rogalski Damaschin, was judged at Cannes Lions 2022. Alina judged for the shortlist of the Engagement/PR Lions category, where 300 campaigns from all over the world were entered.

What did Alina feel as a juror at Cannes-2022? That it takes less perfection, more truth. It's time for reality, diversity and awkward conversations in the communications industry. Of authenticity and not of saving the world through forced slogans.

She spoke to those of iQAdSabout the jury work at Cannes Lions 2022, trends in communication, topics that now concern the industry and her experience at the festival.

What Cannes-2022 meant for the communication industry

Two years have passed since the last physical edition of the festival, and we are in a period where the world is going through accelerated changes. However, the Cannes Lions seem to have managed to remain in 2022 the barometer of the global communication industry, or, as someone put it, “to mark the start of a new creative year”.

The festival sets new standards of imagination, innovation and demonstrates, also in 2022, the power of the industry to make a real impact in business and in the evolution of society.

How the Cannes Lions Festival has evolved

Two years of pandemic and the international context we are going through are continuously and at an accelerated pace changing the creative industry.

People's relationships and expectations of brands are changing, buying and consuming habits of products (e.g. e-commerce) or media (streaming) are changing. New generations of communicators with very varied skills are emerging. People develop complex identities on virtual platforms that complement those in real life.

And they all change the creative product and the way it reaches people.

Apart from the inscribed work that turns into awards and recognitions, the festival is also about the big themes debated in the Palais. This year in particular, it's also about meeting new and old friends and a state of connection that people needed perhaps more than in other years.

Alina Damaschin, member of the jury of the Cannes Lions Festival 2022

I admit that after two years of watching campaigns and various talk and events more online, it was an unexpected reunion with reality. I was glad to have access to hundreds of entries and the opportunity to understand from the “inside” what are the topics of global interest, where the industry has migrated, what are the surprise regions, what has happened remarkably in recent years.

What did jury work entail at Cannes-2022

I was judged for the shortlist, this means that I judged certain subcategories within the Engagement/PR Lions category. That's about 300 campaigns signed up by agencies all over the world.

My categories were a mix of traditional and new:

• Sociale Engagement
• Media relations
• Crisis Communication
• Cultura e contexto

Quite a few entries for specific PR categories (e.g. internal communication, media relations or crisis communication, where there were a total of five entries and no shortlist)

Many entries in categories such as NGO or content creation, where PR agencies meet all the other disciplines of communication and even companies or production houses.

How long did it take to judge at Cannes Lions 2022

Two weeks with a few hours each day, judging for the short list, and a few days that of the jury present in Cannes Lions.

Challenges and sensitivities in the judging process

The judging was different from the 2017 edition both as a trial and especially as a work.

It is by far the largest festival of creativity and this year, more than 25,000 entries were registered from 87 countries, some of which were among the first participants — Honduras, Myanmar.

Categories established in recent years have had increasing enrollments. A new category entered in the festival — Creative B2B — attracted more than 400 entries and campaigns from over 188 companies.

The companies, brands and agencies that have taken to the scene have demonstrated that, despite these years and all the constraints, their creative vision, anchoring in context and the ability to quickly adapt to reality have been the key ingredients for campaigns with real impact.

On the other hand, there has been a lot and justifiably talked about the lack/lack of humor in this year's campaigns (almost non-existent at Grand Prix level).

There has also been a lot of talk about “Purpose fatigue”: all brands want to change the world, but some have tackled themes forcefully, tactically, or unrelated to their business.

Brands, themes and all associations with personalities or influencers that they make are carefully judged by people. We are at a time when mission and debate are turning (or at least society expects it to) into action and demonstrated activism.

The hardest and most beautiful part of jury work at Cannes-2022

The hardest part, to go through the entire judging process for the 300 campaigns in a relatively short time, among travel and activities.

The most beautiful remains related to the discovery of totally unexpected ideas and very interesting information about the context of said campaigns and their effects.

One example — “The Lost Class” — a campaign later confirmed in competition with Grand Prix and Titanium, made me read a lot about the gun lobby industry in America.

What surprised you at Cannes Lions 2022

2022 seems to have been the year of collaboration between brands and communities, influencers, society. Brands have become more flexible, practical and connected with society, somehow natural after so much “disconnection”.

Society themes are becoming “top of mind” for brands as well, and the quality of interactions between them and the public creates a new economic landscape.

What trends stood out at Cannes-2022

Creativity took on new forms, emphasis was placed on real inclusiveness, Sustainabilityconcrete and use of data for social purposes.

Brands are challenged to engage with critical themes, innovate not only through messages but also through products with real impact, and communication becomes an active tool for change.

Creativity is also reflected in new formats, audio

The Unfiltered History Tour, a campaign that took the form of a series of podcasts, an interactive mobile experience that presents the true story of some artefacts and how they came into the possession of the British Museum. The stories are revealed alongside experts who have a connection to the country of origin of the disputed objects.

Another example,”I will always be me“. A Dell initiative in partnership with Intel, about the power of audio innovation to change the lives of patients living with terminal illnesses. Together they created a bank to preserve the voices of patients. Grand Prix in Pharma.

Real inclusivity has no limits

Grand Prix of PR category, campaign”The breakaway, the first cycling team for prisoners” for Decathlon.

Through the virtual platform Zwift, inmates of a maximum security prison in Belgium communicate with the “outside” world.

It is an experience that has had a major impact on the mentality of the participants. As a result of its success, it was extended to all prison inmates in Belgium. Courageous, scalable, inspiring for other brands as well.

Critical and polarizing themes in society are waiting for brands to have a real impact alongside

La classe perdida— a campaign that illustrates in a very powerful visual way that thousands of teenagers are unable to graduate from high school because of bullets that have shortened their lives.

It is signed by Change the Ref, an NGO founded by the parents of a young man killed by such a bullet.

Sustainability in physical shape

Hope Reef — an ambitious initiative to restore a coral reef in Indonesia in the form of the word Hope. Backed by Mars Petcare and Google, it demonstrates that there are man-made solutions to problems that all humans create.

Based on the experience of scientists and the local community, Hope Reef is a natural billboard visible from space and that has demonstrated that, in just three months, the reef can be reborn.

Big Data is not just technology.

Habits that turn into data, for the benefit of those without access to technology Tienda Data. It is a WeCapital Mexico campaign about the financial inclusion of women, in a context in which 35 million Mexican women do not have a bank account and do not have access to microcredit.

Data about their payment history is collected from the “notebooks” of small shops where they shop and used to create a score recognized by the bank. A fresh approach to a real problem through which tens of thousands of women have managed to open their small businesses.

Communication changes the world, but also unique products

Some products really change the world. These are the reasons behind campaigns like”Real ToneGoogle in the USA, a camera that improves the quality of photos of people of color.

As well as”Backup Ukraina”, of Polycam and Virtue Worldwide for Unesco, which creates a digital platform with 3D monuments starting from the photos of amateurs, in a Ukraine at risk of losing them.

Another example, “I will always be me,” by VMLY&R New York for Dell, an audio bank for patients with neurological diseases, who can record their voices before they can no longer use them.

What topics concern the industry in 2022

• Sustainability Not just the climate change, but everything changes. The climate crisis is a wake up call that affects industries, the economy, the environment and lifestyles.

The creative industry becomes responsible and begins to direct its energy to educate people and replenish the Earth's compromised resources. Respect for balance and resources, for indigenous communities, for endangered species are central themes of campaigns and debates.

• Metaverse, Web3, Gaming, Avatars, NFTs, Big Data— offers new communication possibilities for brands and alternative identities for people.

Brands that involve communities of gamers in promoting themes, fundraising, special launches and engagement in a whole new way.

Gaming, the favorite activity of Gen Z but experienced by all generations, seen as “the greatest art form of our time”, a form of collaboration, relaxation, as fundraising and generally a form of progress.

• Content Creators and Collaboration.Brands prefer lasting partnerships with content creators with whom they share common values and whose audiences are attractive. Brands are increasingly open to developing campaigns and even new products with them.

The role of influencers is less as message boosters and more as educators, experts, entertainers, activists.

The rapid development of virtual experiences has also led to the emergence of these virtual influencers alongside which brands enter a whole new level of engagement.

Imagine an influencer who can be in dozens of places at the same time and tell just as many different stories. Or a football player who is brought back to life in virtual form and becomes the image of the great sports retailer and the idol of children passionate about FIFA21.

• I have lived quite a bit in a world obsessed with perfection. We live in an era where you have to be “educated”, to seek, understand and accept the truth. It's time for reality, for diversity and equality, for genuine conversationswith responsibility and attention to people. There were many examples, here one of the most appreciated, a campaign Burger King.

Creativity has become a very fluid concept, and action a very concrete expectation. Brands have more than ever tools and platforms on which to build experiences.

It is an incredible moment of transformation, our collective moment, we have the opportunity to act as we have always intended and solve problems of businesses and society. Time to make history!, to paraphrase the slogan of this year's festival.

Differences between Romanian industry and international work

I have only judged one campaign in Romania and I cannot say that I have an observation based on data. Congratulations to the agencies that made it to the shortlist, it really is an achievement to be in the top 3% of the world.

If there is only one difference to intuit, it is about the resources, and not just financial, behind most winning campaigns.

They are primarily the result of the collaboration of several entities — agencies with different specializations, production houses, researchers and scientists, influencers.

I would also say that they are also a result of patience. There are campaigns that, from idea to implementation and results, sometimes even took two years. This requires stability in the business, lasting relationships with partners and a vision that goes beyond the annual goals.

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