Cannes 2024 – Online Juries
(06/14/24). Carolina Sabha –COO of Publicis Groupe (Argentina)-Solange Romo –Head of Planning at Paradais DDB (Ecuador)-, Vicente Varela -DExecutive Director of Operations and Business Development of the Brazilian radio station SBT-, and Rodrigo Revoredo –Partner and CSO at Valor (Peru)-; were chosen Virtual Juries of Media Lions 2024. We share their reflections, included in LS#180, about the value of this Award and the works they were judging.
Carolina Sabha, COO of Publicis Groupe (Argentina), Media Lions Virtual Jury
Participating in an event of the magnitude of Cannes Lions always gives us that mixture of pride and the responsibility of representing the industry, and your country, in front of a lot of colleagues from different parts of the world.
This designation as Shortlisting Jury in the Media Lions category comes, punctually, at a very exciting moment in my career, but one that also implied the determination to leave my comfort zone and reinvent myself. Today I find myself at Publicis Groupe, surrounded by people who motivate and inspire me to continue growing.
As shortlist jurors, we are the ones who start the voting stage. We have the task of evaluating first-hand the registered cases and detecting those that will mark the relevance of the category and establish the yardstick by which everything else will be measured.
Solange Romo, Head of Planning at Paradais DDB (Ecuador), Media Lions Virtual Jury
-How important is the category you are judging this year in Cannes?
-This year I am part of the Media shortlist jury, which is precisely one of the categories that I consider complex and that generates many conversations and debates. Precisely, the hardest thing that could happen to the work is that it provokes a question like “and why is this Media?”, because that is where many draw the line that could divide the piece between whether it is a good idea or a good idea of Average, which obviously marks the rating.
-What must an idea accomplish to be recognized in this award?
–We are in search of big and bold ideas. The important points that come from the president of the jury align precisely with this: 1) Clear and powerful insights: that accompanied by good data can help build an audience, make it clear and really connect with it. 2) Of a high level in craftsmanship and creativity: that they manage to involve people, that generate curiosity and interest. That they are presented in simple, clear ways that can make the work shine. 3) Impact: Ideas that can reach and generate conversation in other markets. That spark discussions between different people.
–How will you evaluate jobs that have been created with AI?
–AI is a tool that is gaining a lot of popularity and space. I think the important thing here would be to have an open mind that allows us to really see the potential that AI has to help us magnify an idea and also even how it can highlight the importance and authenticity of the human touch. Likewise, those ideas that can go beyond the common places in which many have begun to fall and repeat themselves will undoubtedly stand out, which tends to happen a lot when something becomes a trend.
Vicente Varela, Executive Director of Operations and Business Development of the Brazilian broadcaster SBT, Media Lions Virtual Jury
-How important is the Medium category to you?
-As a Jury in the Media shortlist category of Cannes Lions 2024, I was able to analyze cases from different continents and countries and in all of them I noticed a significant growth in the quality used in the creative use of media, mainly in the OOH categories and use of influencers As in all the cases analyzed, I noticed great concern on the part of the brands to adapt to the context of media consumption and generate return results greater than the impact or simple visualizations.
Being on this team of judges was very rewarding and enriching. As Cannes is a large festival, each year the festival seeks to prepare its juries so that we have a technical, fair and balanced analysis, without bias and that takes into account the marketing context.
-How do you evaluate jobs created with AI?
-The use of AI still differs in the categories analyzed, since I noticed a concern in its use to generate insights and many ideas are still devised by virtual assistants. I think we still have to overcome the barrier of searching for creative authenticity associated with the use of technology.
-How did you see the creativity of Brazil and the region in Cannes?
-Brazil will stand out like every year in Cannes, since we will see large advertisers present cases of real needs. I was also able to notice a lot of consistency in countries like Colombia, Chile and France. In Europe, the creative use of OOH as a guerrilla asset against competition and the search for interactivity with the consumer caught my attention, since I was able to discover great ideas that value simplicity and genius from the obvious context.
Rodrigo Revoredo, Partner and CSO at Valor (Peru), Media Lions Virtual Jury
-How important is the Medium category to you?
-The importance of this category lies in answering a question. Today what is a medium? No, I don’t know the answer. And seeing the work think about one, it becomes even more complex. But at the same time, that is the magic and importance of the category. It’s about finding new touchpoints to reach people, gain their attention and achieve results. So perhaps a good way to understand what Media is today would be to understand it as any possibility of becoming a touchpoint. And that is the differential of the category, what I least imagine could be a point of contact with the consumer.
-What must an idea accomplish to be recognized in this award?
-The message is to recognize what is basically shown as an innovative, disruptive or powerful way to generate connection between the brand and consumers.
-How do you see the creativity of Peru and the region?
-Peru always surprises. Something common in our country is that many pieces begin their journey in Cannes. It is an act of bravery and perhaps rebellion too. In the creative industry, as in any other, Peruvians always seek to stand out, always trusting that we are at the same level of what we consider the best. Little can be contributed from the region. Last year, Argentina reminded the world that necessity, ingenuity and also simplicity are vital inputs to create. And in Latin America we all have creative hunger.
PHOTO: Carolina Sabha, Solange Romo, Vicente Varela and Rodrigo Revoredo.
