The Year Of Recognising The Collective Might

The advertising industry is showing its together-we-can spirit, and it chose Cannes Lions as the platform to discuss it further

- Meera Sharath Chandra

IT IS ONE OF THOSE RARE INFLECTION points, when technology wants to be human, brands want to sell purpose before product, artificial intelligence (AI) wants to be more emotive and the fraternity wants to give even more of itself to social issues and global challenges. This moment of truth seemed to happen at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity 2018.

Somehow, this year, it was more about a together-we can spirit. It was a meeting of powerful minds to address some key imperatives. Whether it is the direction business was taking, the battles society was fighting, or the values brands were protecting. We spoke up for gender equality. As a group, we called out biases and championed diversity. And it all segued rather nicely into the packed schedule of high-powered sessions.