A newly added section to Cannes Lions 2016 is the Lions Entertainment conference and awards. In its first year, the Festival has stacked up names from CBS' Leslie Moonves and actor and Founder of Goop, Gwyneth Paltrow to filmmaker Alejandro González Iñárritu and actor Channing Tatum. With no awards being given out on day six, most delegates spent time going through the beach houses, more work and attending sessions.
Paltrow made a few appearances at the Festival apart from the main stage and in every address, she stood out for her vision for her fashion lifestyle online product Goop and for what new media platforms means. "We sometimes deliberately curate things that we know will get us troll traffic on social media - it is fun," she quipped while seriously noting that despite the permeation of technology into people's lives, there were ways to keep one's private life away from public glare. "I have been navigating this for now 20 years and it is different now with new media opportunities but in principle, it really is the same thing."
Paltrow stressed on being authentic and genuine because that was one aspect where people respected the ones who were real.
Bringing attention to another point, Iñárritu, who has won four Oscars and, earlier in his career, 14 Cannes Lions including Titanium, as an advertising professional in Mexico, spoke about the attention to detailing. He stated that in advertising, and in cinema, every second mattered and why he would look at every element to mean something. "Every drop makes an ocean, I have paid attention to the quality of every single drop because it matters," he said.
CBS Chief Moonves tapped on the opportunities of a new age and how the Network was looking to invest in itself in taking its content direct to consumers. He stated that offering CBS and Showtime directly to consumers without a cable subscription was the most forward-thinking thing move the Network had made. He called the ongoing US Presidential Election campaigning as a "bit of a circus", adding, "From a commercial standpoint, it is a good thing for CBS as our ratings have gone up."
Lions Entertainment has already brought in over a million in revenue for Cannes Lions organisers, reiterating the success of the category.
A bit of disruption on the awards however front took place when Cannes Lions confirmed a review of the 'I Sea' app, created by Grey Group Singapore, after the veracity of the app was brought into question. The work claimed a Bronze in the Promo & Activation Lions where it was also shortlisted, as well as being shortlisted in the Mobile, Media and Direct Lions. "Following concerns expressed about aspects of its functionality, a review will be conducted with Grey Group Singapore following the Festival," said the Festival organisers.
