Letter From Abroad

Tatiana Popova, general manager of Mex Group in Kyiv, attended the 56th annual Cannes Lions international advertising festival held June 21-27 in France. 

By Tatiana Popova

I was on the Cote d'Azur for only a pair of days this trip, but those days were enough to convey that "rational cost effectiveness" was the unofficial slogan of the 2009 festival. Underscoring this was an amusing article in one Canadian magazine that advised festival-goers how to economize: Rent an apartment that will sleep ten people, the article said, eschewing high hotel prices, and avoid those charming French cafes in favor of going to the supermarket and cooking in your flat. Forget that excursion to Monaco, avoid hangovers by abstaining from alcohol ...  What fun, eh?

Perhaps it was the recession, or perhaps the suggestion of a week eating canned soup in a rented flat with ten close friends took some of the glitter off the event, but the Lions attracted far fewer attendees this year.  Those delegates who did make the pilgrimage to the south of France tended to take in the show only on selected days. The people who came in earnest were those who really were required to attend, and they did not want to return home empty-handed.  These delegates included judges, seminar leaders, potential honorees and vendors.  The vendors were especially zealous, scouring the halls in search of contacts.  The Lions have historically been prime prospecting territory, and with the reduced attendance, the need to make the best of it was great. 
There were fewer of the extravagant evening parties this year, but the master classes and seminars continued, with participants happily focusing on the festival's themes and the practicalities of the day. 

It was delightful to see that a Ukrainian was on the jury panel this year.  The vast majority of jury members come from southern Europe, the United States, Brazil and Japan.  Since few jury members have the Slavic mentality, it's difficult for Ukrainian agencies to compete.  Most judges don't understand our work.

I was staggered by variety of entries that won this year.  I can't say that I liked them all, or that I even understood some of them, yet overall the work I saw had a positive spirit.  The jury generally chose softer, kinder works than last year, works that stimulated thought about vital values.

Perhaps the thoughtful, uplifting character of the winning entries was the festival's way of fighting the economic crisis.