day 1
Reddit | Conversations in Context: What Internet Communities Tell Us about Consumers
My first Cannes Lions talk ever! The CEO at Reddit Steve Huffman took us through the communities that make Reddit what it is. He started off talking about AI (of course), saying how the best compliment for artificial intelligence is actual intelligence, which you can find on Reddit. It’s a return to realness. Huffman compared how Reddit is intentionally different from social media in the sense that it is a natural reflection of who people truly are, but I’d like to disagree with this. People have become more open (to the point of oversharing) on other platforms as well, especially TikTok. Reddit was one of the first to accomplish this authenticity piece, however, so I’ll give them that. Huffman went on to show how Reddit communities are funny to profound. They’re the best place to be real, which he described as “meaningful connections, advice, support, and answers that can be trusted.” Communities being real fuels all types of conversations among fans. From sports to TV and video games, there’s a community for every fandom. People want their community to have rich content for back-and-forth conversation to share their passion. There’s a unique opportunity to connect with customers through Reddit. People say what they believe, making Reddit the “#1 platform to help users make an informed decision about a brand or product.” Redditors have conversations aligned with how they behave and want to be talked to like they’re people. Huffman says all of this to show that “Communities are the ultimate focus group to learn from.” And I agree. Whenever I’ve searched for an opinion online, whether it be for personal reasons or a project I’m working on, I’ve often found myself going through a thread on Reddit. I got excited when he showed a thread on Philadelphia Cream Cheese, because I also used Reddit to research for a project on the brand!
Amazon | Now trending: #Authenticity
At the House of Amazon I saw Content Creator Alix Earle and the Co-founder at SummerFridays Marianna Hewett speak on the biggest thing consumers want to see nowadays: authenticity. Earle shared how she stays true to her brand by continuing her GRWMs, taking her audience with her through her day-to-day experiences. She’s always tried to be open and honest, especially about her skin, which has made her relatable and appeal to a lot of people. As a person who has never really been into influencers, this is something that has contributed towards me liking and following her, on top of our shared alma mater! As for brand partnerships, she emphasized the importance of partnering with brands who you already have a close connection with. She recently became a global ambassador for Hero Cosmetics, known for their pimple patches. This partnership was intentional and made sense for Earle as she had been a loyal customer from before, which goes to show she truly likes the brand and can speak for their products. This builds trust in the eyes of the audience. Hewett added on by revealing how SummerFridays likes to invite loyal customers to their activations. They get treated like influencers at these events, having special access to free giveaways, fancy meals, and overall feeling exclusive. The brand wants to make them feel appreciated because, at the end of the day, these are the people who are the biggest influencers for them. People are going to trust more those who they know and can vouch for a brand. I though this was really cool and clever, as whenever I see activations from brands I personally love I always wish I could be there. Both Earle and Hewett talked about their partnership: the Jet Lag Mask. SummerFridays is another brand Earle has always shared her love for online, and having met Hewett at brand events gave way to further develop trust in their relationship. It was easier to work together and let Earle create content she saw best fit for both her audience and the brand. At the end of the talk, they gave away the viral SummerFridays Lip Butter Balm, but unfortunately I couldn’t get my hands on one. However, I got something better: a meet-and-greet with Alix Earle! Thanks to UM connections, my professor managed to schedule this for the class. She shared advice on networking and just being yourself. It was cool getting to hear how someone this big shared experiences from the same college as me. Go ‘Canes!
Mastercard | We Are All Immigrants
This talk was not what I was expecting. As a daughter of immigrants, I was hoping to hear about the impact one can have, regardless of where you’re from, and how a mix of cultures makes way for innovation. The panelists focused on Eastern European political issues: one of them was a film director, and another was an artist who was involved in government and led a protest. Don’t get me wrong, these are important topics. But I was hoping to hear more from the VP of Marketing and Communications of Mastercard and how the brand came up with creative solutions to help provide relief.
The Martin Agency | The Scoop on Snoop: Unpacking a Viral Hit
I was told by my friend and TA that the Rotonde Stage held the best talks, and she was right! I was looking forward to this talk since I had seen the campaign unfold in real time, and it didn’t let me down. The CEO at The Martin Agency Danny Robinson and CMO at Solo Brands Luana Bumachar answered the question of whether this campaign was a failure or success. The brief was to make Solo Stove, a smokeless fire pit, a household name. In order to do this, they needed to do three things:
Identify new growth audiences
Radically boost their awareness to reach more of their core consumer
Claim a place in culture
The team came up with having Snoop Dogg be the face of the campaign. A rapper, forms a dynamic duo with Martha Stewart, has a history with K-Pop and little league football, and has provided Olympics commentary. He’s done it all! But most importantly, he’s the most famous smoker. It’s part of his brand. And what else is going to cause more headlines than Snoop saying he’s “going smokeless?” I remember when I first saw his announcement and how it went viral, later to discover it was all part of a clever campaign. The team behind it also thought it was successful. At least at first. After a few days had passed, they thought it didn’t work and kept seeing headlines on how other marketers thought it didn’t. But instead of letting this awesome idea die this way, they were quick on their toes and created an ad in reaction to everything. And the results showed. Solo Stove saw an improvement all across the board in awareness, consideration, and purchase. The reduction in customer acquisition cost while simultaneously having their best four weeks of fire pit sales really blew them away. Not only did they answer the brief, but were able to accomplish more. My favorite part was hearing how they just let Snoop be Snoop on set. He smoked throughout the entire shoot, saying funny one-liners that made the copywriters question why they were even there. Snoop was so committed that he didn’t smoke in front of people at a concert to preserve the idea. These were the hot takes:
Cultural impact can be engineered
Leverage unexpected partners — and let them do what they do
Strategic buzz
Manage stakeholder expectations
Stay the course to see the results
Liquid Death | Entertain or Die: Day Trading Attention for the 21st Century
Having first been introduced to Liquid Death and their insane marketing for a project in school, I was looking forward to what Founder and CEO Mike Cessario had to say about his brand and the creative they put out. The method behind the madness, if you will. Cessario said that digital is skippable, which is true. Nowadays you have a second to catch someone’s attention, or else they just swipe right past it. He believes it’s like the 1950s all over again. You have to make real entertainment to get people’s attention. He described entertainment as a product — people pay to see it, while marketing is the opposite. Cessario has put together a non-traditional team of people with a wide range of backgrounds to come up with out-of-the-box ideas. They take small bets to help find the big wins. For example, they partnered with Tony Hawk to put his blood in limited edition skateboards. This barely cost them anything to produce, but it still resulted in more than enough buzz to sell out and go viral. Just ask yourself, “Is this good enough that someone would pay to watch it?” That will answer whether or not you have a Big Idea in your hands.
