It’s day two, and the energy is still high at Cannes.
“Cannes is buzzing with an electrifying energy that can only be experienced firsthand,” Josh Beatty, CEO and founder of share augmented reality app ARound told me. “As you walk through the vibrant streets, the air is filled with anticipation and a sense of limitless creativity.”
Many brands this week are leaning into augmented reality (AR) to provide unforgettable experiences on the beach.
Beatty, an AR aficionado outlined three AR activations not to miss:
As for the awards, tonight is all about Craft Lions, Digital Craft Lions, Film Craft Lions, Design Lions, Entertainment Lions, Entertainment Lions for Music, and Entertainment Lions for Sport. Some standout shortlisted entries include: Spotify’s now highly anticipated yearly Wrapped campaign (which shows up in a whopping 7 categories within Digital Craft Lions); WWF Germany’s digital exhibition Climate Realism which is nominated in the Design category for its data visualization; and a beer-filled shoe collaboration between Heineken and The Shoe Surgeon.
Every day this week, we are pulling two big brands hosting events at Cannes and comparing them using data from Harris Brand Platform. Let’s see how TikTok and Pinterest compare when it comes to how they are perceived by millennial women.
Among millennial women, TikTok is perceived to be more energetic, young, and hip compared to Pinterest. And for the same demographic, Pinterest is thought of as more stylish, dependable, and visionary than TikTok. The attribute with the greatest difference is “energetic,” where TikTok has a score of 27.6%. The difference between TikTok’s Energetic score and Pinterest’s is a whopping 20.3%.
These insights likely aren’t a surprise for millennials. Pinterest came out in 2010 and quickly rose to the top of the iPhone’s app store charts as young women flocked to pin their future wedding dresses and sock bun tutorials to boards titled “going out looks ✨”
TikTok’s demographic skews young, and in March 2023, 62% of users were under 30, and 32.5% under 20.
In the Entertainment category, Guns Down America and Energy BBDO are shortlisted in the Audience Engagement / Distribution Strategy vertical for their campaign Gun Survivor Reviews.
Built on the premise that 97% of online customers are influenced by reviews when shopping, the gun safety advocacy group paired up with BBDO for this gripping collaboration.
“This iconic gun really needs no introduction. You’ve seen it in tons of movies. It’s been used by the military and law enforcement for decades. People really just love shooting this gun,” Kate Ranta, a survivor of gun violence says emphatically, looking directly into the camera.
She then goes on to describe the features of the gun—how quickly it can reload, the smooth trigger pull. She knows the power the gun has because she was attacked with this weapon by her ex-husband.
The ad end with: “Guns work. Let’s make sure reviews like this don’t happen again.”
For Film Craft, the category that celebrates on-screen artistry, Cash App made the shortlist for “Balcony,” a funny (and visually stunning) bit starring Kendrick Lamar, billionaire investor Ray Dalio, and comedian Exavier TV. The work was directed by filmmaker Dave Free.
The ad is a collaboration between Cash App and Lamar’s new entertainment company pgLang. Cash App and pgLang found synergy in their common mission to help people invest in themselves.
“Our community speaks music, film, television, art, books, and podcasts—because sometimes we have to use different languages to get the point of our stories across,” Lamar said in a statement about pgLang.
The sentiment to speak in “different languages” to get a story across and turn those learnings into investment opportunities is really at the heart of Cash App’s ad. Lamar acts as a translator of sorts between his friend Exavier TV and finance guru Ray Dalio. Exavier TV is looking for advice on how to handle an investment gone south, and Dalio provides advice that Lamar translates into less opaque terms.
The work is shortlisted for its direction, and considering how visually thoughtful and tight it is, the recognition is apt. The bright, soft background with hues of blue calls to mind Barry Jenkins’s award-winning Moonlight.
