Philip Thomas
The 2019 edition of the Cannes Lions was the second iconic year it has had since its launch 65 years ago, according to Philip Thomas, Chairman of Cannes Lions: “There are two, the year it was born in 1954 when there were 187 pieces registered and the festival began. And the second iconic year is this one, when we had 30,000 pieces and the whole world is so different. And if you compare the two, you can have an idea of the festival´s history.” Cannes Lions has changed a great deal over the last few years and part of its role is to amalgamate the whole ecosystem to talk about what needs to be changed and how to adapt. “I think this is a time when people do that, they come here and then course-correct in the upcoming years, I don´t know if faster than the industry. I think the industry is changing very fast, too,” he said. He added that creativity is all about driving the business. “In order to drive businesses, you have to have a brand purpose, and the work that is produced has to be produced by a different team. These things are essential for the business and I think that is why we see people talking so much about that here in Cannes.” Regarding the Hispanic market in the U.S., he thinks agencies have done a great job. “There is no difference between the Hispanic market and the Chinese if you want to improve in terms of creativity. They are the same. Be collaborative, learn, remain open, look for inspiration. That´s how you do it,” Thomas said.
