Don’t speak French? Expired passport? No six-figure travel budget? Don’t worry, even if you’re a nobody, a non-profit, or an underfunded start-up, you can still take away some key lessons in branding and marketing from the winners of the 2014 Cannes Lions.
Coca-Cola increases the happiness of a whole country.
The people behind Coke’s Peruvian marketing campaign noticed that the country was ranked #1 in Latin America for economic growth, but #16 in the Happiness Index — which, yes, is a real thing. So Coke set out to correct that imbalance. The centerpiece of its “Happy ID” campaign was to encourage Peruvians to smile for their national ID cards. The company claimed that, one month after the campaign began, 90% of government-issued IDs were “Happy IDs” — featuring a smiling face. Coke also placed photo booths throughout the country, but the camera would only take a picture if the subject was smiling. The “Happy ID” campaign spread to other countries and earned Coke the Grand Prix in the Cannes Lions Media category.
What’s the lesson?
Notice any words missing from the paragraph above? Soda maybe, or drin? Rather than trumpet how good its product tastes, or how it makes people happy, Coca-Cola decided to make an entire natio happier. This is a perfect embodiment of its wider brand. What is yourorganization selling — besides a product or a service? Do you provide comfort, security, creativity, freedom? Try making that concept the centerpiece of your messaging.
Chipotle feeds the heart instead of the stomach.
In the PR category, Chipotle was the top winner with its “Scarecrow” campaign. The goal was to “draw attention to food issues while engaging consumers in a memorable and shareable way.” The campaign launched with a video, though it’s more accurate to call it a beautifully crafted short film. The video draws a clear distinction between fast food giants, run by mechanical crows, and the organic philosophy of Chipotle, symbolized by the scarecrow main character. The campaign included a “Scarecrow” mobile game, where players lead the character through the factories of the evil Crow Foods; winners received coupons for Chipotle.
What’s the lesson?
Like Coca-Cola, the campaign says nothing about how Chipotle’s food tastes or how much it costs. It makes an emotional appeal, telling customers that it “cultivates a better world” through its organic and naturally raised beef. This keeps with the company’s guiding philosophy, “Food With Integrity.” How can your brand reach beyond facts and figures to make an emotional connection with your audience? You may not have the means to produce such a lovely animated film, but what resources you do commit to your marketing reveals how serious you are about your brand promise. So: how serious are you?
Volvo takes stunts to the next level
It’s hard to get people talking about trucks. I’d say it’s hard to get people talking about Volvo, which isn’t a sexy brand. But the carmaker staged a series of car-oriented stunts, each more impressive than the last. Jean-Claude Van Damme did splits across two moving Volvo trucks. Faith Dickey did him one better and walked a tightrope across two trucks. Volvo president Claes Nilsson was suspended in mid-air by one of the company’s towing hooks. And a Volvo truck made its way out of a quarry…driven by a hamster. These amazing stunts were conducted safely, but Van Damme and Dickey were clearly in real danger. The result was the Grand Prix in the Interactive category.
What’s the lesson?
The stunts are, quite simply, extraordinary. And what’s interesting is that they don’t highlight the typical truck features, such as towing strength or handling. For example, the “hamster” spot shows that a Volvo truck can drive up the ramps of a quarry, but any truck can do that. Behind the amazing feats is beautiful simplicity: Volvo’s trucks can handle thrown at them — and Volvo is deliberately throwing insane things at them. Also worth noting is that, while every company president stands behind his or her products, none of them actually stand on their products, suspended way up in the air. How can your organization demonstrate its commitment to its products, its customers, or its mission? What doesn’t your audience know about your company that can be illustrated in a fun or memorable way?
Your branding can roar like a Lion, too!
You may not have the resources of Coca-Cola, Chipotle, or Volvo, but you can certainly replicate the spirit and cleverness of their campaigns. All of these winners, and many of others, looked beyond the obvious ways to promote products, and gained buzz, press coverage, and social media shares as a result. Don’t be afraid to experiment and try something new. After all, a lion isn’t scared of anything.
Jason Ginsburg is Director of Interactive Branding at Brandemix.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jody Ordioni is the author of “The Talent Brand.” In her role as Founder and Chief Brand Officer of Brandemix, she leads the firm in creating brand-aligned talent communications that connect employees to cultures, companies, and business goals. She engages with HR professionals and corporate teams on how to build and promote talent brands, and implement best-practice talent acquisition and engagement strategies across all media and platforms. She has been named a "recruitment thought leader to follow" and her mission is to integrate marketing, human resources, internal communications, and social media to foster a seamless brand experience through the employee lifecycle.
