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Don't Tell Me, Show Me

What a shrimp frying cannon can tell us about the internet

Kara Melchers

Managing Editor, BITE Creativebrief

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It was Pablo Picasso who said, “Others have seen what is and asked why. I have seen what could be and asked why not.” The Cannes Lions are the ultimate celebration of ideas, where design and craft are praised and brands who dare to ask “why not?” are extolled.

Spawned from the International Film Festival, the awards commend creative production and craft alongside innovation and effectiveness. Humans are kinestethic creatures. A tangible experience, striking visual imagery and sound design can all create an emotional link that will help commit something to memory. “Don’t run away from details and moments in stories that reflect life as it really is…in all it’s surprising, bizarre and upsetting…this moves a story from being interesting to emotionally meaningful,” said Sarah Koenig host of Serial, speaking at Cannes.

Whatever the product it’s essential to find that connection with your audience and this can often mean thinking outside the box. This is why Japanese telecoms company NTT Docomo chose to demonstrate their highspeed internet service by inventing a cannon that cooks shrimp in three seconds. This distinctive and quirky interpretation of their key service has been viewed over 15 million times and is much more likely to stick in the minds of potential customers.

It’s insight that tells us where and how and why, but it’s creativity that brings insight to life and helps your brand to be noticed and remembered. As Heineken, this year’s Creative Marketer of the Year said, “Creativity is essential, creativity is everything, it’s the only way you can change people’s behaviour.” We are driven by visual presentation. The brain is not interested in sameness, the brain craves something different.

Read on for examples…

Atlantic Group Connected Heaters Bring The Dead Back To Life

European heating company the Atlantic Group wanted to find a new, more engaging way to talk about their products. It’s fair to say heaters are not the most emotive topic, so a new visual approach to heat was conceived. The resulting beautifully shot film tells the story of heat and the power it has to create life.

A glass cube was placed on top of an isolated mountain in British Columbia, 2,400 meters above sea level, where temperatures can reach as low as -30 degrees Celsius.

An environment within which any living thing would struggle to survive. Inside the cube two electric heaters were placed next to hibernating life forms and blocks of ice strategically positioned to irrigate the growing vegetation as it melted.

Filmed over 37 days, the warmth from the connected heaters brings life to this hostile terrain and illustrates the power of heat in the visually stunning and poetic film, which captures this icy tale.

Agency: Leo Burnett France

37
days in a hostile environment
4
Cannes Lions won

Michael Jordan Transports Fans Back In Time

The Michael Jordan brand gave fans a chance to trial their latest performance shoes and recreate one of MJ’s high-pressure, championshipwinning plays. ‘The Last Shot’ is a fully immersive and interactive LED half court that visually transforms into Michael Jordan’s greatest moments.

Players choose from one of three shots that cemented MJ as the number one player of all time and relive that scene complete with era-specific crowds and iconic NBA courts. The installation gives the brand a new relevance to fans who were not born when he was playing.

Agency: AKQA San Francisco

Coke Transport Viewers Inside The Iconic Bottle

To celebrate 100 years of the iconic bottle, Coke wanted residents of Brazil to get ‘Coke thirsty’. Partnering with Dolby they created a new cinema trailer to capture the spatial sound dimensions of a Coke bottle. By blending the latest sound technology with visuals created to replicate the journey of the liquid, Coke was able to take cinema goers on an immersive expedition from bottle to glass.

Agency: JWT Brazil

Issey Miyake Create Flowers Out Of Fashion

Issey Miyake is a Japanese fashion designer known for his technologydriven clothing designs. In this campaign he uses a relatively analogue technique - covering a balloon with the clothes and filming while it’s shot with a dart. The effect when captured in slow motion is captivating and perfectly illustrates the pleated detail in his latest designs.

Agency: Taku Satoh Design Office

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