In 237 days, a new two day Lions Innovation Festival will join in the 2015 Cannes International Festival of Creativity.
According to Lions Festival chief executive officer, Philip Thomas, the move is a comprehensive response to sweeping industry shifts that have changed how brands and agencies behave. “Using data and technology as tools that can lead to great ideas has become mainstream. As ever when these seismic changes occur in the industry, Cannes Lions is asked to consider ways we can acknowledge and reflect the reality of what is going on. The Lions Innovation Festival will highlight how data and technology can be powerful catalysts for creativity.”
A new Lions category, Creative Data, will launch next year and the Innovation Lions will include categories for standalone and branded technological solutions, adtech platforms and models.
The Creative Data Lions will applaud the best use of data in shaping ideas, better storytelling and engagement. David Droga, creative chairman, Droga5, explained, “I love the friction between creativity and data. I think when you can navigate between the two and they complement each other it’s a wonderful thing. Data and science is liberating for creativity because it offers a foundation. We’re not scared of it – data furnishes us with great insights and allows us to stop bullshitting ourselves. It helps us to ask the right questions.”
The new Lions Innovation Festival will be a curated programme of talks, demonstrations and networking opportunities exploring ideas the tools used to bring them to life. It will be open to Classic Pass-holding delegates, and may also be attended as a separate, 2 day event.
Ben Jones, chief technology officer, AKQA commented, “Lions Innovation recognises that a creative can be a coder just as much as a designer. It’s a platform to celebrate everyone as equal yet highlight that technology inspires dreams and then delivers them.”
The Lions Innovation Festival takes place on 25 and 26 June 2015 in the Lerins Hall of the Palais des Festivals, and ends with the new Lions Innovation Awards.
Passes will be available from 15 January 2015 and may be booked standalone or, during the launch year only, included in the Classic 7 day Cannes Lions pass.
