Goodvertising at Cannes Lions 2018: Advertising That Does More Than Just Sell
During the sunny days in Cannes, events were dedicated to the creativity of brand communications and campaign effectiveness. But one conference had a slightly different angle: Goodvertising. This keynote, entitled “Goodvertising: When advertising does more than sell”, was jointly presented by Isabelle Schlumberger, JCDecaux’s Executive Vice President for Sales, Marketing and Development, and Damien Melich, Content Creation Manager.
The speakers began with a reminder that our world is undergoing a major transformation, on the ecological and economic fronts (Nutella riots) and in terms of social questions (#BlackLivesMatter and #MeToo/#BalanceTonPorc, to name only the most widely mediatised examples). Moreover, consumers have become distrustful of brands: only 27% trust large companies.
Responsible communication is an opportunity for brands to support societal transformation and to align with the expectations of citizen consumers in order to regain their trust. This means broadcasting responsible messages that consider the societal, economic and environmental challenges of sustainable development. The speakers emphasized the fact that these communications must reflect the brand’s sincere and transparent commitment, or risk being denounced by consumers on social networks.
Five creative opportunities for brands to use responsible communication were identified. As shown by the following examples, OOH (Out-of-Home) media allows us to effectively capitalise on these opportunities.
1. Raise awareness
The first option is relatively logical for brands: building awareness and raising consumers’ consciousness regarding issues of sustainable development.
2. Entertain
Responsible communication doesn’t have to be serious, nor does it have to be boring for the consumer! As the three examples demonstrate, it is quite possible to treat important and serious subjects in a relaxed and fun manner.
3. Inspire
A campaign can make an impact by inspiring consumers in their daily lives, by brightening their commute and enhancing their surrounding environment.
4. Transform the environment
Through its integration in public spaces, outdoor advertising is a particularly pertinent medium for designing campaigns with a concrete, tangible, and direct impact on their environment.
5. Promote action
Finally, many Goodvertising initiatives do more than inform, raise awareness, and make consumers smile: they do all of this while encouraging consumers to directly change their behaviours.