I came across Sir John Hegarty’s post and thought about responding to his very interesting point of view on creativity. I have followed his work and ideas for many years and regard him as a creativity expert from whom to learn. He mentioned a provocation from Mark Ritson’s “Creativity is not enough” talk. Here is the post.
It’s walk-the-Croisette week in Cannes.
And somewhere between the Rosé and the retrospectives, we’ll crown the “best” creative work on the planet.
But last year, Mark Ritson dropped a small grenade. His data showed that Cannes Grand Prix winners were no more effective than average creative work.
Ouch.
Is this an indictment of creativity? Absolutely not.
It’s an indictment of the industry’s obsession with novelty over necessity.
Cannes juries too often reward the worthy but irrelevant.
Some beautifully shot film for the Snail Preservation Society might win hearts, but it won’t sell a single Snickers.
So here’s a question worth asking as the winners are unveiled this week:
How many will come from brands you actually know?
Brands with scale, pressure and real-world problems to solve.
And how many will be slick solutions to hypothetical issues?
Creativity should entertain, provoke and, crucially, work.
Because the Grand…
