At Day 2 of This Way Up, industry leaders and top creatives gathered for an day of worthwhile opinions and workshops exploring the future of creativity in the age of AI, essential ingredients for strong client-agency relationships, and juror and campaign insights from Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity.
The day began with Live Experimentation with AI: Going Deep, Getting Weird, Pushing the Limits, hosted by creative technologist Nilesh Ashra and presented by Nine. A packed room of creatives, media professionals, strategists, CMOs, CEOs and producers brought along their laptops to take part in a series of live demos, which delivered fascinating insights into how AI can fast-track innovation and imagination and facilitate greater creative and media collaboration than ever before.
In the panel discussion “We’re Together … but not Together Together – the Beautiful Balance of Creative Client Relationships”, industry leaders including Mim Haysom, Andy Fergusson, Brent Smart, Micah Walker, Lucinda Barlow, and Tom Martin shared their insights on the evolving relationship between CMOs and CCOs. The discussion highlighted the importance of shared ambition, transparency and radical candour in fostering strong creative partnerships, with the panel emphasising that a successful CMO-CCO relationship goes beyond titles, requiring a deep mutual understanding and the courage to challenge each other to achieve truly groundbreaking work.
“Cannes Lions Deconstructed” by Wade Kingsley of Contagious provided the audience with key insights into the trends shaping this year’s winning Cannes Lion campaigns. Kingsley highlighted the increasing importance of human-centred storytelling in an age dominated by technological advancements. He also introduced the concept of “Guttertech,” where many of this year’s innovative ideas emerged from low-tech, resourceful approaches, exemplified by campaigns like the “Everyday Tactician” and “Handshake Hunt”. Following Kingsley’s presentation, a panel discussion featuring Rose Herceg, Mike Rebelo and Tara Ford offered a behind-the-scenes look at the Cannes Lions judging process. The panellists shared valuable tips for crafting award-winning entries, emphasising the importance of strategic thinking, creativity, and measurable results. They also stressed the need for clear, compelling narratives in award entries and stories that resonate with jurors to stand out in a highly competitive field.
Closing the day, Liz Taylor, Global Chief Creative Officer at Ogilvy, delivered a keynote that resonated deeply with attendees, drawing inspiration from the career of Taylor Swift. In her talk, “What Would Taylor Do?”, Taylor explored how resilience, creativity, and a commitment to disrupt the status quo can drive success in the advertising industry. She encouraged the audience to take risks, embrace failure as a learning opportunity, and maintain the optimism and passion that fuels long-term career growth.
The “This Way Up” conference continues to set the stage for forward-thinking discussions, inspiring professionals across the industry to embrace innovation and creativity in all its forms.
