With clients now accounting for 20 percent of Cannes delegates, the Festival was a good place to launch my new book.  In fact, overall attendance at Cannes this year was up to a new record level attracting something like an additional 2,000 to around 11,000 delegates.

As well as engaging in the Festival, many of the senior marketers took the stage. Unilever CEO Paul Polman and CMO Keith Weed were interviewed about the challenges facing their business by WPP CEO Sir Martin Sorrell.  Polman introduced three drivers of change in marketing which is creating “the new normal”:

1.    The shift of economic power to the east and the south
2.    Digital and technology
3.    Sustainability

Nestlé CEO Paul Bulcke was interviewed by Publicis CEO Maurice Lévy, and other CMOs took the stage to present their brands, discuss challenges and talk about new directions.  Andy Fennell, CMO of Diageo, said that flair, agility, consumer insight and execution are the four fundamentals of Diageo’s marketing and creative process.  Jim Farley of Ford talked about the client’s role as creative coach in a new people-powered reality which is totally in line with some of the points made in my book.

Some brands brought some star power to the stage.  Dana Anderson, SVP of marketing strategy and communications at Kraft Foods introduced Malcolm Gladwell, and Yahoo’s Ross Levinsohn, EVP of the America’s region, interviewed Robert Redford.  Dana also ran a Master Class with Rob Reilly of Crispin Porter + Bogusky.

Some CMOs were fortunate enough to pick up some impressive awards.  Noel Wijsmans, global retail manager and vice president of IKEA Group, picked up the Cannes Lions Advertiser of the Year.  Given that the Festival has been renamed to honor Creativity rather than the traditional moniker of Advertising, perhaps the title of that award should be changed as well?

Mark Pritchard, chief marketing and brand building officer of P&G, took the stage three times on the final awards night to pick up an Integrated Gold Lion AND a Creative Effectiveness Lion for Wieden & Kennedy’s Old Spice campaign, and a Creative Effectiveness Lion for BBDO India’s Gillette campaign entitled “Women Against Lazy Stubble.”  And P&G CEO Bob McDonald also was at Cannes taking an interest and getting quoted.

Although I'm a relative newcomer to Cannes (this is only my 3rd year), I did have an elongated stay two years ago because I was on a jury seeking entertainment outside the gruelling Palais business.  My favorite eaterie was Pastis just off the Croisette, but there were two other really fab restaurants in Old Town called Le Mesclun & Gavroche:

Pastis
28 rue Commandant Andre

Le Mesclun
16 rue Saint-Antoine (Old Town)
Reservations:  04 93 99 45 19 (suggest booking in advance)

Gavroche
1, petite rue Sain Antoine (Old Town)
Reservations:  04 93 99 01 01 (suggest booking in advance)

Equally important - drinking establishments.  I think everyone's familiar with Cafe 72, more fondly known as The Gutter Bar, but there are a few other interesting watering holes you might want to try:

Hotel 3.14 - brilliant rooftop bar!
Corner of  rue F Einessy (off Boulevard de la Croisette) and rue Medecin Lt B Lepine

Charley's Bar - brilliant late night bar!
rue Saint-Antoine (Old Town) about halfway up the hill

Morrison's - which is perfect sports viewing
8 rue Teisseire just off the main shopping street rue dAntibes (which runs parallel to the Croisette)


Happy Canning!!!

Let the games begin.  I'm on my way to Cannes today taking the only direct flight from JFK to Nice.  This will be my third Cannes Lions festival in as many years, and I'm looking forward to it.  
The first year, I was on the inaugural PR Jury and was treated like royalty, staying at the Majestic gratis and getting the red carpet treatment.  It was harder work than I expected (and hotel pool was closed for renovation!), but it was an extraordinary experience judging and getting an injection of of new ways of thinking from the seminars.
Last year I was a mere spectator but put to work by my firm - introducing our seminar speaker in the Debussy Theatre, interviewing CMOs and other marketing influencers for our Cannes Eye broadcasts, and helping to stage our Cannes "Improv Everywhere" stunt.
This year I'm unveiling my new book, The Changing MO of the CMO, in a workshop on Thursday afternoon.  Teaming up with Mark de Swaan Arons of EffectiveBrands, Simon Clift, ex-Unilever CMO, and Rob Malcolm, ex-Diageo CMO, we'll be talking about What It Takes To Win In Global Marketing which is a key tenet of my book.  If you're in Cannes, I hope to see you there!

Welcome to the Changing MO blog.  Over the coming weeks I’ll be providing information about my new book, The Changing MO of the CMO – How the Convergence of Brand and Reputation is Affecting Marketers, as well as news and views on matters of change as it relates to marketing.

Interestingly, Forrester published a white paper last November entitled “CMO Mandate: Adapt Or Perish” which reported a staggering 75 percent of marketers planning to re-organize their function by the end of 2011. 

One driver of change is the convergence of brand and reputation which is disrupting the marketing function.  As a result, some CMOs are developing a new model of marketing which is detailed in the book.  It should be read by all marketers charged with defining and implementing change.