CANNES – Because it may have grown to become too big and too expensive, the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity should be examined for its location and format, according to Sir Martin Sorrell. However, boycotting the event or not participating is not the right approach, according to the Founder & CEO of WPP.
Sorrell’s comments in this interview with Beet.TV came as the organizers of Cannes announced the formation of an advisory committee to help them decide what the event should consist of going forward amid controversy generated by the pullout next year of Publicis Groupe, as The Drum reports.
“Cannes as ever was a frenetic week,” says Sorrell. “Probably has become too big. Probably has become too expensive.”
Some people are questioning “whether Cannes should be Cannes, or Cannes should be in Cannes, or whether Cannes should be canned as somebody put it to me,” he adds. “I think it’s a good question.”
The value of Cannes to WPP “is that it’s important to our people and it’s important to our clients.” WPP staffers see the awards confab “as a way of enriching their careers and celebrating their success with their peers judging their work.” The holding company’s clients “also enjoy it in the sense that they get a great kick out of winning awards and being judged by their peers has having been responsible for producing great work.”
Seen in this light, Sorrell doesn’t think a boycott or withdrawal is helpful “but where it’s directionally correct is it does raise the question about whether this is the right place to do this and whether this is the right format.
“Because I think in certain respects, certainly in terms of expense, and maybe some excesses, it’s too much.”
This video is part of Beet.TV’s Coverage of Cannes Lions 2017. For more from the series, please visit this page.
