Cannes Lions Awards Point to Content as the New Focus Over Advertising

Real-Life Campaigns That Prove Content Wins

The recent Cannes Lions Awards have made it clear - traditional advertising is being eclipsed by content marketing.?

The reasons for this seem pretty straightforward and intuitive to me - content marketing doesn’t focus on selling people stuff, it focuses on relating to them. Think for yourself about what kind of experiences you prefer - ones where someone is trying to sell you a thing, or ones where someone is trying to relate to you?

The difference between these two scenarios is a really interesting one to analyse in depth because of how much it teaches us about what makes good content, what makes icky content, and what makes fantastic content.?

In this piece, we'll explore real life examples of different content marketing campaigns that show the power of content marketing in building relationships, making your brands look and feel great to spend time with, and in generating goodwill between your company and your clients.?

You know we'll share action points too so you can actually do something with this information today, in like 15 minutes. We always share action points. We love action points.?

The Shift from Advertising to Content Marketing

Imagine you're at a party.

One person is there, constantly bragging about their achievements and trying to get you to follow them on TikTok so you can like their? personal finance recommendations that will save you millions and initiate you into the #FIRE community. Etc.?

Another person at the party shares interesting stories with you and listens to your thoughts, asks you questions about yourself, and offers you a mackerel paté canapé. They are making an obvious effort to forge a genuine connection with you.?

Which one do you prefer to hang out with?

This party scenario is on the nose, I grant you, but it does a good job at illustrating the shift from traditional advertising to content marketing.

Ads are an Ask, Content is an Offer

Traditional advertising is very often like the first person—loud, in-your-face, and focused on selling.?

They interrupt your favourite TV show, pop up annoyingly on websites, and generally feel like a pushy sales pitch. They want something from you.?

In contrast, content marketing is more like the second person—engaging, relatable, and focused on creating value.

It provides useful information, entertains, and builds a relationship with the audience. It is offering something to you.

The Cannes Lions Awards spotlighted this industry-wide transition in their latest festival.

This year marked a real move away from just recognising glitzy ads, and a move toward celebrating content that connects with audiences on a deeper level.?

Siemens Healthineers' "Magnetic Stories"

I really loved the Siemens Healthineers' Magnetic Stories, example.

Siemens took the terrifying noises MRI scans make (they can get louder than a fighter jet) and created magical children’s stories for kids enduring cancer treatment.?

Each type of MRI scan has a predictable noise pattern, which meant they could turn the rampant crashing of frightening machine things into a cute story about a clumsy robot and all the noise he was making.?

The campaign did a great job at showing how Siemens transformed a scary medical procedure into a comforting, soothing experience during what has got to be one of the worst times in a person’s life - battling cancer.?

The campaign was so good because Siemens was not the main character of the story. The kids were.

?If you watch the video you’ll see for yourself how it isn’t an advert, it’s actually a pretty moving and tender peek into an intimate, private moment in someone’s life - a child having an MRI scan as part of their cancer treatment.?

Crucially, they didn’t dramatise or use the struggles of these children with cancer in a way that felt tacky or grim.

The whole treatment felt respectful to the kids, their families, and the medical staff.?

Key Takeaway for Fintech, Investment Management, Banking, and Tech

Humanise Complex Processes

• Action: Develop content that simplifies and humanises complex financial or technological processes.
• Example: Video Series called "Investing Made Simple" for a fintech app that encourages everyday investing for retail customers?

Episode 1 is called "The Coffee Shop Portfolio"

In this episode, you take viewers on a journey to a bustling coffee shop. Here, the owner, Sarah, juggles managing a varied menu to keep her business thriving.?

Just like Sarah, who balances popular drinks like espressos (blue-chip stocks) with unique offerings like lavender lattes (emerging markets), investment portfolio management relies on diversification for stability.

Using animated graphics and real-life scenarios from Sarah’s coffee shop, your video explains how diversifying investments maximises the chances of a stable and resilient portfolio.?

Your viewers can see the direct correlation between managing a coffee shop’s menu and managing an investment portfolio, making the concept more tangible and easier to grasp.

A creative approach like this transforms the often dry and/or complex topic of portfolio management into a fun, relatable story, helping your viewers understand the importance of diversification in a simple and memorable way.

Activity: Ask yourself these questions. Allocate 30 seconds to answering each question. Write down a stream of consciousness response without editing and judging. See what you come up with.?

1. How can we simplify our product explanations using metaphors or storytelling techniques?
2. What FAQs do our clients have, and how can we address them through personable, educational content?
3. What personal stories or client experiences can we share that highlight the impact of our services?

Dramamine's Mini-Documentary on Air sickness bags

Another stand out piece for me was Dramamine's quirky mini-documentary about puke bag collectors.

This is such a high effort piece, I absolutely love it.?

The opening scenes make it feel like some kind of gritty, true-crime documentary, which is such a funny juxtaposition with the comical nature of puke bags and people who collect them.?

No shade here - I love people who are really into stuff, especially the guy in this documentary who has a custom car plate that reads BARF BAG.?

Dramamine sells motion sickness medicine. The end third of the documentary is a fantastic tongue-in-cheek accusation that Dramamine is killing the barf bag; a great way to highlight how effective the product is but without it being obnoxious.?

They end with a really heartwarming vignette and there is a level of self-aware humour and levity throughout this piece which is pitch-perfect.?

What I think they did so well here is that they infused the whole piece with such a rewarding level of humour but without ever denigrating the people who collect the air sickness bags.?

This could have gone really wrong and it could have come across as mean and judgemental, but Dramamine pulled it off perfectly.

The tone was that we are all laughing and enjoying together, nobody is being laughed at.?

Key Takeaway for Fintech, Investment Management, Banking, and Tech

Use Self-Aware Humour

• Action: Incorporate light-hearted, self-aware humour in your campaigns to make your brand more relatable and engaging.
• Example: Develop a series of social media posts that playfully address common fintech frustrations (e.g., "When your analytics dashboard looks like an abstract art piece..."), showing how your product simplifies these issues.

Social media post series on #FintechEfficiency

Post 1:

• Image: A cluttered dashboard with multiple financial metrics and graphs.
• Caption: "When your analytics dashboard looks like an abstract art piece... ????"
• Text: "Keep the Pollock above the fireplace, not on your desk. Transform unruly data into clear insights with our streamlined analytics. Understanding your investments can be straightforward. And you don’t even like abstract art. #FintechEfficiency #ClearAnalytics #AnyoneCouldHavePaintedThat

Post 2:

• Image: One shoe sticking out of a mountain of compliance documents.
• Caption: "Missing Person: Have You Seen Ken From Compliance?"
• Text: "Our automated compliance solutions keep you afloat. Simplify your regulatory requirements with ease. Don't lose Ken. #FintechEfficiency #FindKen”

Post 3:

• Image: A financial executive frantically trying to manually reconcile hundreds of transactions, it looks like a nightmare game of Whack-a-Mole.
• Caption: "Does your job feel like Whack-a-Mole, but Worse? ????"
• Text: "Our advanced reconciliation tools take the guesswork out of the process. Focus on strategy, not endless manual tasks. Moles optional. #FintechEfficiency #MoleFreeZone"

Activity: Ask yourself these questions. Allocate 30 seconds to answering each question. Write down a stream of consciousness response without editing and judging. See what you come up with.?

1. What aspects of our products or services can we poke fun at in a light-hearted way?
2. How can we use humour to address common industry frustrations without offending our audience?
3. What relatable scenarios can we create that highlight the benefits of our offerings in a way that will make people smile?

Pedigree's Outdoor Campaign?

The third honourable mention here goes to Pedigree’s outdoor campaign that featured real, adoptable animals.

This was an eye-opening example of how different tech capabilities can be integrated with a marketing campaign.

First of all they used AI & 3D modelling to make sure that a single photo of a dog in the shelter could be used to create life-like images of that very same doggo in a number of different poses.?

Doing this meant the dog’s photo could be used on billboards of any size and shape, and that the images were always accurate down to the last whisker and individual marking.

The campaign goes on to tell you that 1 in 5 dogs are returned to the shelter after they are adopted. Sad face.?

This is of course teeing you up for the next high-impact component of their messaging.

The narrative goes on to explain how Pedigree used maps of the city and different data on average apartment and yard sizes to only show images of dogs that would likely be the best fit for those areas.?

So bigger dogs were only shown on billboards in postcodes where apartments tend to be bigger and have more yard space.?The aim is of course to reduce the number of pups being returned to shelters.

So. Cool.?

Key Takeaway for Fintech, Investment Management, Banking, and Tech

Integrate Real-World Data to Enhance Relevance

• Action: Use relevant real-world data into your marketing strategies to increase the relevance and impact of your campaigns.
• Example: For a banking institution, you could use demographic and economic data to create targeted campaigns that promote alternative and digital assets to specific regions or communities.

Targeted Campaign for Investment Management in Alternative and Digital Assets

First, we gather data on investor demographics (age, income levels, investment preferences, where they live) and market trends in alternative and digital assets (cryptocurrencies, real estate, private equity, tokenized assets).

Then, we segment your audience. Identify key investor segments like tech-first ESG-loving millennials, high-net-worth individuals, and institutional investors.?

We cross-pollinate these two research phases so that we know what kind of alternative assets, what kind of people, in what kind of areas like the best.

Finally, we tailor your messaging.

So, for your tech-first Millennials our content marketing campaign focuses on your platform, how easy it is for them to diversify into ethical ESG funds, how you tokenize green energy projects, etc. Maybe the core is something like Diversify with Digital Assets – Your Gateway to the Future of Ethical Investment.

For your High-Net-Worth Individuals our content campaign focuses on the exclusivity of your digital assets - maybe you have tokenized some collectible Air Jordans or some fine art: Want the Colette Air Jordan 1? You’ve Got Them. Exclusive Opportunities in Digital Assets with ** Your Brand **.

Having access to data like “30% of your neighbours invest with us” is also extremely powerful for activating social proof and making the numbers more personal.?

Activity: Ask yourself these questions. Allocate 30 seconds to answering each question. Write down a stream of consciousness response without editing and judging. See what you come up with.?

1. How can we use location-based data to personalise our marketing efforts for different regions?
2. How can we visualise real-world data to make our marketing content more engaging?
3. How can demographic and economic data help us tailor our marketing messages 10x better than we currently are?

What’s Next in Content Marketing?

These examples from Cannes Lions tell me that content marketing is evolving into becoming the fundamental language in how brands communicate.?

Instead of shouting at consumers with ads, brands are now more and more seeing the value of engaging in meaningful conversations. And people are listening.?

I think this is great news because it shows that brands can create a deep impact by being empathetic, self-deprecating, and data-driven. That looks like an excellent triad to me.?

I want to see campaigns that go beyond mere promotion.

I want to create campaigns for my own clients that go beyond promotion.

And, most importantly of all, your clients want your campaigns to go beyond just promotion.

The key takeaway here is that effective content marketing is about building relationships. I think this is brilliant news because people are hardwired to build relationships. We are good at this. It’s what we evolved to do.?

So, take these insights, get creative, and start building campaigns that land on a human level.

Your audience is waiting for content that delights and connects, and you can give it to them.??

The future of marketing is here, and it's personal, engaging, and it's powerful. Make the most of it.