Why an agency's PR should also go to Cannes

Why an agency's PR should also go to Cannes

I've always gotten a thrill out of working in creative agencies. I find it easier to relate to those with a creative tinge than those of the corporate type. This passion has borne good fruit throughout my career. I've had the opportunity to lead award-winning—and truly relevant—campaigns in my field (only in PR there were 15 Lions). And among these good fruits are surely good friendships.

One of the creative leaders I worked with would sometimes insist when we went up on the stage for the awards in Cannes that the Lion should be placed right into my hands, that I should be the first person in the spotlight. That to me meant more than a thriving partnership, it was a gesture of great respect for the area of PR.

Over time, the experience taught me why being at Cannes makes so much sense and can be so enriching for an agency's PR professional—not only if we look at the learning from being there, but also when we realize how important a motivator the feeling of belonging there can be for us in PR.

I've always thought an idea means nothing on its own. I've always thought that sparkle in our eyes and the shared desire to make the business grow makes for the unique conditions when the agency and the PR team are in perfect sync. But most of all, I could only be on that stage because an outstanding team saw the importance of PR work and welcomed me on board at every stage of the creative process from the inception. Every single one of them, really.

As a matter of fact, I had the privilege of working for agencies that place a high premium on PR activities. At DAVID, this is also quite special and rewarding. But I know that not always – sometimes because so many are so poorly informed – are PR professionals in the advertising industry as lucky as we are around here.

That, for me, is where the key lies. The pre-Festival period is the most intense for any PR professional in the field. On the days prior to Cannes, for example, regardless of the market segment, agencies want to get their campaigns covered in the major international media outlets. But more often than one might think, the PR team's first contact with the creatives' ideas goes right down to the wire. You barely get a chance to pitch in. That is, the whole concept matures without the PR team's engagement of any sort. So how can an agency positively impact journalists of major media outlets if the whole plan was thought out without their PR team, the one expected to deal with press relations?

I got a good story to tell. One of these creatives I had the honor of working with came to tell me one day that he had just filmed a genius idea – and indeed he had. But he had already filmed it, so I argued that the agency had missed a good chance to feature it in the country-wide news program, Jornal Nacional. Still, with the client's permission, we ended up getting to reshoot the campaign. On that same day of the reshooting, the JN came by and an exciting news story came out about it – the link here does back me up (https://g1.globo.com/jornal-nacional/noticia/2014/04/tatuadores-sao-trained-by-medicos-para-identificar-cancer-de-pele.html).

As a PR professional, I always bear in mind that our ideas sometimes call for different media channels – and that includes television. That is why I strive (and learned some ways) to see my campaigns covered by media giant Globo, for example, which renders the results of earned media far more relevant.

This happy-ending story with a pinch of some worthy learning is just an illustration of my call to action here. Creatives (or rather, all teams): strive to engage your PR teams not just on the eve of events, but all year round, or from January to January, as we say in my native Portuguese. Call on the PR professional at your side for a talk when the idea comes up, no matter what month of the year it is. The PR team can help you not only make a release and get the idea covered in the press but also build up the project. We have contacts, we like people, we're good at this relationship thing. I'm sure we have a lot to say. We're passionate about good stories.

Looking back on the experiences I had, I can say the best result came from that creative project with a such an intense people integration that, over the course of the work, we can no longer tell the individual roles of each participating team – everyone is there for the project, filled with a crazy passion to make things happen. I am confident to say this because DAVID allows me to experience this in the most engaging and enriching way and I am very proud of our results.

This is a veritable positive circle; engaging with and listening to your PR team very early on can help your campaign grow and even steer clear of crises. Experience proves that the better the results, the higher the PR engagement. Sometimes I am told about a new creative idea before the creative director is aware of it because creatives understand that PR should come in handy not only at the journey's end when all's been thought out. It is the "together we are stronger" principle, always.

The learning curve has not been all that simple – many close the doors on us and that brings a new lesson every day. But that is the resilience passion alone can give. What is more, I am proud to have been lucky to work with the best, which makes my activity as a PR a lot easier.

This year's Cannes Festival takes place from June 20 to 24 – and once again I am taking an active part in it. Whatever trophies may come our way, I will be proud of the campaigns I had the chance to work on in and full of good stories to tell. All of them, stories that run from January to January.