Laura Murphy and Amy Morrison.
M+C Saatchi art director Laura Murphy and copywriter Amy Morrison have made their way to the Cannes Lions festival of creativity and told AdNews the essential dos and don’ts to survive the week.
They won Advertising Council Australia (ACA) 2025 Young Lions competition with their digital work 'Fast-er Food' and have gone to represent Australia at the Cannes global stage.
Day 0. Sunday. The calm before the storm
Bonjour Cannes. The Aussies have arrived at the Ad Olympics. And we are going for gold!
After living it up in London at the M+C Soho office and our romantic weekend away in Paris, we were loaded up on creative inspiration and ready to board the train south to the French Rivera.
We arrived and immediately picked up our passes.
First stop: hotel.
Second stop: swim.
Third stop: Australians assemble. Drinks with Hannah Sturrock, Tony Hale and our fellow Aussie Young Lions.
9 out of 10 winners are intelligent, talented, inspiring young women, and Lewis, an equally talented human, who champions the women around him.
This industry needs more female leaders. You’re looking at the next generation of them.
After a French feast in Cannes' old town, we headed to bed for one last good night's sleep.
Day 1. Monday. Panic at the Palais
It’s hot. 30 degrees plus. But we’re staying hydrated with our Cannes branded water (H2OAI?)
First up: 9am inspiration session with our fellow Young Lions Competitors. 200+ competitors. 60+ Countries. 7 categories. 14 winners. The nervous energy was palpable.
We heard from Resh Sidhu who told us to punch imposter syndrome in the face. Makimilian who told us to find our superpower And of course, there were the classic icebreakers… but when you’re meeting designers from Poland and filmmakers from Ecuador, they are surprisingly fun.
We immediately headed down to the basement, where there were hundreds of ideas displayed on award boards. We got lost in the work… and maybe a little in the building.
A highlight of the day: sitting in on the live judging session for the Glass Lion for Change. It was a ridiculously inspiring experience watching creative agencies present work that made national, and often international, impact. Work that addressing inequality and prejudice (à la glass ceilings).
After a big morning of inspiration, we had an afternoon on the FINCH yacht. How very Cannes! Congrats to them for the Grand Prix win: the New Zealand Herpes Foundation work was both stigma-breaking and stupidly funny.
Finally, after walking along the promenade, and picking up more tote bags than we need, we concluded the day with some Aussies welcome drinks and an incredible dinner with the M+C Global CCOs Rob Dubal and Laurence (Lolly) Thompson.
An incredible first day for the Ad Olympics. We get our brief at 5pm Tuesday and submit 5pm Wednesday. Wish us luck!
Key takeaway: Balance is everything.
The work comes first, always. But boats and parties are opportunities to connect with the people who make the work incredible.
Now bring on this brief!
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