Cannes 2005 Commentary: Wake up and smell the coffee.

Just one shortlist from India in over 600 Films! For those of us hoping that the large, and most coveted, Film category will lift the spirits of 100 odd Indian delegates, we were in for a big disappointment today. The only shortlist ‘Happydent Photographer’ by McCann Erickson couldn’t bring any smile. The nine-page Radio Shortlist also had no Indian work getting a mention. Indian creative industry will need to come together, like the Thais or the South Americans have, to find the answers.

Certainly, creative chieftains from India wore a disappointed look on their faces.

Moving on to the seminars of the day, the debate over globalization of advertising was hot. While Lowe’s ‘Networking Creativity Globally’ argued that advertising is moving towards globalization, and that’s the way forward, ‘Asian Diversity’ by Dentsu made a point for local idioms and nuances. It’s a fascinating debate!

Making a strong comment on the issue, Argentinean CD (Unilever) Lowe WW Fernando Olmos chose to speak in Spanish (well, some bits in English too) when much of the audience either understood English or their mother language. “If Nike and Levis can make their stuff across the globe, why can’t advertising be produced in more centers. Chile and Portugal have done well in Cannes 2005 and that makes my point.” But isn’t advertising culture specific, I asked. “Yes, and No. Advertising can be global, but not all. It should be produced with a global mindset,” said Olmos. And where does India fit in his globalization drive? “World needs India. I was in Mumbai recently, and was happy to see the work,” said Olmos. Perhaps, he was just being polite. Cannes showing doesn’t make India a strong contender for global work.

Dentsu seminar on ‘Asian Diversity’ made the point about the importance of local nuances and idioms. Dentsu’s exec remarked that the tastes of Japanese audience kept changing, bordering sometimes on eccentricities. Advertising only mirrors these. Piyush Pandey rolled some really Indian films like Fevicol, recently done Tortoise, and his old favorite Times of India ‘Masthead of India’ film. His point about importance of local idiom was made.

Where does this leave the globalization of advertising debate? Exactly where it started – a debate.

Asian advertising has a very limited share of the game. Just about 10% of judges are Asians, and that perhaps reflects in only about 15% of all Lions going to Asia.

Saturday evening will be the Final Awards night. Few of us will climb the stairs to hold the metal, and punch the air.

Hopefully our chieftain’s will make the rest of 11 months count. Hopefully.