Cannes Lions 2020: Indian agencies raring to go despite Coronavirus threat

The Coronavirus outbreak that has infected 157 countries till last update has forced the Cannes Lions 2020 organisers to ready a contingency plan but Indian agencies are in no mood to let the uncertainties mar their enthusiasm.

A couple of them have even remarked that they instead will be entering several categories at Cannes Lions this year.

In an official statement, the festival, working with French authorities, has said that it has secured October 26-30 as the alternate schedule in case the event needs to be postponed. A decision will be made no later than April 15, the statement says. Indian ad-landers suggest that the festival should be all digital this year to ensure smooth execution and high participation in case of a crisis situation.

According to industry leaders, since Cannes Lions is still three months away, the virus should potentially run its course by June. Tarun Rai, Chairman and Group CEO, Wunderman Thompson South Asia, revealed that this time the agency is likely to end up with more entries than last year. “It really depends on the work that we believe we can win. We are still in the process of selecting. It’s a fluid situation and is changing day by day. I am sure the Cannes organisers are monitoring the situation and I certainly hope that the festival will be held as scheduled. Besides, June 22 is still some time away so there’s hope,” Rai said.

Raj Kamble, Founder & Chief Creative Officer, Famous Innovations, has confirmed that the agency will definitely participate. “I think Cannes Lions has had the smartest response to this situation as compared with any other organisation or event. Not only have they asked people to continue entering Lions as normal, but they have also given an alternate date of October for the festival itself. Psychologically, this is very reassuring and makes people feel confident about the organisers. But realistically speaking, it's like how do they know?? If things are not back to normal by June, who says they will be by October? Isn't this just a smart tactic to ensure that agencies, sponsors, attendees, etc. keep buying passes and sending money their way? If they do end up cancelling the festival, standard event terms say that they don't necessarily need to refund anyone's monies. And this raises a larger question for all events, festivals and mass gatherings out there - at what point do we realise that this situation goes beyond commerce and deal with it like humans and not like organisations?”

Pratik Hatankar, Head - Innovations & New Initiatives, Tonic Worldwide, shared that the agency would be entering multiple entries for multiple campaigns executed last year as well. “Regardless of when the Festival takes place, there will be Lions in 2020. Work will be judged, and Lions will be awarded using the same rigour that Cannes lions are known for. And I am pretty sure, Cannes Lions has a contingency plan in place if the situation worsens till then,” Hatankar said. He suggested that if the event was disrupted, Cannes Lions could look at hosting the festival as an online experience. “A lot of festivals like One show and ADC Awards are doing the same,” he added.

Sharing more insights, Sagar Kapoor, CCO, Lowe Lintas, assured that the MullenLowe Group will definitely be participating in the festival. “Every country has some exciting work which is being evaluated. In my view the festival should go fully digital. The situation is way bigger than the festival. The risk of assembling people from all over the world might only add to the chances of a possible contagion. Virtually there shouldn’t be any impact on the work. The work is produced and celebrated. The event is just the exhibition part of it. All of which can be wonderfully carried out digitally, thereby keeping people safe at large.”

A couple of other industry heads have decided to adopt a wait-and-watch approach. In the ad and tech industries alone, in just a matter of 48 hours, Adobe cancelled its annual summit in Las Vegas; Facebook and Vevo pulled out of SXSW; and the United Nations closed down its Unstereotype Alliance Global Member Summit.

According to Anand Bhadkamkar, CEO, Dentsu Aegis Network, India, the uncertainty could have an impact on the participation by agencies across networks. “The coronavirus situation is having an impact across markets and economies. All businesses have curtailed travels and large gatherings. Even if the festival is conducted in the current environment, it will definitely have an impact on participation by attendees. The current situation is an exceptional situation across the globe. If as a result of this the Cannes festival is disrupted, it won’t have a negative impact as an event in the forthcoming years. The current year in such a situation will definitely be disrupted. We have always participated in the festival to celebrate the creativity and work done by our agencies. The overall participation, including the award entries, will depend upon how the situation unfolds with COVID-19 in the coming days,” Bhadkamkar said.

Interestingly, what caught our attention was that Cannes has a policy in place that includes “widespread illness” as one of the several factors that could require the schedule to change. However, this does not include the issuing of refunds. The specific part of Cannes Lions’ terms and conditions reads: “It may be necessary for reasons beyond our reasonable control (including, without limitation, due to acts of God, severe weather, fire, explosion, military or terrorist acts (or threats of any such acts), any industrial action or widespread illness) to alter the advertised content, timing and/or location of the Festival or to cancel the Festival. We reserve the right to do this at any time and we shall not be liable to you for any cost or other expenses (including, without limitation, wasted costs and expenses) incurred by you and/or your delegate(s) as a consequence (including, without limitation, Pass fees and travel and accommodation expenses).”

To be sure, Cannes Lions is an industry tentpole event that draws over 12,000 official attendees and many more visitors on the festival’s periphery. An independent ad agency head, on the condition of anonymity, remarked that the festival’s success depends on the turnout by sponsors and attendees, given the large amount of revenue it derives from on-site activations rather than mere primarily award entry fees. “There are massive financial stakes for the festival and hence the organisers will keep it going,” he said.