Peeping into the Glass

Glass: The Lion for Change celebrates culture-shifting creativity. The Glass Lion recognises work that reduces gender bias and prejudice worldwide.  All entry fees for Glass are donated to related charities, which will be announced once the festival is completed and help improve the world. For a contender for Glass Lions, making the world better starts with making your presentation better in front of the jury members.

It had been 10 months since tgthr. was launched by Aalap and Rahul when we got the fantastic news that our first brief for – Harpic’s Loocator – got shortlisted for Glass Lions at the Cannes International Festival of Creativity this year. Since it involves a physical presentation, we quickly got our visas done and reached Cannes for it. Cannes Lions allows you to present it online, but we wanted to present it physically.

We were happy and scared. We spoke to people to understand what the presentation would be like and the dos and don’ts. We got some fantastic advice and experience, which I would love to share with you all.

Jury photo courtesy _ Suresh Raj, Chief Growth Officer, McCann New York, USA

How is the presentation done?

It is done on a small stage at the venue. You present on stage, and the jury sits in the first row as the audience. The presentation is projected, and two presenters stand on two sides of the screen. Two monitors face the presenters: one with the slides and one with the timer for the presentation. Don’t worry, there is a tech check done for it where you need to hand over your final presentation and practice and plan your presentation a day before the final presentation.

What is the flow of the presentation?

This year’s flow was as follows: It started with 2 minutes of the case film, followed by 10 minutes of presentation and then 10 minutes of Q&A.

How is the 10 minutes of presentation different from the case film video?

The 10 minutes of presentation should build on or add to your case film and not repeat it. You don’t even need to summarise what you showed. You are shortlisted because the jury not only understood your idea but liked it too. The case film captures everything from the problem to the insight to the solution to the results, so it’s very comprehensive in that sense, but there’s always more than meets the eye. If the case film had given you more time, you would have harped on many critical things. So, start with those. It could be consumer testimonials that provide a deeper understanding of the problem, the technology behind the solution, an infrastructural problem facing the issue or the cultural grounding of the problem. Add information that could help the jury better appreciate the idea's importance. Now is the time for more nuance and to go deeper into the idea.

Another area to spend more time on is the results part. The impact and scale of the idea make an impact. This category is of change, so it is essential to show the change the idea is bringing about and the domino effect it is creating. These could be several lives impacted, new efforts being undertaken, and partners coming on board to help take the cause forward; it needs to be out there for the jury to see.

You should also have a part on the road ahead where you can write down the things you have set in motion, the plans you have to dial up impact, and the scale of the idea going forward. Any change takes time, but as long as a path is charted out for it with clarity, the idea will have a long-term impact.

What should be the format of the presentation?

You could use a PowerPoint presentation, videos, a person to speak, or a mix of things, whatever you feel is fit to drive your point strongly.

What if I have new results? Should I add those?

Between submitting the case film and the presentation to the jury, if new results have come in, you can add them and discuss them. This just goes to show how your idea continues to create impact.

Can there be questions about the brand’s intent?

You are expected to know the ins and outs of the brand you work on. What do they stand for? What have they been doing over the years? Is this idea a one-off, or does it fall on the path that your brand has been on? This is hygiene.

Is it important to finish within the time limit?

Absolutely. If you feel like you won’t be able to finish within 10 minutes, practice. If you can finish within 10 minutes, you should still practice. Finishing within time is just plain respectful.  We managed to finish our presentation 40 seconds earlier.

Is the jury ruthless when it comes to Glass Lions?

Many people told us that the jury would rip us apart. Our experience was quite the opposite. The jury was extremely polite and made us feel very comfortable. When it came to questions, they asked us very sharp and intelligent questions. They were so sharp that they made us feel like they knew India inside out and were as close to the problem as we were. This compels me to think that they did their homework well.

Can you attend other people’s presentations?

Yes, you can, but my advice would be not to do it at the expense of your prep. Don’t freak yourself out.

How do we get to know the results?

Our presentation to the jury was on Monday, and we learned the results on Friday around 2 pm. The Grand Prix and Gold announcement happened at 7 pm. that day. The results are announced at a ceremony for the silver and bronze winners, and there’s also an opportunity to take pictures on the red carpet holding your trophies. The trophies are shipped to the address and arrive later.

What if I need to be more relaxed while presenting and make a mistake?

The jury is the world’s best, so it’ll be odd if you don’t feel jittery or nervous. Everyone who presents is anxious, but the good news is that the jury looks beyond all that, so there’s nothing to worry about. Our jury was very warm and responsive, so we felt great. We were super nervous at the start but just went with the flow.

Overall, our learning is not to overthink and overanalyze. There is no one right way of doing things. As long as you are true to the idea, true to the brand, and true to the change that you are seeking to make, everything will be alright.

What I’ve put up is just the tip of the iceberg of our Glass Lion win. There is a lot more, and there is no one-size-fits-all. Everyone will have their own thing, but one thing is for sure. This win is very important because it is very satisfying. We often disregard the importance of advertising in everyone’s lives, but a Glass Lion rewards impact and change. I hope and pray that the change-makers of tomorrow can feel this joy, too, because it is a win for advertising that matters.

Disclaimer: The views expressed here are solely those of the author and do not in any way represent the views of exchange4media.com.