The Summer of Sport was a key topic at the Cannes Lions, and Louise Johnson, CEO of Fuse, was president of sports and entertainment on the Cote D’Azur. She lets us into the secrets of what hits the jackpot.
For one week every year the great and the good of the marketing and advertising industry gather on the Cote D’Azur to glad-hand and shmooze their way through meetings, drinks, panels and pitches. This festival of advertising is intense and an extraordinary insight into how the business is doing, what it’s feeling and where it’s going.
This year Cannes Lions embraced the Summer of Sport. Halle Berry ran through the streets holding the Olympic flame aloft, the Euros played out on TV screens around town, the festival hosted Sport Beach, Fifa Beach and the inaugural Women’s Sport House.
Meanwhile I was hunkered down in a jury room presiding over the Entertainment Lions for Sport category – 665 entries from 41 countries entered in total.
While there could only be one Grand Prix winner – Orange’s incredible WoMen’s Football campaign created by Marcel, Paris – it became apparent there were five clear themes emerging from this collective endeavour that we should consider as we look ahead to sport-inspired creativity.
The winner
Women’s sport…gets its recognition at last!
This year marked a significant shift, with a substantial number of entries highlighting women’s sport. Out of the 21 medal winners, a third were for women’s sport – in particular
for women’s football, reflecting the momentum from the Fifa Women’s World Cup in 2023.
These campaigns portrayed women as powerful athletes with unique personalities, equating the representation to that of men’s sports. The hope is that this attention continues to extend beyond major tournaments, so that this creative wave celebrates the best of women’s sport year-round. While Orange’s Grand Prix winning campaign is one of the highest profile, Nike’s What The Football (US), Matilda’s ‘Til It’s Done (Australia) and IFood’s Audience Delivery (Brazil) were other standout examples.
‘Til It’s Done
Big brands make a come back
Most of the awarded work came from big brands; 27 per cent of the entries were from FMCG (Fast-Moving Consumer Goods) brands and this category accounted for 28 per cent of the shortlist. This isn’t just due to their perceived big budgets (not the case at all), but because savvy advertisers recognise sports marketing as an effective channel amid continued media fragmentation.
Big brands know the value of storytelling, and this was at its best in WhatsApp’s We Are Ayenda work around the incredible journey the Afghanistan Women’s Youth National Football team had to embark on, simply to survive the Taliban. Elsewhere Gatorade has shown the power of long-term brand investment applied from the ground up, with its support stretching from localised grassroots level that taps into participation at the micro level, all the way up to the big tent pole moments.
The industry is booming as sport remains one of the few appointment-to-view programming at home and stadia are filled out of home. As TV audiences continue to rise, private equity notes the investment opportunity and brands are getting further involved.
A fan-first approach to sport gathers steam
In sports culture, the community thrives on inside stories and unique moments. Brands that pay attention to this, listen and participate in the conversation are winning. 7-Eleven’s Always Open brilliantly captured this with American footballer Ja’Marr Chase, jumping on a cultural moment that chimed with its fans and building that into a much bigger creative work and product range.
In Spain, Oliveira Dos Cen Anos, Real Club Celta by Little Spain, created a new anthem for their centenary, crafted by rapper C Tangana and using the traditional rhythms and lyrics of Galician folk music. This resonated deeply with fans boosting membership. Connecting with specific moments within sport culture, touching fans and driving deeper connections demonstrated that they understand the culture around the people supporting the sport and athletes.
Fans are smart and can tell when brands are genuinely leaning into their communities to use their sponsorship in ways that connect meaningfully with athletes, teams and fans. These are the brands that will stand out.
Oliveira Dos Cen Anos, Real Club Celta by Little Spain
Accelerating participation
While participation in sport has started to recover to pre-pandemic levels – 63 per cent of UK adults met the recommended 150 minutes or more of moderate intensity physical activity a week, there are notable areas where the recovery has not kicked in – notably among women and lower socio-economic groups.
So, it was encouraging to see work tackling these issues with campaigns and activations designed to enable more people across all levels and abilities to take part in sport. Whether it was Adidas’ Runner 321 campaign, Gatorade’s Turf Finder or AT&T’s 5G Helmet, brands were finding inventive ways of raising the prospect of sports being part of people’s everyday lives, no matter what discipline or expertise.
Gatorade’s Turf Finder
Make ‘em laugh
This year, the ‘humour’ category was new for Cannes Lions, and it was refreshing to see brands celebrating performance while also taking a lighter approach. NFL’s The Table Read was a great example from this year’s entries – featuring Keegan-Michael Key and star players as they read the script for the season, mocking the internet conspiracy theories.
We saw Lays (Walkers) return with the ‘No Lay’s, No Game’ campaign by embracing humour with its Lay’s Chip Cam work featuring David Beckham and Thierry Henry, shot in under five minutes before a live UEFA Champions League game.
This work shows we can celebrate achievements in ways that put a smile on people’s faces – and we know from research that tapping into humour is an excellent driver for more effective advertising.
No Lay’s, No Game
Louise Johnson, CEO of Fuse, President of Sports and Entertainment at Cannes Lions 2024