Reflections on Cannes 2017, from Debby Cheung

1. Creativity that challenges social issues: Over half of the PR entries were related to social issues such as women's empowerment, LGBT, corruption, under privileged, ...etc. 
2. "Reveal" has become a common campaign roll out formula: many cases started with seeding something fake (be it a personality, a company, an advertisement,...) that draws public attention or debate, and then later on reveal the true story. 
3. The line between advertising and PR is blurring: PR is about putting a brand/corporate message in societal context in order to earn influence, and advertising is about finding a unique soft spot in consumers' hearts. In today's world, the soft spot is more and more about societal issues that matter to consumers. 
4. Data-powered solutions: there are a number of entries, including several from IBM Watson, that is about how an innovative product can change our future. There are also apps to reduce traffic accidents among new drivers, apps to help stuttering children,... Again, related to a social cause. What's most important, a lot of the campaign insights came from data analysis!
5. B-S wins: good ideas - bold and simple - can transcend cultures, geographies and ideologies.