Testimonials | Celebrating Creativity at Cannes Young Lions

Organized by the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in 2003 as a competition for young creatives under the age of 30, the Cannes Young Lions China Competition has entered its 20th year. The competition contains seven major categories: PR, Media, Print, Design, Digital, Marketers, and Film.

This year, Mindshare China had four finalists in the "Marketers" and "Media" categories. We invited Carey Wang, Managing Director of Mindshare China and a Cannes Young Lions judge, as well as the finalists themselves to share their stories and takeaways.

When I attended the Cannes Lions Festival 7 years ago and saw creative commercials from across the globe, I was both thrilled and touched. Back then, I hoped that more ad professionals from China would be able to lead the industry one day.

Now, as a judge in the 2023 Cannes Young Lions China Competition, I can proudly say that the new generation of young Chinese talents is already at the forefront of the world of advertising. I've also noticed that our media agencies truly excel in grasping tech trends, utilizing industry ecosystems, and emphasizing sustainability in communications. I hope to see more young people fearlessly drive industry transformations and showcase creativity in China.

 —Carey Wang,  Mindshare China Managing Director

*Originally published by Modern Advertising. Slighted edited for clarity:

"We believe that Cannes values creativity and the process of going from 0 to 1, which definitely requires the wisdom of young people. From what I saw, all the contestants here were willing to create the breakthrough from 0 to 1," said Carey.As a Cannes Young Lions judge, Carey leverages his professional expertise to analyze the core audience targeted by contestants' proposals. "Speaking as a media agency professional, I pay close attention to the type of consumers targeted by our contestants, how contestants rise to the occasion to solve consumers' problems or change their perspectives, how the execution takes place and whether it will effectively meet the brand's demands in the end."

Regarding the underlying problems in the proposals, Carey said, "What really matters are the challenges addressed in the plan and whether they are consumers' real pain points. If these challenges don't hold up under scrutiny, they won't score particularly high in my mind."

Therefore, Carey advises Young Lions to conduct more analysis and consumer research in the early stages to pinpoint the genuine needs of the target audience. When it comes to creative ideation, it is especially vital for marketers to keep one's impulses in check, follow one's curiosity to do extensive research, and continuously question whether the chosen direction is the best solution.

"Truly great creativity and ideas withstand constant self-examination and questioning, even given very limited time. As a marketer, this is not only a requirement for oneself but also a form of self-discipline."

After reviewing all the proposals, Carey expresses satisfaction with Young Lions' optimism in the face of today's uncertainties. "This is the kind of fearless spirit that a Young Lion should have."

FINALIST TESTIMONIALS

Lotus Lu
This was my first time participating in the competition. Overall, the experience was a mix of pain and a sense of achievement.

Since I am a member of Mindshare's Content+, a creative-oriented team, it was somehow both unexpected and unsurprising that we made it to the final round of Cannes Young Lions. Inside the venue where final judging was held, no one is necessarily better than anybody else, and not winning is no longer something that causes regret. The most precious reward is the experience of being in the competition itself.

The foundation of joy is the sense of accomplishment one feels after shedding a layer of skin from working hard - this was an insight shared by a group of contestants at the final round, which I later reposted on social media.
Preparation for the final round was filled with anxiety. We were not quite happy with our proposal, and my teammate and I worked so hard that we almost didn't sleep and missed meals. When the competition was over, my gums started bleeding for no reason. That's when I realized I hadn't eaten much fruits or vegetables for the entire week...
I didn't want to tell myself afterwards that "we deserved to lose for not preparing well", but neither did believe that giving my all guarantees a win. I simply thought that giving my best was what ought to be done. In the end, we prepared thoroughly, and completed the proposal with flying colors. Regardless of the outcome, we were content.

We certainly achieved professional growth. Extreme conditions can serve as a great test for sharpening one's mind and skills. But perhaps my biggest takeaway is that my belief system has become stronger than ever.

For those wanting to join the Cannes Young Lions competition in the future, here are some tips:
If you plan to compete, start practicing English in advance, although it doesn't need to be perfect. If you are aiming for Cannes, do familiarize yourself with the international media environment ahead of time. Otherwise, it will be nothing more than a trip abroad.

Domestic judges generally place a heavier emphasis on the innovativeness of the proposal. Even if your plan can't be implemented in reality, it doesn't really matter. Let your creativity fly. However, remember to refrain from topics that are controversial or politically-sensitive.

Elaine Zu

I was completely new to the Cannes Young Lions Competition and happened to see the recruitment announcement shared by my boss in our work groupchat. My colleague Lotus then approached me to team up as a pair. After struggling with my initial hesitation and lack of confidence, I decided to make the leap and challenge myself to climb onto a bigger stage. When I made it through the preliminary round and went through a day of final judging at the competition venue, the strongest feeling I had was that it was definitely worth it.

The most memorable highlight from the competition was the preparation stage with Lotus. As my work projects at the time entered a busy execution phase, Lotus assumed major responsibilities for managing the prepwork. She really put a lot of effort into this. From receiving the brief to delivering the presentation on-stage, we had only a week to understand concepts like "Zhang Chaoyang's Physics Class" from scratch. There were many challenging moments, from brainstorming ideas, creating the deck, to preparing the speech in English. However, we also gained tremendous personal growth in the process. After all, it is said that "difficult paths lead to beautiful destinations at the mountaintop"~

I'd like to encourage my peers to communicate more and try different things. During the prep phase for the preliminary round, it was extremely helpful to have colleagues review your deck. At the final round, brainstorm together within your team and test out fresh ideas to lay a solid foundation, as on-site judges also anticipate seeing unique works and learning more about everyone's potential.

Flavia Wang

This was my first year competing at Cannes Young Lions. During the preliminary round, I had a mindset of giving it a try, and was super excited to have made it to the final round. The outstanding works across various categories such as Media, PR, and Film that I saw on on final judging day was direct proof of Young Lions' exceptional innovation skills. This experience also broadened my perspectives and understanding of the media industry as a whole. It's crucial to identify the right place and the right audience, as well as channeling your inner creativity to maximize media impact without being held back by capabilities. I also connected with fellow contestants who have been in the race multiple times, which motivated me to keep striving for improvement in the future!

Noah Song

Cannes was very different: It embodies creative DNA, and most of the judges sitting in the audience also come from a creative background. If we approach the challenges with a purely media-oriented mindset, it could be difficult to stand out. This is perhaps also where the charm of this competition lies. Generally speaking, based on my personal experience, I highly recommend entering Cannes Young Lions. The most important thing to me was feeling the passion and pursuit of creativity among a group of peers, which was incredibly inspiring.

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