We are all connected and digital.

After just one day here at the Cannes Lions Festival, it's clear that everything revolves around digital content, the power of social communities, mobile first, virtual and augmented reality, drones and other new technologies that are changing our world - and I don't just mean the world of advertisers - forever. This opens up new and also cheaper production possibilities (after all, today an iPhone is enough to produce multimedia content), but on the other hand the risk of getting lost in this flood of "quick & dirty produced content" is greater than ever. So basically nothing has changed: No great idea - no great result.

Nevertheless, the approach must adapt to changing consumption patterns. Jimmy Maymann, former CEO of the Huffington Post and President of AOL Content and Consumer Brands, says it's wrong to try to shift traditional media like TV to social media and the Internet. On the contrary. The share of mobile users is increasing so rapidly that very soon it will be necessary to design the campaign primarily for mobile and then move it to the other media channels.

But there are also voices like Susan Credle, Global Chief Creative Officer at FCB, who says that in some ways, technologies have changed, but in the grand scheme of things, it's still all about one thing:

 

Make love, not ads.

Susan Credle, Global CCO at FCB, says: " Technology is just a tool for telling a story. - and has always been." Susan, herself an old hand in the advertising business, certainly speaks from the soul of many who are constantly finding new terms for the good old craft of "advertising". The newest trend "Storytelling" is in truth an old hat. Just as "original ideas" all have their roots in the past. And "liking" is not a new concept either, it was just practiced differently in the past (namely by word-of-mouth and the like). In general, one should try, not to generate "loads of likings", but "a few things to love". So in principle, it's still about the same thing: Making interesting ads that can dock with people's lives.

Susan is also critical of "targeting." Because defining your target group precisely always means excluding many. But consumers have become so multi-layered. So why not invite other people to get in touch with the brand? And at a time when you are not perceived as a "disruption" but as "added value".

Susan argues that the bad reputation of advertising is due to the fact that there is simply too much advertising and that it is often unleashed on people at inappropriate times (such as annoying pop-ups). Everything that disturbs is perceived negatively. She advises: "It's not about filling time and space. Do great not more!" Advertising can literally change the world. For better or worse, all advertisers must accept this responsibility if they want to produce more than just "pollution." And of course, this also includes the skilful use of new media and technologies.