As the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity approaches, we are excited to present a special Inside Edelman series: "Meet the Cannes Young Lions." This series highlights our finalists as they reflect on the competition and prepare for Cannes. We are thrilled to share insights from Andrea Ales, Creative Copywriter, and Clara Barrios, Creative Art Director, the winning team representing Spain and Edelman.
Can you describe the competition in five words?
Andrea:
Intuition, emotion, jury, IRL (in real life), and of course fun.
Clara:
Dedication, empowering, exciting, inspiring, and impactful.
What excites you most about going to Cannes?
Andrea:
I thought I would never go to Cannes because it’s every advertiser’s dream; a once in a lifetime chance to meet and network with people from all around the globe.
Clara:
I think that we both dreamed of being in this situation and going to Cannes, especially once we started studying creativity, but you don’t think it will happen to you. I’m excited to meet a lot of people who are doing great work, especially the women who are changing our industry and inspire us every day.
What do you think the key trait of winning work is?
Andrea:
For me, it’s something that connects culturally with the audience, but that also solves a real problem. You can win a Cannes Lion, but it means nothing if you’re not helping solve issues in real life.
Clara:
Like Andrea said, the work needs to have an impact. If it doesn’t create positive change in the world and in society, it doesn’t have what it takes to win. It needs to have real results, not only in the media, but in people’s minds. It also needs to come from the heart, and we need to be doing work that we like and that we are proud to show.
Do you have any advice for future Young Lions?
Andrea:
What I always say is, you have to trust your intuition and your gut. I think we’re here because we trusted what we were feeling and what felt correct in that moment in time, and now we’re going to Cannes!
Clara:
The first thing I’ll say is try to have fun. Even though it can be stressful, and you want to give your best until the last minute, make sure you are still enjoying the moment with your creative partner. Also, trust what you think is best, and don’t be afraid to reach out to others that you trust as a resource.
