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 Kelly Oglesby, Senior Account Executive, and Méabh O'Mahony, Account Manager, the winning team representing Ireland and Edelman.
Can you describe the competition in five words?
Kelly:
Putting yourself forward for the competition is always a great idea until you only have about five hours left to submit your idea. So, I describe the competition as a mix of words such as rewarding, challenging, thrilling, hectic, and then valuable as well.
Méabh:
To me, the five words best describe the Cannes Young Lions competition are creative, collaborative, impactful, exciting, but also intense. We can't underestimate the amount of work that the Young Lions have to do over the 24 hours of their competition, so I think intense probably is the best word to describe the highs and lows of the actual competition experience.
What excites you most about going to Cannes?
Kelly:
It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity, and from all the stories that I've heard, I'm excited about absolutely everything. But getting the chance to compete worldwide on a global stage representing Ireland in the PR category would probably be the main one.
The networking opportunities and meeting Edelman colleagues from around the globe will also be amazing. I can't wait to attend the talks and just be in the same room as the creative legends on the speaker list.
Méabh:
Cannes Lions is the forum for the world to come together and shape what's new and next in the marketing and advertising industry. I'm most excited to be on the ground hearing from industry titans and leaders, seeing some agenda-setting work, and winning some awards.
More than anything, it's just such a privilege to be representing Irish PR on the global stage. I'm really excited to take part and meet competitors from around the world. I competed last year, so I do feel more prepared to navigate the festival and make the most out of the experience with the support of Kelly and the Edelman network. I can't wait to meet our global colleagues on the ground and attend some exciting events.
What do you think the key trait of winning work is?
Kelly:
A key trait of winning work would be to make the idea brilliant but simple and have real human insight behind it. While entering our Cannes Lions category this year, we looked through the winning work from past years for inspiration, and the campaigns that made us say, “How did they think of that?” were all clever and simple, with a universal insight. They didn't need to explain to us in any more detail.
Méabh:
For me, it's insight driven. Winning work is formed with a strong insight at the base that perfectly embodies both the brand itself, and the connection to human truth at the heart of the brand's challenge. When you ground your campaign in a strong insight like that, it's setting a sturdy foundation and the rest flows from there. Your work is just unshakable.
And just like you said, Kelly, I think the best work is also incredibly simple. Award-winning campaigns almost need to be obvious. It's that simplicity that makes them universally understandable and elicits emotion from people. I think the best work is always the work that makes you think: How did I miss that insight, or why did I not think of that idea?
Do you have any advice for future Young Lions?
Kelly:
Just go for it. Regardless of what level you're at, experience is experience at the end of the day, and there's nowhere better to get it than during the Cannes Young Lions competition. And if you don't win or get shortlisted during your first time entering, apply again the following year and bring your learnings. That's what I did when I got shortlisted in my first year and won in my second. So, I'd say just keep going and hopefully all the hard work pays off.
Méabh:
Just apply. Honestly, it doesn't matter what stage you're at in your career, you don't need to be the most experienced person in the room to have a winning idea. It's all about that creative spark, and that can come from anyone. I think having people with different perspectives and backgrounds entering can only make the competition a better experience for everyone, and the work produced there will be amazing as a result.
I know you mentioned Kelly, that you had a similar experience the first time you entered the Irish heats – you were shortlisted and so was I. That was only a year into my career. So, it doesn't matter how much experience you have. Sometimes the brief that you get is better suited to someone with your experience, your background, or your age. Just put in the work and try.
The 24 hours that you do it are challenging, but they're also so fun, and you and your partner have a really great time while you're doing it. It's such a great lesson in unpacking a brief, developing a campaign, and then having to present your work. And you can really take that back and apply it to your day-to-day role as well. You'll gain so much confidence and the experience will serve you in the future, even before you win or get to Cannes.
My main advice for when you enter would be to work with a partner that you're comfortable enough with to debate ideas freely. You can't be afraid to give honest feedback, and you can't take it to heart when they do the same for you. That will help you to be stronger as a team, which in turn helps you get to that amazing, simple idea to win and move forward in the competition.
