Ant Keogh’s Cannes Diary: Day One and Two

Ant Keogh, ECD of Clemenger BBDO Melbourne, is one Australia’s representatives on the Cannes Lions Film jury. Keogh, along with most of the Australian and NZ jurors, is reporting exclusively for CB.

Watching hundreds of tv ads in a row is very educational. It reminds you of what not to do. I don’t mean that arrogantly. After all film is hard to get right.

In advertising we’re often trying to turn a molehill into a mountain, to take a tiny point of difference and turn it into some profound or dramatic. When you see so much work together it becomes very apparent which ads which are just gilding the Lily. Your bullshit detectors become heightened and you find yourself saying to the screen ‘Do you have an actual premise here?’ ‘What are you actually trying to convince me of?’