Martina Kalusová and Tereza Kovandová at Cannes Lions 2022

In the local round of the Young Lions 2022 competition, Martina Kalusová (Ogilvy) and Tereza Kovandová (VMLY&R) took first place in the PR category with their communication proposal for Ergo Aktiv, a company focused on filling jobs with people who have had a stroke.

After their great success, the duo participated in the global round where they created a campaignfor UNESCO supporting the fight against racism.

Martina brought back inspiration, countless experiences, and new contacts. She wrote about the festival through her eyes in her report..

Creativity is more powerful than nuclear weapons

On Sunday evening, the festival app suddenly announced a new speaker. A speaker who was already queued up an hour before the start of the lecture in the largest hall of the festival palace. The four creatives from Ukraine were joined by Volodymyr Zelensky at the Ukrainian Creatives: Creativity Under Bombs lecture. How to use creativity and experience from an advertising agency when you find yourself at war, the speakers said with a short look back into their lives before February 24. Their eerie resemblance to our own, including the obligatory agency slides listing awards and clients, lifted the entire room to a long round of applause at the end and was undoubtedly the strongest session of this year's festival.

The very next day, Paris Hilton, who does the same in the world of technology and NFT, brought pink and glitter to Cannes. And with great success, as evidenced by her company 11:11 Media's trillion-dollar profits.

When looking for inspiration, take it from the basement

Because that's where all the shortlists of entries are on display in the festival palace, ensuring hours and hours of browsing among the best that has been created in the world of advertising across every conceivable discipline. Créme de la créme, awarded with the Golden Lion or Grand Prix, is then served up in Cannes every night during the category awards.

The large amount of work associated with fast food giants is interspersed with campaigns from smaller local clients proving that you don't need a sexy global love brand brief to be creative, but you can also get a golden lion in the paddock by working with a funeral service or logistics company specializing in transporting art - I recommend Case Wilmore Funeral Home, Welti-furrer or the combination of Vienna Art and the Only Fans platform.

Behind the palace walls

The colonnade is lined with beaches lent to the biggest brands. In the very first days, the most popular spot was Meta Beach, where they take care of you in every way so that you'll forgive them for the moment even the questionable handling of your own data. Still, Mark Zuckerberg preferred not to arrive in the Cannes sun.

But a giant steamer from the dock of another visionary, the Valiant Lady, did arrive. The Virgin Voyages ship took us on a trip to a world of experimental seven-course dinners and pool parties at the heights of an ordinary Czech apartment block.

Anything can happen to you in Cannes, whether you arrive in camouflage, surrounded by star glitter or are simply an advertising lioness.