By Adam Wakefield

Xenopoulos has attended the Cannes Lions for over 10 years, and he told the packed presentation room that in that time he’s seen a “real shift from the party culture to the learning culture”, with the advertising industry constantly changing.

“Unless you stay abreast of what’s happening, you will definitely fall dangerously behind,” he said.

Among the over 100 speakers who spoke at the 2016 Cannes Lions, Xenopoulos singled out the founding executive editor of Wired magazine, Kevin Kelly, as his favourite.

In particular, what stuck out for Xenopoulos were Kelly’s two “megatrends of 2016”, virtual reality (VR) and artificial intelligence (AI).

According to Kelly, VR might be overhyped in the short term but, in fact, it is under-hyped in the long term, with the consensus being that VR will be the next big platform after smart phones.

“In the next few years, virtual reality will change our lives. We will see a virtual reality headset not just in every home but on every head,” Xenopoulos said.

Further, VR’s impact will see the Internet transforming from a network of information to a network of experiences, with VR, according to American entrepreneur Chris Milk, the most expressive medium ever created.

Xenopoulos also heard how virtual reality is the future of social media, where “we will spend a lot of time encountering other people”, and be the most social form of social media there is.

The contradiction Xenopoulos sees in VR, however, is the real problems the world faces, with VR very different from our actual lived reality.

Regarding AI, Xenopoulos heard it will be instrumental in launching the next industrial revolution, “adding to everything”, with the Internet distributing it across the world. It will change the way humanity lives, raising serious ethical questions about AI’s implications.

In contradiction to AI, Xenopoulos said the world is awash with natural stupidity, illustrated by the rise of Donald Trump for example. Quoting English musician Brian Eno, Xenopoulos said each generation is defined by the technological shortcomings of its time while artificial stupidity, as opposed to AI, “may be the tech shortcoming to define our era”.

The next major theme, and another contradiction, that Xenopoulos spoke about was purpose versus brand purchase.

“We saw a shift from this idea of purpose, to the real focus of the idea of driving purchase through that purpose,” Xenopoulos said.

“This isn’t just something that people have as a theory but more and more of the data supports it.”

However, while more and more brands are focused on purpose, Xenopoulos said the world is still overrun by consumerism.

Another major theme from Cannes 2016 Xenopoulos recognised is being connected, noting how “connecting the world is how we create the world”.

Connecting is also reflective of the advertising industry, with the world “collaboration” coming up more and more within the industy.

However, Xenopoulos said; “The truth of it is collaboration doesn’t just come from intent to collaborate. It comes from a structure and a culture designed to foster collaboration. They start with an organisational design shift.”

Contradicting connecting was Brexit, which took place during Cannes 2016. It made Xenopoulos wonder whether all these connections we are making through the likes of social media are, in fact ,making people less connected.

Xenopoulos approached the end of his presentation by telling the room that upon returning from Cannes this year, he felt uneasy.

“There was something missing from the work. What I realised what was missing was heart. It was heartless. I realised in many ways it is that lack of heart that is creating those contradictions and it is that lack that is creating the heartless world we are living in,” he said.

“We need more empathy in our work. You have to put people first, ahead of your own products and brands and you have to put people first ahead of your own profits. Your profitability is a reflection of the value you create for your customers.”

During the Q&A that followed his presentation, Xenopoulos noted how the judging panel at this year’s Cannes said they’d “been tough on charity”, with a shift away from work designed to address natural stupidity and more focused on advertising’s core function.

Xenopoulos also agreed with an insight raised that the reason South Africa did not perform at Cannes as it possibly can was because there is not enough courage in the local advertising industry.

“There’s no reason, no natural, inhibitor to us being brave so I don’t see why we can’t overcome it,” the NATIVE VML CEO said.

If major brands and clients were willing to show courage and be brave, Xenopoulos believes South Africa can easily produce work on par with what is shown at Cannes.

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