"Titanium and Integrated: We have seen it but how do we do it?"

“People don’t need advertising.” With these words, Paul Kemp-Robertson, editor of Contagious kicked off an enlightening two-hour workshop titled ‘Cannes Titanium and Integrated: We have seen it but how do we do it?’

Kemp-Robertson was joined by Mark Tutssel, CCO, Leo Burnett Worldwide; Akira Kagami, global executive, CD Dentsu; and David Guerrero, chairman, CCO, BBDO/Guerrero Proximity Phillippines

Titanium and Integrated awards were introduced in Cannes 2007 in response to BMW’s branded films which didn’t fit in any of the traditional categories. As defined by Kemp-Robertson, Titanium recognises breakthrough ideas. It awards work that is provocative and points to a new direction; work that causes the industry to stop in its tracks and reconsider the way forward. He concluded: ‘It’s the most exciting’ category in advertising.”

“Cannes Titanium is the future,” declared Tutssel. ‘It’s about work that takes the industry to the next level, an incubator for new ideas.’

On that note, panel members took turns sharing with workshop participants their two favorite Titanium winners.

Kagami-san picked Unicef ‘Tap Project’ as an example of impactful work whose effectivity goes beyond the campaign’s launch date as it makes its way to other cities worldwide. Swinging to the opposite end of the spectrum, Kagami-san revels in ‘Barcode’ for the simple reason that something as ordinary as a barcode could be transformed to a thing of beauty.

Tutssel cited ‘Axe 3: The Game-killers’ as a sterling example of driving consumption through innovation. While ‘Halo 3’ exemplifies what the best integrated is all about. He also mentioned ‘Earth Hour’ as a game-changing idea that connected people through social activism.

David Guerrero dug how Oasis used New York buskers to ‘launch’ selected songs from their ‘Dig Out Your Soul’ CD. ‘Obama for America’ manifested what people can do ‘at the peak of our influence - change their leaders, change the world.’

Throughout the session, Tutssel passionately argued for the preeminence of ideas as well as the focus on human behaviour. ‘Creativity has the power to change behavior. Think about the purpose of a brand in people’s lives. Gone are the days of mass marketing. It’s all about a brand forming a relationship, through a fresh, engaging, relevant and useful idea.”

As a parting shot, Kemp-Robertson says that “Adland is in a bubble. Titanium bursts the bubble.”