Cannes Diary: Catching What We Can

Nima DT Namchu, Executive Creative Director, Cheil India, writes his second blog from Cannes

Nima DT Namchu

Carrying from my blog yesterday, June 19, eventually we got tired of waiting for the hotel folks to get the room cleaned and ready for Navin, so we called for a cab.

“Suri, monsieur. Theere ees no locule taxzee.  Shall I cuole fure a taxzee fruem de Cannes?”

Considering the way the rupee is sliding down and the fact that our hotel is about eight and a half kilometres from the Palais de Festivals, we decided to take the buse.

After a long and winding ride through parts of Cannes I hadn't seen before, we arrived in time to register and catch the awards ceremony for Design, Cyber, Press and Radio. The Japanese rocked the design category but my personal favourite was the Haelssen and Lyon Tea Calendar by Kolle Rebbe, Hamburg.

Taproot, McCann, Grey, DDB Group, TBWA and Ogilvy Gurgaon did their bit for the Indian crowd. I particularly liked Grey's Positive/Negative for Duracell and Ogilvy's campaign for Philips LED Torches. And I was surprised to hear that Ogilvy's work for World For All had only hit a bronze.

The thing about Digital is that it's really tough to comment if you haven't experienced the work for yourself. So I won't because I haven't gone through them all. One thing though – the digital guys seem to be making more films than the regular 'ATL' types.

The last time I was here, in 2005, Radio had some really big ones like Budweiser's 'Real Men of Genius'. This time, however, only three spots really hit the spot so to speak – 'Dumb Ways to Die' for Metro Trains by McCann Melbourne, the spot for Lego by Ogilvy Guatemala and the 'Real Beauty' spot for Dove by Ogilvy London. Somehow, I left the auditorium thinking where have all the Men (and Women) of Real Genius gone?

(20^th June)

The Saatchi & Saatchi New Director's Showcase. Lunch at Café Roma with our colleagues from the Cheil Network while Lou Reed spoke in the auditorium. Coffee with an old friend - Amitabh Bhattacharya of Nomad Films - who is here as a cyclist and not a producer. And wondering why I agreed to write the columns from Cannes. Gotta run, there's the TOI India Party I have to be at tonight.

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