Data, tech and ideas intersect at the 2015 International Festival of Creativity

Cannes Lions has today announced the launch of the Creative Data Lions and expanded Innovation Lions which will form part of a new, two day Lions Innovation Festival within next year’s International Festival of Creativity.

The move is a comprehensive response to dramatic industry shifts which, says Lions Festival CEO, Philip Thomas, have created exciting opportunities for both brands and agencies. “Using data and technology as tools that can lead to great ideas has become mainstream. As ever when these seismic changes occur in the industry, Cannes Lions is asked to consider ways we can acknowledge and reflect the reality of what is going on. The Lions Innovation Festival will highlight how data and technology can be powerful catalysts for creativity.”

New Lions

Actively recognising the growing relationship between data, technology and ideas, the new Creative Data Lions and expanded Innovation Lions are the product of extensive industry consultation.

The Innovation Lions will now include categories for standalone and branded technological solutions, adtech platforms and models. The new Creative Data Lions will celebrate the role of data in shaping ideas, better storytelling and engagement, which David Droga, Creative Chairman, Droga5 sees as integral.

“I love the friction between creativity and data. I think when you can navigate between the two and they complement each other it’s a wonderful thing. Data and science is liberating for creativity because it offers a foundation. We’re not scared of it - data furnishes us with great insights and allows us to stop bullshitting ourselves. It helps us to ask the right questions.”