(Editor’s note: We asked all our delegates and student representatives to answer five questions regarding their attendance in this year’s Cannes Lions. Today we ask Amanda Cruz of Publicis Manila, one-half of the duo who competed in the Cannes Young Lions-Cyber event.)
By Charmaine Bautista Pamintuan, Krizia Dela Cruz
POP! Team: What was the first thing you put inside your bag when you were packing your luggage for Cannes?
Amanda: This notebook was given by my friend Nikka Arcilla, who also happened to be a Young Lion competitor a couple of years ago. I was saving it for a special occasion, and this being my first time in the Cannes Lions Festival, it was just perfect.
POP! Team: What was the first thing that came to your mind when you saw all these representatives from different countries during the festival briefing?
Amanda: Some of our competitors looked older than we are, probably even ACD’s in their agencies. But when it comes down to those 24 hours of finding that idea and putting it together, it’s an equal playing field.
I met the Silver winners from Lithuania the night of the briefing, and we were talking about how there’s that sweet spot of being 26 to 28 years old when you join Young Lions – experienced enough to have gone through urgent brainstorming and execution, various brands and projects, plus having a bit more confidence than a newbie. I wonder now if they have statistics on this!
POP! Team: What exactly was running through your mind when you were working on the project, particularly one hour before the submission time?
Amanda: “Happy? Happy.” We believed in our idea, and believed it would deliver results for the client in a surprising way. That was more than enough for me.
POP! Team: Give us a quick summary of your Cannes Lions experience.
Amanda: Sure, with Facebook and Twitter we can see what campaigns are happening around the world. But to see the best of them all in the same place, it’s inspiration on steroids plus unicorn dust. It’s surreal.
Then comes the realization that the Philippines has such a small share of the spotlight. I hope more of us keep coming so we can change that.
POP! Team: Do you think the Philippines has a shot at winning a Lion? Yes or no? Why?
Amanda: Of course. It’s easy to fall into the mindset that we’re at a disadvantage for whatever reason, but we can flip the story. For all the problems we have in the Philippines, so many of them can be solved with creativity. And the smaller the resources, the smarter the solution has to be, the greater opportunity there is for a brilliant idea. And that’s what the juries value.
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