The Cannes Lions is a leading international event that brings together professionals from advertising and creative arts realms, fostering a space for sharing ideas and shaping industry’s future. However, consumer involvement is frequently overlooked (yet vital), something CMO Jon Evans of System1 emphasises.
Evans advocates for an unconventional method of obtaining consumer feedback – ‘Taxi Lion’ – where local taxi drivers serve as accessible sources of market data. He argues that this direct engagement reveals valuable insights, challenging traditional research conventions and promoting a holistic approach.
System1 utilises real consumer feedback to evaluate ad impact, testing if an ad’s desired emotional tone has been achieved, and assessing its potential creative influence. This innovative method does away with lengthy, traditional market research methods, marks a shift in how businesses receive and act on customer feedback.
On a single day, using digital research strategies, System1 analysed around 100 Cannes Lion-awarded campaigns, compiling data from 15,000 global consumers. The research showed that many Cannes Lion-awarded ads, particularly in the Film sector, resonated with consumers, indicating a shift towards sustainable, long-term industry efficiency.
Taxi Lion: enhancing consumer-centric advertising
Such significant and lasting ads succeed through connecting with audiences over prolonged periods, challenging conventional measures of advertising success, and paving the way for more comprehensive strategies in the sector.
Consumer insights play an instrumental role in shaping advertising strategies. The advertising industry now realises that the most creative works aren’t necessarily the most effective. Thus, understanding consumers’ needs, wants, and expectations is integral for formulating ad campaigns.
Increased focus on consumers is shifting creative paradigms, and leading to new tools for gauging consumer mindsets. This, in turn, enables more targeted, personalised, and effective marketing campaigns.
Involved and valued consumers are necessary for the resonance of a brand’s message and consequential
commercial success. A consumer-centric approach provides insights that fuel both innovation and commercial success.
