The Rejuvenation of La Mer:

Luckily for us, the festival is located on the French Riviera, the coastline overlooking the most alluring seas of the planet, the Mediterranean. So generous and replenishing, this body of water has attracted the likes of Pablo, Brigitte, Zelda and F. Scott.

Our idea was to invite delegates of the Cannes Lions and Lions Health Festivals to luxuriate in these soothing waters with free paddleboard rides. Open to all. Away from the crowds. No badges or VIP passes.

Video & Image Postings on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter:

Targeting the 15,000 Cannes Lions Delegates, the paddleboarding was held between June 18-21 and located at Cannes Stand Up Paddle on Plage du Mouré Rouge.

One week prior, we promoted the event with video and image postings on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Established an official event of the Cannes Festivals, email invitations were then sent out to delegates of Lions Health and Cannes Lions.

The Party-minded Cognoscente of Cannes Accepted Our Offer:

The campaign took off going viral with likes and shares. And our postings appeared on worldwide blogs. In just one week, SSW social media pages resulted in:

• 213% increase in impressions

• 248% increase in profile visits

• 235% increase in new followers

• 219% increase in engagement

• 719% increase in link clicks

So when the event launched on June 18th, groups from as far as Melbourne were lining up for paddles. Students from Iowa conducted paddle pushups on water. And delegates from London to San Paolo were standing up to ride the waves.

We helped changed the single-minded behavior of hedonistic revelers proving that wellness does indeed have a place within the debauchery of Cannes.

The campaign utilized each channel in a way that added a new dimension to how the idea connected with the delegates.

The social posts built on the momentum heading into the festival. The online film created an online experience of the event. While the email invitation and flyers were direct ways of inviting delegates to the free paddleboard rides. And the actual event fulfilled the promise of wellness integrated into the debauchery of Cannes.

Your Wellness Moment:

With the understanding that opposites attract, our strategy was to offer a compliment to the indulgence of Cannes. Not replace it.

We promoted a wellness moment as a welcome interruption to the carousing going on at Cannes Lions. A pause. An abeyance. An opportunity to reflect, release and recharge while riding the gentle waves of the Côte d'Azur.

The International Festival of Debauchery:

The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity debuted in the mid-nineteen fifties. Known then by a different name, the festival wasn’t in Cannes but Venice. While many things have changed since that time, the motivational drive of the festivities throughout the years has been the same—hubris.

Winning the top prize and the bragging rights that go along with it. Followed by round-the-clock pool parties, yachting, five-star dinners and all those rounds of rosé.

Amongst this glittering glow of conspicuous consumption, we asked ourselves could the idea of wellness be integrated into the debauchery of Cannes? Could this seemingly endless exhibition of excess embrace tranquility, balance and well-being?