The Cannes Young Lions competition searches for the best young talent in media, marketing and creative industries to represent Australia at the 2018 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.
This year, teams from Bohemia, PHD, DDB, Blue449, Cummins&Partners and more have been revealed by APN Outdoor, official Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity representative in Australia, as the finalists for the 2018 Young Lions competition.
AdNews caught up with Tristan Viney, creative director at Eardrum, to gauge his perspective on being a Young Lions finalist for the second time.
Time in current role/time at the company.
It’ll be one-year next month.
How long have you been in the industry?
Roughly six years. Right after AWARD School. Right after graduating university and not being able to land a job because my book sucked. Haha that’s something they don’t print in the brochure.
What does being a Young Lions finalist mean to you?
I’m absolutely stoked to be representing Australia with Rosie Stone. But I’m actually lucky - or unlucky - enough that this isn’t my first time as a Young Lions finalist. My old art director Carl Robertson and I were the 2014 Young Lions Film finalists and we were actually misannounced as winning the gold lion. Yep, we were La La Land’d. We ended up with silver - which we’re obviously extremely happy with - but getting handed gold and then having to hand it straight back to Bulgaria has always bugged me a little. (Nothing against the Bulgarians, they were really awesome dudes.)
So, while it’s a long shot because the competition’s absolutely fierce, this trip is one final Hail Mary attempt at that illusive gold. But with Rosie the absolute machine on my team, we might just have a chance.
What are you most excited about seeing/doing at Cannes Lions?
Cramming as many talks as humanly possible and drinking my weight in rosé. Hopefully in that order.
What role do you think Cannes Lions plays in the industry?
Inspiration, plain and simple. It’s easy to get caught up in the day to day grind and lose sight of what you love about advertising and why you got into the industry in the first place. So, festivals like Cannes Lions are a chance to creatively recharge and give you a new benchmark of work to aspire to.
What’s the best thing about the industry you work in?
The people. Cliché, I know, but it’s true. Where else would you find a bunch of weirdos awesome enough to spend hours after work watching fail videos on YouTube?
And the biggest challenge?
Having to write about myself.
Whose job have you set your sights on in the future?
Whoever comes up with new products at Domino’s Pizza. Seriously… a meat pie pizza crust!? What will they think of next!? We can all learn a thing or two from that diabolical game-changing genius.
My favourite advert is (and why):
That’s an impossible question. So, here’s two. If you ask me tomorrow it’d be different. Probably.
Ecko ‘Air Force One Tag' - As a kid I experienced this “ad” first-hand. I still remember spending weeks debating whether it was real or fake at recess. This was pre-YouTube, so it had to be shared through obscure online forums and message boards. But it was so bold and crazy and ahead of its time that it spread organically through essentially word of mouth. That’s how much of an impact it made. And it put Ecko on the map. In fact, I didn’t even realise it was an ad until years later when I started studying advertising.
Alka Seltzer 'Lifeboat' - So simple. So intriguing. So pure. So macabre. And even though they’ve pushed the amazing line “When you’ve eaten something you shouldn’t have” to the absolute limit, it’s still grounded in the product benefit. I imagine this did wonders for the brand. Because if it relieves indigestion from eating a human, that dodgy curry doesn’t stand a chance.
Tell us one thing people at work don’t know about you?
Well, I quite enjoy my job here at Eardrum so I’m going to go something weird and boring. My pupils are completely different sizes. (Snore.)
In five years' time I'll be
Probably still trying to grow a beard.
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