Day two is through.

So, the second day of the Cannes Lions Advertising Festival is in the books. The day was a crowded one compared to Sunday. Seminars were packed to the brink, but we were still able to get some decent seats despite the crowd. Some of the big players had seminars today including EA games which was quite interesting if I say so myself. A useful fact about gaming is that gaming systems are no longer in the basement being played by boys. They are now located in the family rooms and are played by fathers and sons, mothers and daughters. The whole family is now integrated into gaming, which is good news for advertisers who advertise in-game. The gaming demographic is now larger. Depending on the type of game, advertisers can implement ads and communication strategies in the games that will grab the attention of the gaming multiple gaming generations that are now playing together. This area of the field should continue to grow, especially when considering that every 1-4 dollar that is spent on entertainment is spent on gaming.

Two words, 3D advertising. It’s the new frontier when it comes to cinema and now even television advertising. The seminar conducted by SAWA was one of the most amazing and coolest experiences of my life. I never knew 3D could look so good. I learned that to make 3D film, producers used a special camera that has a right and a left lens, just like the human eyes. This gave the images a three-dimensional look. It was fascinating. We were shown some really striking ads that will be coming out soon in 3D and all in all they were amazing, engaging, and they had the WOW factor. I can see that in the near future 3D advertising is going to take off around the globe. My only concern with this new medium is that it may become too much of a WOW factor. While watching, I found myself being amazed by the 3D images popping out into my face. I forgot the brand. I missed the brand logo. Not every time, but a quite a few. Will consumers be able to get over the WOW factor and remember the brand that is selling to them? If not, then the medium has failed. Only time will tell.