To each they represent the ultimate challenge and pinnacle of personal achievement. But few are fortunate to ever reach these giddy heights. And therein lies the allure and the torment.  

For years I believed that to win a Cannes Lion all you had to do was create a piece of work you thought was worthy of gold, and then enter it into the Cannes festival. With a bit of luck, the judges would agree with you and you’d have a shiny new paperweight for your desk. I was wrong. There's so much more to Cannes. It's an award that demands not just creative skill, but also a sharp understanding of how to enter your work. 

All award shows have their own particular style of creativity. They also have their own particular set of entry rules and categories. Understanding these is just as important as coming up with great work. A simple analogy is if you’re playing a game of pool at a bar. The rules of pool vary slightly from place to place. Are you playing the new rules, or the new-new rules? It’s an important distinction. If you don’t know the difference, it doesn’t matter how good at pool you are, you’ll fall short. This year, with the help of of the agency team, I finally managed to grasp the subtleties of Cannes. 

But perhaps I should first cut back three years to when I left Ireland for my native home South Africa. Having spent an incredible decade in Ireland, change was needed and part of that change was going back to an ad market that was saturated with high-class creative talent and agency dynasties bursting with Cannes accolades. Which brings me to my first point: Surround yourself with creative talent that makes you feel inadequate. So into the deep-end I went at FoxP2. From my desk I had a view of their bulging trophy cabinet. A sure reminder that I was in the right place and that my work was cut out for me.

FoxP2 lives by creativity. Creativity infiltrates every aspect of how it does business. Rather than creativity being a by product of the work it does, creativity was its core, its DNA. It's an approach that means creative excellence is mandatory, from account management to the MD. As a creative, it's also a huge reassurance that the agency has your back when pursuing a cracker of an idea. Perhaps an obvious rule 2 and 3: Work for an agency/outfit that has creativity at its heart. And surround yourself with talent that is beyond your own.

After FoxP2, I found a permanent gig at FCB Cape Town, which to date is my current home. Here too is an agency and network hell bent on creativity. And it's one that is especially Cannes fit.  Every fortnight we proactively work on clients' portfolios, we debate ideas, score them, debate them some more, and only then if the idea is still standing and still holding that original promise, does it move on.  Think of it as the knock-out rounds of a boxing tournament. Each step a bit harder than the next. That's rule 5. Be brutal on your work and don’t be precious. A lame horse is never going to win at the races. So move on to the next idea and keep going until you find your gem. That's rule 6: Great ideas come from practice and are not from luck.

Now...this is perhaps where the road forks. Not every great idea is a Cannes idea. 

We all do a spectrum of work that isn't necessarily award quality work, nor is it glamorous. Call this an occupational hazard, but they are nevertheless an important part of our business. Think of it as prospecting for oil. The more holes you drill, the higher the chance that you will eventually strike oil. Rule 7: Pick your battles carefully and don't waste time sweating unnecessarily.

To build on that, we also work in an industry that is not immune to financial pressures. Pennies will always be tight and ideas at times need those pennies to live. Use them wisely and focus them on what you want a Cannes judge to think or understand about your work. If it's a case study that is needed, shape that case study so that it’s a piece of creative genius. That's rule 9: We are always in a state of selling... even to Cannes judges...even after the idea has made it out in the world.

Earlier I mentioned the knock-out rounds for the boxing final. South African creativity is fortunate in that is has a healthy home-grown competition circuit. As the approach goes, you can only have a great national sports side if you have great clubs to start with. Every two months work is judged on a national level and it's great to see if your idea holds muster amongst your peers. The Loerie Awards represents another rung and from here it feeds into Cannes.  Rule 9: Use local competitions as a sharpening stone for the main event. 

The relationship between creativity and sales for a brand can't be disputed. Cannes helps an agency figure out its creative prowess, irrespective of where it is located in the world. It also forces the question of whether it is practicing its craft against the gold standard and not forgetting, Its a magnet for attracting great creative talent, and so the cycle goes on. Personally, Cannes has always been an important Everest to aspire to. Cannes ensures creativity moves forward, and that we are evolving with the times. 

Having spent nearly two decades in the business, a good portion of my Cannes endeavors have fallen short at the last steps to the top. The pursuit of Cannes will make you question your ability and efforts on a daily basis. And that's Rule 10: Don't lose heart. Believe in yourself. Cannes is tough...really it is. I'll vouch for it. It took me 17 years to get mine. But boy was it worth it.