On My Cannes Radar: Jean-Francois Sacco

What work do you expect to win big in Cannes this year?

As a member of the Outdoor jury, I can’t talk about anything in my category. In the others, one campaign stands out a lot, It’s a Tide Ad, because it’s such a wonderful, crazy, ambitious idea which puts advertising within advertising. It’s a humoristic chef d’oeuvre, rare and tantalizing. No doubt, it’s going to pick up quite a few Lions.

And another campaign comes to mind; Worst Song in the World for Monoprix. Because the idea is simple, direct and funny and because the song is a hit in itself, sure to be something all the festival-goers will be humming to themselves by the end of the week. And because it’s from my agency ;)

What do you think about the festival’s revamped approach to the week?

It’s going in the right direction. If big festivals want to remain beacons of creation, they have an interest in limiting the number of categories to raise the standards for creativity. We have to get back to basics to find what’s essential.

What conversation(s) do you think will dominate Cannes in 2018?

Do we need to spend so much money on festivals? It’s a fundamental question. We have to reduce the number of categories to find our way back to creative truth.

What app(s) will you be using most regularly on your phone during the festival?

L’equipe's  app; L’équipe is the go-to sports newspaper here in France and I have to keep up with the World Cup!

What’s the one piece of kit you’ve can’t survive the festival without?

Easy; sunscreen.

What’s the best way of getting into a party you don’t have a ticket for?

If you’re a good swimmer, you can get to beach parties by sea. You’re wet but you’re in!

If there was one thing you could change about the Cannes Lions festival, what would it be?

Fewer categories, fewer Lions, and more parties!

What or who has most influenced your career and why?

My partner, Gilles Fichteberg. For 20 years we’ve influenced each other, fed each other and regularly reinvented ourselves together. He’s influenced my whole career. More recently, Jean-Patrick Chiquiar, with whom I’ve developed an extraordinary, deep and close-knit relationship. Meeting him changed my outlook on the industry and, together, the three of us have created an agency of over 120 talented people, which wins clients and Lions! 

What are you most looking forward to about Cannes this year?

New ideas. Fresh, strong and never-before seen ones!

Tell us one thing about yourself that most people won’t know…

I love Paris, my hometown, but when it comes to football I support l’Olympique de Marseille!