On My Cannes Radar: Attilio Gianfrancesco

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

I think creativity has been very strong this year; craft is as important as ever and there is a lot of good work out there at the moment. I've listed some of my favourite spots from the year below.

Amazon: Alexa loses her voice

I love this one; it's a fantastic piece of comedy.

Tide: It’s a Tide ad

This was definitely the best Super Bowl campaign this year in my opinion.

Nike: Nothing beats a Londoner

Very well played Nike; kudos to everyone involved in bringing this spot to life.

Apple Homepod: Welcome Home

I love how this was put together; it's pure genius.

What app will you be using on your phone during festival week?

Whatsapp to keep in touch with mates in Cannes, I also have a MindsEye group set up to coordinate our movements while on the Croisette, although I'll also be using Instagram - to capture all the cool moment during the week - and Twitter, to check the festival's trending topics. Of course, I'll still swipe through all the usual news apps (BBC News, The Guardian, Sky News etc…)

What’s your social platform of choice for festival news and updates?

It must be Twitter. I know Danny at shots does usually a good job on it, so I am looking forward to his tweets!

What device (s) will you be travelling to the festival with and why?

My IphoneX which is basically a part of me; an extension of my hand. My laptop, because work never stops. My Apple watch and my earphones. And to power all this, a power pack; to make sure I never run out of battery while I'm wondering about. You can never have too many electrical devices on you these days...

I'm a total Apple brand victim. Does Apple have a beach reserved at the festival by the way?! ...Where's my invite?!

What do you think the hot topic of the week this year will be?

I think the Facebook and data protection scandal will be a topic that will be amply discussed. The Time’s Up movement and Diet Madison Avenue will be another big topic, while I've no doubt that AI/VR/AR will be prominent too.

Dare I say in-house production companies? Although this has been discussed a lot over the past few years. And of course, the World Cup (although I have absolutely no clue about football, so I will definitely shy away from that one!)

Above: Mark Zuckerberg on trial over the GDPR scandal

What’s the most significant change you’ve witnessed in the industry since you started working in it?

The evolution of digital. No doubt.

If there was one thing you could change about the advertising industry, what would it be?

I think clients should trust their agencies a bit more and agencies should give young talent more opportunities.

What or who has most influenced your career and why?

Working at shots magazine was the absolute turning point in my career. That’s where my advertising formation has happened. Before that, my knowledge of advertising was limited. It was a fantastic experience which exposed me to a ton of super talented people and made me realize what an amazing industry ours is. Also, a friend of mine once said, "Whatever you do, choose one thing and make sure you are the best at it." I do try to live by that every day.

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

Networking is always at the top of my list. I can't wait to catch up with industry friends from around the world, many of whom I have the pleasure of working with throughout the year. I also love making new connections and obviously celebrating at the Tropicool afterparty on the Wednesday night at Play club - which I organise with Georgie (MacEchern) at Caviar. We started it four years ago as an alternative to the Gutter bar; we wanted an intimate place where we could have fun with our friends, dancing to cool tunes and it's since become a pretty special place. Ha, so to plug it further: come along, say hi and have some fun with us there.

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

I've just got my British citizenship so you can't get rid of me... even in spite of Brexit.

Oh, and I've also done Tough Mudder three times.