The Taboo Focus

From the 'unsettling' menopause to 'unmentionable' menstruation, taboos exist all around us. But breaking them often moves us forward, and advertising has an important part to play...

Craft

How to eat a human

In terms of taboo, chowing down on one's own species leaves a nasty taste in the mouth. The Swedish Food Federation's mockumentary, Eat A Swede, justly deserved this year's Cannes Grand Prix win (Entertainment category) for its exploration of putting homo sapiens on the menu. Here, Adrian Botan, McCann Europe CCO and ECD/producer Markus Ahlm, reveal the ingredients behind the campaign.

Insight

The Unmentionables

Taboos can be the source of stories, and the reason why they can’t be told. Tim Cumming talks to a range of creatives about the power and pitfalls of taboos, and how to crack them.

Craft

Telling authentic stories; the 50 families behind CALM’s The Last Photo

Discussions around suicide are never easy which is why Amy Simmons, Integrated Producer at adam&eveDDB, had to be especially sensitive when creating their recent campaign, The Last Photo. Here, she explains how inclusivity, understanding and involvement were the cornerstones of this powerful piece of work.

Insight

Avoiding the 'NG' factor: how do you advertise condoms in Japan?

Yousuke Ozawa, Creative Director at UltraSuperNew Tokyo, reveals that far from the perceived 'anything goes' nature of Japan, it's a country that has many taboos, advertising condoms being one of them. Here, he explains how they avoided getting their fingers caught in the potential 'no good' trap.

Insight

Sorcery and success – tackling the taboo of menopause

What is it about female maturity that so unsettles society and the world of advertising? Carol Cooper speaks to a range of industry and professional women about the hot topic of hot flushes and other curses.

Craft

Canesten undresses the truth about vaginas

We hear from AnalogFolk about a new campaign for Canesten which combines myth-busting with education to radically alter the way we approach vaginal health, embracing truths and destroying taboos.

Craft

How Anouk Jans and Togetherr burst the industry bubble

As part of our Taboo Focus, we speak to the people behind the Cannes-premiered convention-questioning documentary, Kill Your Darlings, about why now was the time to challenge advertising's modus operandi.

Insight

Talking about talking; brands, bravado and positive male mental health messaging

While the one-time taboo of male mental health has stepped out of the shadows, Martin Jordan, Director of Innovation at Equator, argues that brands need to stay the course as men continue to walk the post-Covid tightrope of loneliness and depression.

Insight

Why we must spell out the creative differences dyslexics can make

Amelia Boyce, Senior Account Manager at INITIALS CX, says that dyslexia shouldn't be a taboo issue and, in fact, dyslexic employees should be celebrated for the potential creative edge they give a company.

Insight

Break taboos... win awards?

Half of the battle, says The Moon Unit, is to attract attention, and breaking taboos can certainly do that. Whether it's admitting your product was terrible, bulldozing women's health barriers or alluding to defecating your pants, it'll get you noticed and possibly win you an award or two. But things don't always go to plan... especially if you're conjuring images of incest.

Insight

Exploring identity in the metaverse

As the metaverse expands, so do the possibilities for self-expression. Yuliana Safari, Associate Director, Marketing at R/GA, argues that, if the metaverse truly becomes a utopia of self-expression, not only will taboos be broken in this nascent reality, they will transcend to the real world, helping to create meaningful progress.

Insight

Candour on the Croisette: a climate protester's Cannes ban

As the world’s summers heat up, the inconvenient truth that humans seem to be hurtling towards self-destruction could be deemed taboo. Gustav Martner, Head Of Creative (Nordics) at Greenpeace, was ejected and banned from Cannes Lions 2022 for his protest against fossil fuel advertising – here he explains his mission to urge creative communicators to speak up.

Insight

Maybe it’s time we gave Christmas a rebrand

Despite the recent Europe-wide heatwave, much of the industry is already working on festive spots. Surely it's taboo to criticise the joyful excesses of Christmas, isn't it? Not for Nick Sadeghian, Campaign Director at Ingenuity, who says this year might not be the time to empty the wallets of a world in crisis.

Insight

How to tackle tough topics with sensitivity

As shots' taboo focus looks into handling sensitive subject matter, director, photographer and Associate Creative Director at Amplify, Daniel Alexander Harris, discusses the making of Young Blood - Young Men on Masculinity and explains the best ways to approach sensitive subjects.

Insight

How to add purpose and break taboos

Can every brand reap benefits from jumping on the purpose-led bandwagon and promoting their products as sustainable, social, or particularly zeitgeisty? Here, Maren Seitz, Senior Director of analytics solutions provider Analytic Partners, shares her thoughts on the effectiveness of purpose-driven marketing campaigns and the potential pitfalls brands need to look out for.

The Sustainability Focus

It’s the burning question – with humanity facing an existential threat more potent than war, famine or disease, how can an industry full of world-class communicators talk about the climate crisis? shots discusses low-carbon film production, greenwashing and the paradox of consumerism vs planetary survival.

The Neurodiversity Focus

With growing awareness that an estimated 20 per cent of the global population is neurodiverse - the fact that advertising needs to get on top of the spectrums is a no-brainer. This month, shots speaks to experts, commentators and ADHD/ASD-powered adfolk about battling stigma, enhanced creativity and making more ND inclusive campaigns.

The Music Video Focus

Since the 90s, when their budgets ran to millions, the internet and tech advances have made music videos easier to view, cheaper to produce and, possibly, more disposable. But is the medium a dying art, or still the best way for a director to get noticed? shots probes the state of the promo nation.

The Photography & Cinematography Focus

In a cacophonous digital culture that bombards us with a stream of personal image-sharing and branded visuals, it can be hard for photography to stand out. This month, shots pulls focus on the DPs and photographers whose work sets the optic nerves a-tingle and considers the input of non-human image generators.