French K.I.S.S
In a noisy world, can simplicity be the loudest voice?
Amid today's relentless clutter, a quiet paradox emerged at last week's
Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity
, where the biggest winners all shared one powerful trait — simplicity.
'If the works that won big at Cannes are any indication, simplicity is emerging as the holy grail for brands,' says
Pallavi Chakravarti
, founder and CCO, Fundamental, citing standout pieces like Budweiser's 'One Second Ads', KitKat's digital detox billboard, Tecate's 'Gulf of Mexico Bar' and Vaseline's 'Verified'.
Marketers see this 'Keep It Simple, Stupid' — or K.I.S.S — trend as a response to today's media overload. 'There's an incredible amount of noise out there. The more layered the message, the harder it is to interpret or appreciate,' says
Sumit Virmani
, global chief marketing officer, Infosys.
Harshad Rajadhyaksha, CCO at Ogilvy India, echoes this sentiment. 'In an increasingly layered, multi-screened and attention-challenged world, the value of simplicity is greater than ever,' he says. Achieving such clarity is far from easy, he warns. 'Brilliant simplicity takes work. But when done right, it always delivers the goods.'
Lose the din
Some brands have nailed this balance, proving that subtle and impactful messaging doesn't need loud pronouncements. KitKat's campaign by VML is a prime example. Their iconic line, 'Have a Break, Have a KitKat', was reimagined through billboards showing people absorbed in their device, with a barely-there KitKat wrapper or logo quietly urging a pause. No overt branding or lengthy explanations, just quiet, powerful storytelling. Marketers call it 'a masterclass in subtlety and impact'.
'The campaign celebrated the consumer's intelligence, trusting them to understand the message without being spoon-fed. It's a prime example of creativity cutting through the noise to make a lasting impression,' says
Harsh Kapadia
, CCO, Grey India.
Stella Artois's 'Claustrobars' campaign by Grey took a similar approach. The beer brand captured a universally relatable experience — the mini-odyssey of navigating a crowded bar, carefully shielding your drink from spills and bumps.
With almost cinematic realism, the ads showcased those uncomfortable yet triumphant moments: A slight grimace and an unwavering focus on the glass. The message was clear and powerful: 'Worth It'.
Again, no massive logos or walls of text — just confident, understated
advertising
that didn't find the need to overexplain itself. The result? A campaign that struck a chord with viewers and prompted them to say: 'I feel you.'
'This kind of confidence in messaging is crucial. It makes advertising less ignorable and more impactful,' says Kapadia. 'In a country as diverse as India, where visual identity can transcend language barriers, such powerful visual advertising holds immense potential.'
Loud and clear
Budweiser's one-second ad, which won the
Grand Prix
in the audio segment at Cannes, is touted as another example of simple yet brilliant execution. The brand tapped into a sharp musical insight: True music lovers can identify a song from its very first beat. This became the basis of a bold and innovative idea — an 'unskippable' audio challenge where they aired commercials that played just the opening second of well-known songs.
'To expect sustained, undistracted focus, especially on digital, is to hope in vain,' says
Shubhranshu Singh
, global CMO for commercial vehicles at Tata Motors. 'Short-form content needs to be simple to be digested quickly. But when it's relevant, emotionally engaging or rewarding, it can still hold attention — even deepen it.'
Virmani adds that social media has only intensified the challenge. 'Brands need to communicate value in seconds, often without sound, across screens. And complex brand messages simply don't translate.'
And that's why Budweiser resonated with marketers and agency folks.
Cause and effect
A 'simply' powerful idea can also exceed its true purpose. Take German grocery chain Penny's 'Penny Price Packs', which converted its packaging into a prominent pricing display. Icaro Doria, Print jury president at
Cannes Lions
, described it as a seamless blend of print, publishing, packaging, price and positioning — all rolled into one.
'Creativity doesn't have to try too hard or be too clever to be 'award worthy',' says
Mithila Saraf
, CEO, Famous Innovations. 'The best work is universally appealing and profound in its commitment to a single-minded promise.'
Until a few years ago, purpose-driven creativity with measurable impact set the tone. In 2023, winners such as Renault's 'Plug-Inn' (France), a peer-to-peer charging app, and Apple's 'Relax, It's iPhone – R.I.P. Leon' (USA), a humourous take on iPhone's 'unsend' feature, highlighted everyday anxieties in a relatable way.
But in 2024, brand rulebooks were tossed aside. Coca-Cola's 'Recycle Me' (Print and Publishing Grand Prix) distorted its iconic logo on crushed cans to drive home a recycling message. Meanwhile, Coors Light turned a baseball-damaged billboard into commemorative cans with 'Coors Lights Out', showcasing agile moment marketing.
Kapadia hopes Indian advertising can raise the game and embrace this simplicity that respects and celebrates consumer intelligence. 'On the one hand, we say our consumers are smart, yet we often try to over-explain or lean heavily on celebrity voices. Simple ideas break through everything else and make it memorable.'
But Chakravarti points out the fundamental truth: 'We appreciate, applaud and felicitate simplicity more than we practise it. In the real world, agencies struggle to distil the chaos of briefs into clarity. [It's] Strange, but true.'
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