AI were the letters on everyone’s lips at the Cannes Lions in June, and AI will be one of the hot topics at the Creative Circle’s Full Circle events in Johannesburg and Cape Town on 24 July and 30 July.
The Creative Circle has assembled a panel of South Africans who were among the judges at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, a global event that celebrates and recognises excellence in the advertising and creative communications industries.
They will discuss the best of this year’s winning Cannes campaigns, trends and key learnings, and Creative Circle chair Carl Willoughby says the events are aimed at creatives, marketers, business leaders, and anyone interested in best practices and effectiveness.
Willoughby says numerous presentations in Cannes showed that AI has moved beyond novelty value and experimentation into practical applications. “It is reshaping the ways brands create, distribute and measure creative content, while simultaneously raising important questions about authenticity and ethics.
“Many of the conversations in Cannes were about how the technology is at its best when it amplifies human insight, rather than when it is allowed to completely take over.”
“Subsequently, the Cannes Lions announced measures to safeguard the integrity of the awards in the generative AI era, including a code of conduct, transparency standards, and the use of AI-detection tools in future competitions,” he says.
“Our industry is clearly at a point where everyone needs a much greater understanding of the risks and opportunities of AI, and I’m looking forward to hearing the insights our Full Circle panellists picked up in Cannes.”
Confirmed Johannesburg speakers for the event at 2 pm on Thursday 24 July at Vodacom World in Midrand are:
- Ann Nurock, trend spotter
- Xolisa Dyeshana, chief creative officer, Joe Public United, and Audio & Radio judge
- Kagiso Musi, managing director, Meta Media, and Out-of-Home judge
- Vaughan Croeser, vice president of marketing, South African Breweries, and Entertainment Lions for Sport judge
- Neo Mashigo, chief creative officer, M&C Saatchi Group South Africa, and Film judge
Confirmed Cape Town speakers for the two events at 9.30 am and 1 pm on Wednesday 30 July at Cine 12 Ster Kinekor at the V&A Waterfront are:
- Ann Nurock, trend spotter
- Carl Willoughby, chief creative officer, TBWA\Hunt Lascaris, and Direct judge
- Xolisa Dyeshana, chief creative officer, Joe Public United, and Audio & Radio judge
- Pete Case, CEO, Ogilvy South Africa, and Creative Strategy judge
- Neo Mashigo, chief creative officer, M&C Saatchi Group South Africa, and Film judge
Tickets for the 2025 Creative Circle Full Circle events are R395 (Joburg) and R390 (Cape Town). Book at Webtickets.
For more information, visit www.creativecircle.co.za. You can also follow Creative Circle Awards on Facebook, X or Instagram.
