DAVID ON DEMAND / SPONTANEITY IN CANNES

A commitment to spontaneity in marketing is all very well, but reacting in real time and adapting campaigns on the fly is often more an aspiration than a reality.

This year Leo Burnett is embracing the wild world of spontaneity for the network's Wildfire seminar in Cannes, taking place from 4pm on Wednesday 23 June. The seminar will showcase some of the best examples of real time reactions, focusing on location, PR and real time media, as well as playing host to Kevin Slavin, CEO of Starling, a slick new social TV start-up.

This won't just be a passive exercise, thanks to David on Demand, created by Leo Burnett, Chicago and Arc Worldwide. David Perez, aka David on Demand, Leo Burnett's creative recruiter, will be attending the Cannes Festival and will be at the beck and call of attendees, as well as anyone else who gets in touch throughout the week, following instructions submitted through Twitter.

David's actions will be recorded and broadcast live, while his progress can be followed on Facebook and Foursquare.

Ryan Wagman, VP creative director on the campaign along with Nuno Ferreira, explains: 'Mark Tutssel asked the Energy Pool (a group of brilliant young creatives that Nuno and I work with) to come up with an idea to promote the Wildfire Seminar. The theme of the seminar this year is the emergence of spontaneity in advertising - connecting with consumers in real-time. We thought about posters or banners, but the more we thought about it, the more we wanted to demonstrate spontaneity, rather than just talk about it. 

The idea came about through equal parts hard work and dumb luck. We all knew David was dying to go to Cannes because his desk is right next to the Energy Pool and he never stopped talking about it. So we approached him with the idea that he could go to Cannes this year if he'd be a part of this experiment. He agreed. Then Mark agreed.

We have a few goals for the week. Obviously, we want to make sure Wildfire is a huge success. We want to give people who've never been to the festival a chance to see it through a first-timer's eyes. David is going to get access that very few people do: he'll meet jury presidents, sit front and center for shows, interview some of the world's top creatives and clients  - if you ever wanted to see what happens in Cannes, this is the next best thing to being there.'

He continues: 'Finally, we want people to have fun. We have no preconceived notions as to what people will tell David, and he is pretty open-minded about the whole thing. As long as people have a good time and David comes back in one piece, it'll be a success.'

David Perez adds: 'Well, clearly I am terrified - and exhilarated. I know I will be asked to do a ton of crazy things, but what keeps me calm is that I know I'll also be able to see Cannes like no one else. I will get to meet the judges, see the fabulous work, and get an all access pass into the celebration of our industry and the phenomenal work we create every year.

'The best case David on Demand scenario is that hundreds - perhaps even thousands - of people get to experience, learn and grow from this Cannes experience. Also, the David on Demand social media experiment - created and powered by Leo Burnett and several key production and technology partners - shows what the next generation of modern marketing can look like - unpredictable and unplanned communication between advertisers and people.'
www.davidondemand.com