When it comes to the work being discussed and honored, few years at the Cannes Lions have had such an obvious trend as 2019: Accessibility.

Shortlisted projects—and the earliest big winners—from around the world have been focused on making technology or simple acts of daily life more accessible to those with disabilities. Take, for example, Google's Design Grand Prix win on Monday for "Creatability," a project that yielded several new tools to create art, music or designs without requiring the fine motor skills of clicking a mouse or holding a stylus. In the same category, Microsoft and McCann New York won gold for creating an Xbox controller that opens up gaming for those with a far wider range of physical abilities.

This all sounds nice and heartwarming, but the reality is that it's also a trend that includes several subtler messages about where the "advertising" field is headed.

The core takeaway: Innovation in the name of accessibility advances technology for everyone. Voice and gesture controls don't just make creating easier for those with disabilities; they also move us toward a sci-fi future of being able to interface with tech naturally and intuitively.

As Richard Ting, R/GA's global chief experience officer and Design Jury president, put it: “Yes, it is speaking to the accessibility community. But if you think about how we potentially could create in the future beyond just the mouse, beyond just the stylus, there could be ways for us to create using gestural movements, body movements, using audio. … We think this is the beginning of a new wave of creative tools that will eventually be introduced into the marketplace."

On a panel I moderated at the Cannes Lions Beach on Monday, this takeaway was one of the most mentioned: that the disability community helps guide innovation that makes life easier and better for everyone. Danielle Trivisonno-Hawley, CCO of the Americas for Possible, discussed working on the fascinating Tommy Hilfiger "Tommy Adaptive" clothing line and said "people with disabilities are the original hackers," having had to create innovative ways around society's limitations.

The future of agencies: The Google and Microsoft projects are only two of many accessibility projects that have people buzzing at Cannes this year, and the trend highlights something marketers have been demanding for years now. Finally, agencies are creating something that goes far beyond just making ads. They're innovating in ways that create massive attention and love for clients. As agencies have embraced product development, accessibility has been just one category to benefit.

So if you hear someone say that accessibility is just the newest way advertising folks are trying to help themselves sleep better at night, you might point out that there are certainly worse ways marketers could be spending their time.

A hell of a Day 1 for McCann: Winning a Grand Prix at Cannes is more than most agencies could ever hope for. Winning two in one day, along with a pile of other Lions? That was McCann's Monday this week, kicking off Cannes for the network in a tremendous way. McCann Tel Aviv won the Health Grand Prix for its Ikea "ThisAbles" campaign, which created 3D printed add-ons for Ikea furnishings that made them easier for disabled consumers to use. (Did we mention accessibility is a trend?) The Pharma Grand Prix went to McCann Health Shanghai for "Breath of Life," which used WeChat to help diagnose chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Another agency to watch: You couldn't ask for a better Monday at Cannes than FCB just had. While everyone expects the network's New York office to do extremely well with its Whopper Detour stunt for Burger King, the office crushing it out of the gate was FCB Chicago. The shop won multiple golds in Design and Print & Publishing for its work with the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence, including "The Gun Violence History Book." In Design, FCB Chicago won separate golds for that project and for "The Most Dangerous Street," which used lasers to eerily visualize the extent of gun violence in Chicago.

I caught up with FCB global CCO Susan Credle on the agency's yacht last night, and she credited the wins to FCB's culture of empowering each office to pursue its passions and do good work without a heavy hand from network leaders like herself.

Today's theme at the Palais: Activism and advocacy in advertising. Alfonso Cuarón, W+K President Colleen DeCourcy and Participant Media execs are speaking together about the intersection of art and activism, and Sir John Hegarty took the stage to debut a powerful new World Food Program ad about the millions of children starving in devastated regions around the world. We'll be talking to each of these visionaries today, so stay tuned to Adweek.com for insights from their work.

OK everyone, we're heading back into the fray. Stay safe and stay hydrated. And be sure to follow all of Adweek's coverage of the Cannes Lions, and keep an eye on Adweek's Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn updates from the festival.

—David Griner
Creative and Innovation Editor, Adweek
david.griner@adweek.com