Last year was, in the words of Sir Martin Sorrell, "brutal" for the advertising industry. Hence the distinct lack of rosé quaffing during last year's Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival, as up to 40% fewer industry bods made the annual pilgrimage. This year the Cannes Lions organisers have called in Ben Stiller to inject a bit of "blue steel" to the event. Stiller, described by the organisers as a "Hollywood powerhouse", is set to appear in the Yahoo-backed discussion called "Laugh, connect and debate". Perhaps the best piece of advice on how to get ahead in adland comes from White Goodman, Stiller's over-ripped egotist in Dodgeball: "I earned this body, and I built this temple with nothing more than some elbow grease and a little can-do attitude ... and yes, a large inheritance from my father, Earl Goodman." Wise words indeed.
