Cannes Correspondent Alex Rogers reports.

Lesson of the day: it isn't easy to win a Cannes Lion. So to win for creativity one year then come back the next and prove it actually made a difference to client business? Well that is a triumph. And W+K Amsterdam did just that for Heineken on Monday.

To celebrate their Grand Prix of Effectiveness we drank a toast or two with said beer brand. And washed it down with a sip or two of champagne.

The morning after the night before I still had effectiveness front of (hazy) mind. I eagerly listened and learned two life lessons from two powerful women:

To be effective you need passion.  Annie Leibovitz said when you have the opportunity to work on something which you can truly romanticise, it is less of a business, more a way of life.

To be effective you need to be smart. Vivenne Westwood said intelligence consists of two parts: sweetness and light.
-The latter is led by our brain, forms our rationale and drives desire.
-Sweetness is how we empathise and engage with people.
Coupled together in advertising, this is the sweet spot when we tell authentic stories in emotionally engaging ways.

So 'passion + intelligence = effectiveness'? Not the most traditional formula, possibly one planners would refute, certainly one that in isolation won't win you any Cannes Effectiveness Lions, but who am I to argue with Annie and Viv?