Lucy Taylor’s Post

I usually say that Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity is for network, not for inspiration. But this year I came home inspired. I had the great pleasure of speaking about the Sounds Right initiative (https://lnkd.in/eHkwDi8A) and how we made Nature an official artist alongside Katja Iversen, Cathy Runciman and Adam Cardew hosted by Stan Stalnaker at the beautiful Hub Culture garden. And later, participating in the awe-inspiring round table at the Goals House hosted by Earth Public Information Collaborative about The Most Important Brief (https://lnkd.in/d_q7WmTP).   Both of those sessions were filled with inspirational people who believe in the power of creativity to drive change for the better. Eager to make more brands and companies move from purpose and profit to impact and responsibility. And looking across the winners it seems like we’re not alone in this mission. Not only did a lot of the winners involve a cause. They have also moved from the more gimmicky way of activating against a cause to creating actual long term impact. It is obviously impossible not to mention our own Pink Chip initiative by the amazing Amsterdam crew. But I also love the Sol Cement SightWalks project by Grey Peru. As well as the Mastercard Room for Everyone campaign by McCann Poland. Just to name a few. I do agree with Karen Howe that it is concerning how many cases – especially in the Glass Lions category – are centered on female oppression. Who would have thought that in 2024 we would have such a high need for creative problem solving within this area? But creativity is there. Having an impact. And this year to a higher degree than we have seen in a long time. If awarding creativity really is like smelling your own farts as Mark Ritson said on stage, this year the smell doesn’t really bother me.

Susan Magrino & Mary Blanton Ogushwitz's Key Cannes Takeaways, Part 1 💡 After four days on the ground at #CannesLions, we can’t help but have a ton of takeaways and learnings to bring back to our team for exploration and implementation. So, let’s start with three big ones that continued to show up at a macro level throughout the week.    1. BRAND: Brand is everything. We learned that practices change, but principles endure. Build and strive to work with brands that people or your team would miss if they were to disappear. 2. PEOPLE: Investing in employees, trusting your audiences, and building communities - all people-centric concepts - are critical. At a festival where conversations of AI were everywhere, thought leaders went out of their way to stress how important humans are to all aspects and transactions for brands. 3. CREATIVITY: Creative and many creative tactics will be automated…creativity never can be. Continue to seek out and work with people who prioritize the ways in which brands can grow not only through tactics, but through creativity. Stay tuned for Part 2 next week where we share the biggest tactical takeaways for Marcomms & PR Professionals! #TopPRFirm #ThoughtLeadership #IndustryKnowledge #AlwaysLearning Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity

✨ First Impressions at Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity ✨ If this was your first or second time, please share your POV in the comments.⤵ Attending the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity for the first time has been an incredible experience. This event, renowned as the largest annual advertising gathering, promised a wealth of insights and opportunities to network with the brightest minds in our industry. 🕶 However, amidst the excitement, I couldn't help but notice the overwhelming presence of celebrities. While it's exciting for some to see familiar faces, it often felt like the essence of the festival—creativity and industry insights—was overshadowed. The abundance of celebrity appearances seemed to shift the focus away from the core purpose: to learn, share, and grow as professionals in advertising. For many, that was why they were there, and to each their own. From this observation, and after reviewing the overwhelming amount of individual apps, programming emails, group chat recos, and LinkedIn posts I resolved to do the following: 1️⃣ Prioritize panel discussions and workshops: Featuring industry leaders and experts who are known for providing actionable insights and thought-provoking discussions vs. outside-of-the-industry theory. 2️⃣ Attend the more intimate networking events: Smaller, focused gatherings where I could connect more meaningfully without the distraction of celebrity fanfare. 3️⃣ Navigated to talks that highlighted emerging or disruptive Talent: I love to hear from up-and-coming creatives whose fresh and atypical perspectives can inspire and invigorate the industry. 🔆 Cannes Lions has the potential to be a beacon of creativity and innovation, a place where industry professionals can come together to celebrate and advance the art of advertising, but you have to decide that is what you will get from the experience -- if that is what you want. 📣 General industry PSA: Let’s bring back the essence of creativity over celebrity to marketing and advertising. #CannesLions #CannesxCulture #CreativityOverCelebrity #Advertising #Marketing #RandsRecap #Networking #IndustryInsights #FirstTimer #AdIndustry

Awesome post. I'm taking the liberty of making an excerpt from the post, because it offers an almost tangible pathway to a new audience, as well as to a new context of logical and feasible actions. Congratulations Ms. Hogan. QUOTE: Cannes is the biggest advertising festival in the world. It’s a strange and discombobulating place to be an activist… but I believe that these are the spaces where we need to be showing up in numbers. If I only speak to rooms of people who nod along, I’m probably in an echo chamber. And we won’t solve this crisis from inside one. If instead of propping up destructive industries like fossil fuels, aviation, fast fashion, or mass-produced meat and dairy, it promoted a regenerative economy, which put wellbeing and nature ahead of profit? If instead of allying itself with influencers promoting consumption, it allied itself with activists fighting for justice? The climate crisis is not a logistical challenge so much as a cultural one; it’s a story we’ve failed to tell. As I shared on the main stage, we urgently need communicators and creatives. We need folks with these skills to not only sound the alarm, but show that another world is possible. UNQUOTE. In my humble opinion, she is 200% correct. One of the several great points within the text, it's about the approach to a new public and audience. Thank you, Ms. Hogan for offering great new lights to the playing field.

Did you know that last Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity no one was awarded the 'Grand Prix for Good'? Indeed, it was the only category at Cannes not to have work deemed 'good' enough to win a Lion. We believe the industry can do better, and this year we aim to highlight some of the work that is trying to do 'good' with our 'Walk the Work: The Responsible Edit' tours. Spaces are filling up fast, so if you'd like to sign up to a tour, or indeed sit down and grab a coffee with Responsible Marketing Agency, please click on the link in the comments below. Alice Brady Aina Fuller #canneslions2024 #responsiblemarketing #responsiblemedia #sustainablemarketing

The most diverse and inclusive Cannes? This year’s Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity has been dialogued as the most inclusive in its history. It’s absolutely I mportant to celebrate and applaud the number of internal and external initiatives that have led to that conversation being had👏🏾 However, whether that statement is true or false, the optic shifts shouldn’t blindside us from the huge amount of work needed to include the world’s diverse reality across all facets of the media and advertising world. In front of camera, it’s easy to make a case that, for some groups, underrepresentation is a thing of the past. But when there’s still relative homogeneity in who’s involved in the decision making, narrative telling and data collection, misrepresentation becomes the important word to focus on. In my eyes, Cannes is a week of opportunity, serendipity and fosters an environment that allows typically guarded seniors to be human - it’s great. But as a microcosm of the industry at large, scratch beneath the surface and things need to (and will) improve. 🤨Where were all the young people? So many conversations about Gen-z with not much presence from that age demographic. As Ebinehita Iyere perfectly put, “we’re talking about them and making bold statements but they’re not here. And tbh this environment isn’t somewhere I’d think to bring the young people I work with.” 💰A disconnect between the millions spent to shmooze, wine and dine, whilst cuts are still being made across the board. Something that still doesn’t sit right with me. 👍Not enough disagreement. If Cannes is all about creative excellence, panels shouldn’t be designed to just be a nodding match with a ‘love what was said, let me build’ type of engagement. I think Damian Bradfield put it a lot better than that 😂 💡Too much talk about trends that the industry rather than the consumer sets. A couple of years ago it was the metaverse, this year everything was about AI. Things might come to the light, but let’s not force it. And let’s make sure these are convos actually being had on the ground rather than in our ivory towers. 🏛️Optics of diversity but not enough equitable and structural change. Still no accessibility ramp on a load of beaches 🤷🏾♂️ A big highlight of my week was this talk at Goals House which was a refreshing space away from the madness, talking all things disruption w/ Gail Gallie, Damian Bradfield, Leah Davis & Taso Du Val. Sorry but I’m really terrible at keeping up to date so Cannes posts for the week 😂

While everyone (looking at you Michael Thill) is off enjoying the sun and creativity at Cannes Lions, here I am, not jealous at all. Seriously, not one bit jealous. Not even a little. For those unfamiliar, the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity is a premier event in the advertising and communications industry. It runs from June 17-21 this year and features over 150 hours of content with around 500 speakers from across the globe. Icons like Deepak Chopra, Jay Shetty, and representatives from top companies like Google and P&G are sharing insights and innovations that are shaping the industry. https://lnkd.in/gv7s3rQH Why do we flock to events like this? The draw is in both the recognition and the opportunity for professional growth. From a behavioral science perspective, humans have a deep-seated desire for validation and acknowledgment. Awards like the Cannes Lions provide a platform to be judged and, hopefully, celebrated for our creativity and hard work. But why do we want to be judged? The answer lies in the psychological satisfaction of recognition, which can enhance self-esteem and motivate continued excellence. Beyond personal satisfaction, there are significant business reasons for pursuing these accolades. Winning at Cannes can enhance a company’s reputation, attract new clients, and justify higher fees for services. In essence, these awards are a tangible marker of success and a powerful marketing tool. However, at Havas Edge we believe that the best award is the trust and loyalty of our clients. While it's great to be recognized on such a prestigious stage, our ultimate goal is to consistently deliver value and results for our clients, day in and day out. That, to us, is the most meaningful accolade of all. Still, would be nice to be there.

It’s simple: Purpose is effective when purpose is done for a brand and company whose values and intentions are authentic.

Join the Conversation with Jack Myers at Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity! With a rich history of educating the marketing community on the impact of technological and generational transformation, Jack Myers is once again at the forefront of future-focused business innovation. This year at Cannes Lions, Jack is meeting with leaders who are pioneering AI-based programs and initiatives that advance creativity, empathy, intuition, and social responsibility in business. This aligns perfectly with the theme of his upcoming book, where he explores the vital role of humanity in a world increasingly defined by machine intelligence. The role of humanity in our AI-driven future is an urgent and compelling topic. Cannes is the ideal place to have these discussions, and Jack welcomes conversations with innovators and thought leaders ready to share their inventions, insights and case studies. If you're working on groundbreaking AI initiatives and want to contribute to this important dialogue, reach out here or at jack@mediavillage.org to schedule an interview or meeting. Let’s shape the future together! https://lnkd.in/gj3yqCBF MediaVillage.org Association of National Advertisers 4A's IAB Disney Advertising VML GroupM dentsu Media IPG Mediabrands Publicis Media Stagwell Horizon Media egta Mi3Australia RTL Group Comcast NBCUniversal Paramount Advertising Fox Entertainment Nexstar Advertising New York Times Advertising Microsoft Amazon Ads Apple Connected Women Leaders #CannesLions #AI #Creativity #Empathy #BusinessInnovation #JackMyers #FutureOfWork #

OMG. Someone wrote something about Cannes without totally shitting all over it or saying "I remember when it used to be cool." (Me. I did.) Enter: 'Is everyone winning a Grand Prix except me? (A non-hating, pragmatic assessment of advertising and marketing awards.)' Here's that link now: https://lnkd.in/eKe6D4ms Here are some things they (I) said: "I’m not that into having affairs and licking MDMA off my hand. So I don’t tend to go to many industry events, period. But why does Cannes get all the shade when there are so many advertising and marketing award festivals playing a similar game? Is there anything more uniquely “broken” with Cannes than any of its competitors? Not that I’m aware of. I genuinely believe Cannes receives the hate and “I remember when it used to be cool” that it does because of the excess and debauchery of some of the behaviour that surrounds the festival. The world does not need more people hating on Cannes, or claiming they were there in the halcyon days. So, please, think of this as more as a ponder piece. Besides, I find it too convenient that most people berating awards and claiming they will never enter them, already have office shelves full of them. Award shows have always been great at distorting reality, making us wonder why we’re not all constantly writing award winning work that creates more impressions than 100x the population of planet earth. So, whilst I'm acknowledging that reality distortion, I’m not encouraging not entering. I’m just hoping I can inspire a slightly healthier mindset in people, that might in turn lead to less suffering and disillusionment. Perhaps go easier on yourself next year if you don’t win." #Cannes #Creativeagency #Advertising #Marketing #Creativity