The List

My biggest takeaway from this year's Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity - the biggest success factor for any brand leader is their ability to lead with clarity, courage and creativity through an era of continuous change. There were so many presentations on the tech-enabled dimensions of change, inevitably focussing on the power of GenAI. There were far less on the human factor and so my Cannes lessons focus on that: #1 Your brand’s communities are an underleveraged source of creativity. At the Brand Innovators in CMO Rountable we heard Dara Treseder & Jean-Paul Jansen share brilliant examples of community-inspired breakthrough campaigns that leveraged authentic passion points (insta-famous cats for Sheba cat & techie Star Wars culture for Autodesk) to create impactful campaigns. While Mark Kirkham shared a fascinating case of how Pepsi’s iconic re-brand tapped into community passion. #2  It’s critical that every brand leader defines their personal brand... your own values and how you communicate them. This was a key theme from my fireside with Jonathan Mildenhall and David Teicher on the future of the CMO and the lessons from our #cmothriveguide. The CMOs who thrive and nurture their personal energy invariably do this. #3 Inclusive creative collaboration is both science & art. The Creative Ladder hosted a powerful panel where we heard wisdom from the likes of Judy Lee and our very own Sara Tate. Judy made the powerful point that inclusion also means being included in uncomfortable conversations….”If you’re a person of color you can go through a career without getting tough feedback because people are worried about other issues. That’s not helping, that’s holding people back.”   Thas Naseemuddeen also gave leaders a powerful provocation to take away “How do you want to spend your privilege?" #4 And finally our #CMOThriveGuide is officially out in the world! We were thrilled to discuss it with great marketing minds including Grace Kao, Lynne Biggar, Ellie Norman Samantha Avivi Travis Howe Kelley Walton Bruno Frankel Lee Anne Asbury Lee Sterling Samori Gambrah Oliver Snoddy Xanthe Wells John Dioso Jeremie Moritz Shelley Macintyre Tom Morton Umi Patel Sophie Devonshire⚡️Katie Jackson and of course one of the original instigators Andréa Mallard

Reminiscing on an iconic day at Yahoo Beach in Cannes with empowering figures, as we ventured into the Future of Girlhood and the blossoming impact on global brands. Huge kudos to Jess Weiner, Lisa McKnight, and Rachel Lowenstein for their profound insights! 🌐💖 Also massive thanks to our insightful panel Firdaous El Honsali, Stacy Wright Malone, Alicin Reidy Williamson, and Lisa McKnight, for delving into Authentic representation and the role of brands in shaping cultures. Here's to RESETTING perspectives! 🌊 #AuthenticRepresentation #MAKERSWomen #FutureOfGirlhood #Yahoo #CannesLions2024

What an incredible week! Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity & Reunions: I kicked things off back in Cannes for the International Advertising Week as part of The List by Adage and Meta. It was fantastic reconnecting with former colleagues and friends from all over the world – mini reunions in just three days! Riki Stadeler Roni Sebastian Robin Forbes Justin Thomas-Copeland love you all! Budapest Pride with WeAreOpen - Nyitottak vagyunk: Back home, I proudly marched with WeAreOpen - Nyitottak vagyunk Nora Varady Andrea Vagi Balázs Rákóczi alongside 400+ employees from companies committed to our mission of fostering openness and inclusivity. Family Pride at the U.S. Embassy: The week culminated at the Family Pride Event at the U.S. Ambassador's Residence, celebrating families, freedom, and love with over 1,000 attendees.

Why are you here? First night out at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity and this is the question that stuck. The resounding theme across all the responses was to be inspired and to celebrate creative excellence. I loved the points shared by Marcel Marcondes, Global CMO for AB InBev and Khensani Nobanda CM (SA) CMO of Nedbank during an event hosted by the Institute for Real Growth - It’s a privilege to work in this industry and influence consumer behavior - Dreaming big and learning with your teams and sometimes humbly remembering we’re not as good as we think we are 😏 - Ultimately to build brands and businesses that create economic impact. Let’s see how the week progresses. I’m here with Meta this week because I truly believe that every connection is an opportunity. I bet there will be some great ones on and offline this year at Cannes.

🌟 During Cannes, Ad Age and Meta held a get-together for new and returning members of The List , a curated group of advertising, marketing, and media leaders. 🏖️ Meta Beach turned into a lively forum for attendees to connect and discuss challenges in the industry and opportunities for the program through the rest of 2024. Learn more and stay updated on The List's key insights and thought leadership here: https://lnkd.in/gFFcExbX  Photo by Sean T. Smith 📸

My first Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity was quite an experience, here is little recap and shout out to all of those who continue making the inclusive business imperative a movement! Myles Worthington, what can we say … you put together a great discussion for Tubi on everything Latin X! I had a blast debating about the X with Thatiana Diaz, Jesús García-Valadez, and the incomparable, Jessica Marie Garcia Cannes Can: Diversity Collective at Inkwell Beach was an amazing display of diversity in the top ranks! Thank you to Group Black, and NBCUniversal for allowing me to moderate the big news on your even larger partnership ... Congrats Bonin Bough, PETER BLACKER, Cavel Khan, Ashley Banks, Carla Kelly, and Travis Montaque! Your D-Nice event was on another level! John Dioso - Thank you and Ad Age for bringing together the The List community at Meta beach - it was great meeting past and current members. I had the privilege of joining some of the best in our Omnicom familia (and Ad Council friend) in dropping knowledge on inclusive #AI - we see you Alissa Hansen, Tony Hobley, Carl Willoughby, and Laurie Keith! Gilbert Dávila, Lisette Arsuaga, Karla Lucia, and the ANA AIMM team, you rocked #Cannes! Thanks for having me moderate the discussion around responsible media investments, loved sharing the stage with Alexandra Kennedy, Jessica Ricaurte, and Josh Casarona. We capped it off with the inaugural #LatinoUSDay, hosted by our friends at Advertising Week, and PRODU where I joined Jessica Ricaurte, Doug Melville, and Francisco C. to discuss the next phase of the Hispanic digital evolution! Claudia Romo Edelman ... GRACIAS for all you do, we all need your #energy! Last but not least, thank you to Omnicom Media Group: Ralph Pardo, Geoffrey Calabrese, and Florian Adamski for continuing to prioritize the importance of inclusive media from a North America and #global perspective.