Next week, the world’s biggest advertising festival kicks off among the glitz, yachts and champagne-filled glasses at the French Riviera.
The contradiction to sustainability couldn’t be bigger and you don’t have to be part of Extinction Rebellion to feel at odds with the unhinged commercial circus.
Talking sustainability at an advertising festival can seem like pitching peace at a weapon’s conference.
Yet, Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity is de facto a global meeting place and the coveted Cannes Lions awards are for many in the industry highly aspirational and a career highlight.
In that way Cannes Lions has a responsibility and a potential to drive change.
I’ll be joining a few events during my week there. On Monday, I’ll join International Advertising Association (IAA) and help launch a new Sustainable Brand Index that can serve as a global compass for our industry to get the balance right between saying and doing.
Together with ACT Responsible I’ll daily be interviewing the movers and shakers of our industry for a daily Cannes Lions update. Stay tuned. And don’t miss our second Open House for Good. It’s at 2 pm, on Wednesday in the Palais – and you don’t need a pass to attend and view some of the world’s most impactful commercials come join. bit.ly/3oYNbM9
I’m also joining the Dutch Embassy for Creativity, Creatives for Climate and many others to voice up for the much needed change in our industry.
Cannes Lions is far from perfect, but we all have a responsibility to do our part to push forward and create the much needed change. Let’s make this Cannes, the most impactful.
