From silent mode to Earth mode: how two Young Lions mapped their way to gold

Joanne Chen and Lydia Yoon worked together at Google for a year on the product marketing team before being brought together through the Canadian Young Lions Competition. Lydia jokes that she asked Joanne to be her partner because she was one of the only people on their product marketing team eligible to compete under 30.

With just 24 hours to come up with the initial submission – no small feat – Joanne and Lydia won gold in the marketing category for their impactful brand strategy concept for the Jane Goodall Institute of Canada. Soon, the team will head to The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity to face the best of the best in the global Young Lions competition. They say they keep reliving the moment their names were called.

“I think right now, it hasn’t completely sunk in yet, but there are moments where I remember what it means. Like, we get to go to Cannes,” said Lydia.

This year saw a record-breaking 796 individuals compete across seven categories, and 26 teams went head-to-head for Marketers. Notably, this year’s shortlist features participants from coast to coast.

This wasn’t Lydia’s first rodeo. After learning from her experience competing last year, she said she was ready to give her all again. Besides hoping to score a ticket to Cannes, she saw the competition as a way to push their creativity outside of work, without the restrictions of red tape and a limited budget.

“There are so many creative ways that you can approach a problem and a challenge. And we thought this competition was a perfect way to test that,” said Lydia, who participated in case competitions during university.

While Joanne wasn’t as familiar with case competitions, she now says that she would recommend it to every young marketer.

“It forces you to really think outside of the box, which we don’t do as much as we should. It reassured me that I picked the right industry, and this is something that I really like doing. It also made me think about what’s next in my career. It’s opened up way more opportunities of where I see my career in marketing,” said Joanne.

Joanne and Lydia say that the marketing category is unique because it’s all about the impact.

“I feel like the marketing category encompasses so many parts of the other categories, and it’s just unique, that it all comes together in that way,” said Lydia.

What came out of the lessons learned and time spent was Google Maps: Earth Mode, a new Google Maps layer view for discovering local biodiversity and greenest walking paths. Every Earth Mode route taken earns Hope Kilometres – Google Maps donates $1 to the Jane Goodall Institute of Canada for every 10HKM.

On a random weekend, many use layer modes on Google Maps to find restaurants and cafes. What if instead, they took a walk – or a hike – to discover biodiversity and pockets of nature in their own backyard? Earth mode helps people do just that while teaching them to appreciate the spaces around them.

“That will help Gen Z and the next generation care more about the environment, and our insight is, when there is a personal connection, there’s a reason to care. So that’s kind of like the thought around what we had built,” said Joanne.

Their insight for the project stemmed from what they call the connection paradox. The team says Gen Z is the most “connected” generation in history, yet they’ve never been more disconnected from the physical world they should take care of. Google Maps: Earth Mode is about meeting Gen Z where they are – their screens – to help them rediscover the world beyond it.

“We want to take a daily habit that they use and more so be the bridge between them and the outside, and then once they spend more time in the environment, appreciating what’s around them, there’s more of a reason for them to care and take action,” said Joanne.

Their connectedness was put to the test when they found out they were shortlisted for the top five, but were both travelling in Asia. So, in the middle of the night and on the plane ride back, they put together an impressive presentation the night before the big day. They say at the end of it all – with a trip to Cannes in sight – it was worth it.

“The more that you put into this, the more you get out of it. I felt that and experienced that two years ago, and I thought it would be so worth it to try it again, and now being able to go to France is the cherry on top,” said Lydia.

While both have different experiences with case competitions, they share a motivation to put in the work and have fun. Joanne says she was nervous to present. But thanks to the prep and practice, she and Lydia agree it was like muscle memory the second they walked in the room – and one of the most fulfilling moments.

“One of the judges in our Q&A portion was like, ‘I love this idea. Is this something you think Google can launch tomorrow?’ So even getting feedback like that instantaneously was pretty rewarding,” said Lydia.

Now, Lydia and Joanne are focused on two things – being present in the competition at Cannes. And drinking rosé on a beach following the competition.