Burnout burns hot at Cannes Lions while changemakers ask us to break the silos, flip the script and smash through barriers to elevate our creative endeavours. The Globe and Mail is your source for the insights and ideas you won’t want to miss. Follow us on LinkedIn, IG, and Twitter for all the latest updates.
In this edition:
- The Burnout Epidemic
- Canada takes the Gold
- Breaking Siloes: Expedia’s Playbook
- The Flipping Point
- Smashing Stereotypes
- Standout Session
Ground intelligence from Karen Howe
Burnout is heating up the industry. Just take a look at Cannes Lions, our annual cultural check-up, and you’ll see it writ large. Self-care is the name of the game, with Heineken even creating a genius bottle cap that shuts off your laptop when you crack open a cold one.
Now, let’s talk humour. The humour damn is broken, and we have Kevin Hart to thank for it. The stand-up comedy turned marketing entrepreneur has a simple mission: to make us laugh together. As human beings, we crave laughter, yet so many brands overlook the power of humor. It’s mind-boggling, really. But fear not. The tides are turning. After reviewing countless shortlisted ads, I can confidently say that funny is the new cool. The humour dam has burst wide open, and brands are finally catching on.
Bringing home the gold
On Monday’s gala, Rethink, BBDO, and Ogilvy snagged Gold Lions, contributing to the impressive tally of 16 Lions won by Canadian agencies in categories such as Pharma, Health & Wellness, Outdoor, Print & Publishing, and Radio & Audio.
Breaking down silos: Expedia’s playbook for business transformation
In the commoditized online travel industry, Expedia Group recognized the need for a transformative shift from transactions to enhancing traveler experiences. They embarked on a mission to break down silos, unite portfolios, and empower customers with confidence-boosting technology. Key takeaways emphasized the collective intelligence unlocked through seamless collaboration, the importance of aligning diverse teams with a shared vision, and the remarkable results that can be achieved when product and marketing work hand in hand. Ultimately, embracing collaboration and aligning efforts across disciplines can elevate the customer experience in a highly competitive industry.
The flipping point: Rewrite the rules for driving change
In a talk on leading the cultural revolution of the workplace, Shelley Zalis, CEO of The Female Quotient, delivered invaluable insights into effective leadership and conquering workplace adversity. With a focus on empowering women in the marketing industry, Zalis emphasized the importance of creating a “flipping point” by challenging traditional norms and reshaping the industry landscape. Other action items included rewriting the rules to initiate proactive change, harnessing the power of emotion and empathy in the workplace and aligning passion with purpose to unlock unstoppable potential. By embracing these transformative strategies, marketers can elevate their leadership capabilities, overcome challenges with resilience, and drive meaningful change in an evolving industry.
Defying stereotypes: Empowering inclusive content creation
Danai Gurira, UN Women Goodwill Ambassador, and Jess Weiner, Cultural Expert and CEO of Talk to Jess, partnered with the Unstereotype Alliance to discuss the transformative power of dismantling stereotypes in content creation. They emphasized the importance of defying norms and embracing discomfort to shatter stereotypes effectively. Key takeaways included empowering teams to create differentiated features and aspirational stories, fostering collaboration between technology and creativity, and prioritizing long-term customer relationships. This session served as a powerful reminder to marketers about the potential of challenging outdated narratives and fostering inclusivity through storytelling.
Standout session
Day two at OpenAI, and the buzz is all about DALLE COO’s Brad Lightcap. He emphasized the importance of brands and agency partnerships to unlock creativity and leverage AI as a tool to push the boundaries of imagination for everyone.
The talk served as a powerful reminder that by uniting forces and embracing technological advancements, brands and agencies can unlock new realms of possibility, reshape industries and create a future where human ingenuity and AI-driven innovation coexist harmoniously.
