Talent and Culture
Homogeneity is a creativity killer. The antidote? Embracing diversity of thought, leading with empathy and building new spaces for connection and collaboration.
NO SMILES | MCDONALD'S TBWA\HAKUHODO, TOKYO | 2024 GOLD, SOCIAL & INFLUENCER LIONS
There were multiple calls across Cannes Lions stages to mix it up and avoid dull work. That could mean building more diverse teams and cultures, hitting refresh on casting or switching mindsets.
Nick Law, Creative Chairperson at Accenture Song, emphasised that creativity “requires more than just one way of thinking” and offered three pieces of advice for building a strong creative culture: work with freaks, make scary stuff and “have some bloody fun”.
NICK LAW | CREATIVE CHAIRPERSON, ACCENTURE SONG | SONG SIMPLIFIES… CREATIVITY AS THE GREAT CONNECTOR
Lose the ego
Trust and vulnerability are vital for honest collaboration and commercial success because they benefit your internal culture and your understanding of your audience and its needs. “Having empathy for who you are selling to is important to make us sell in a more sophisticated and more interesting way,” said Nick Pringle, Chief Creative Officer of R/GA EMEA. And Kika Douglas Castroviejo, Chief Creative Officer of 180 Global, advocated for “creating without ego”. It’s crucial, she said, since it “widens your aperture of understanding”. One piece of winning work that showed how to empathise with audiences was double Grand Prix winner ‘Renault - Cars to Work’. This social mobility initiative identified that a common obstacle to finding work in France was a lack of public transport to reach the workplace. So Renault provided free cars to job seekers in these ‘mobility deserts’ during their trial period in new employment. It took the Creative Commerce Lions Grand Prix and the Sustainable Development Goals Lions Grand Prix.
RENAULT - CARS TO WORK | RENAULT
PUBLICIS CONSEIL, PARIS | 2024 GRAND PRIX, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS LIONS
“The Jury was profoundly impressed by Renault’s innovative approach to solving genuine human dilemmas and pain points, while simultaneously driving business sales.”
Amy Lanzi CEO, Digitas North America | Jury President, Creative Commerce Lions
Take risks and relinquish control
This kind of empathy also opens up space for instinctive creativity. Comedian Munya Chawawa said: “Creators are marketing experts, and it’s about brands trusting that.” He added: “Progress is about brands letting go of the reins and allowing them to go with their instinct.” Lion-winning work showed how taking risks and relinquishing control can lead to new and effective ideas. A partnership between Xbox and Sega-owned video game Football Manager was one example of a risky idea that paid off. ‘The Everyday Tactician’ invited gamers who’d sharpened their skills on Football Manager to apply for a real-life job as a performance tactician at Bromley Football Club. The selected gamer led the club to its best-ever season, while Xbox gamers increased by 190%. It won two Grands Prix – in the Direct Lions and the Entertainment Lions for Gaming – as well as a Gold Titanium Lion.
"It perfectly demonstrates that gaming can change lives, create confidence, and build transferable real-world skills." Lydia Winters Chief Storyteller, Mojang Studios | Jury President, Entertainment Lions for Gaming
THE EVERYDAY TACTICIAN | XBOX
MCCANN LONDON | 2024 GRAND PRIX, ENTERTAINMENT LIONS FOR GAMING
Build new spaces and work together
Making people feel comfortable as well as included is important if creativity is going to flourish. “We need to make new spaces in new ways to make sure we’re redesigning the system,” said Sinéad Burke, CEO and Founder of accessibility and inclusion consultancy Tilting the Lens. Representation remains an issue: research from the Geena Davis Institute shared on stage found that only 1.4% of characters on screen* were depicted with disabilities. Burke made the point that off-screen representation should be taken just as seriously. Highlighting the big problems that creativity is being called on to address, Andrés Ordóñez, FCB’s Global Chief Creative Officer, called for strong collaboration: “Creativity fuels change, and the planet and society need that more than ever. We need each other [to] get involved in our communities and push for better on everything. Creativity can do that.” And if you don’t have the answers, don’t worry. A little ignorance can go a long way in the creative process, according to Javier Campopiano, Global Chief Creative Officer, McCann Worldgroup and McCann. “How can we use what we don’t know to approach our creative life and work with fresh eyes every day?”
SINÉAD BURKE | CEO AND FOUNDER, TILTING THE LENS | SECRET SPEAKER: THE IMPORTANCE OF TAKING UP SPACE
BAR EXPERIENCE | HEINEKEN
EDELMAN, LONDON
GOLD, PR LIONS | 2024
Focus on you
Recognising that creative talent can come from anywhere facilitates new levels of inclusion that harness diverse perspectives. “You are what makes companies human, what makes brands human,” said Unilever’s Chief Growth and Marketing Officer, Esi Eggleston Bracey. Some brands are tapping into this, helping to revolutionise recruitment through challenging outdated perceptions. Gold PR Lion winner ‘Bar Experience’ for Heineken reframed hospitality work from a dead-end temp job to a priceless formative experience. And Gold Social & Influencer Lions winner ‘No Smiles’, for McDonald’s Japan, encouraged employees to be themselves at work. If beige creative work is going to be avoided, the global creative community needs to consider doing the same. As Nick Law reminded the audience: “Homogeneous teams are boring. Heterogeneous teams bump up against each other.”
ESI EGGLESTON BRACEY | CHIEF GROWTH AND MARKETING OFFICER, UNILEVER | YOU