The Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity is one of the most important weeks in the industry’s calendar, celebrating the very best in advertising, communications, technology and brand.
Over the course of the next five days, the biggest agencies, most influential creative leaders and digital pioneers will convene on La Croisette to recognise great work, share the latest innovations and offer insight that will influence how marketers approach what they do now and going forward.
And at Smarts, we are delighted to have been asked to share our own views on where the industry is heading.
On Tuesday, our Business Director, Kerri Young, will join the Network One for a candid discussion on the current state of Earned Media, representing the UK on a panel that also includes agency leaders from Germany, Australia, Ireland, Finland and the USA.
The panel forms part of the Indie Forum, held at Le Club MSQ, which encourages fresh insights and lively debate from the leaders who are shaping the future of independent agencies.
Then, on the Wednesday, our Brand Futures Director, Nat Moores, takes the stage as part of the core Cannes Lions programme for her session: How To Unlock New Creative Depths Like a Freediver.
Nat will be joined on the Forum stage by World Record Holding freediver, Kateryna Sadurska, to understand what it takes to create calm in chaos and discover what freediving can teach us about reaching new depths in our own creative process – and why that’s important.
Finally, on Thursday, we’re excited to announce that Nat and Kateryna have been asked to share a fireside chat at the WACL Empower Café. Nat and Kateryna will be exploring the growing cultural power of aspirational women, looking at how brands can benefit from audiences being increasingly drawn to stories grounded in resilience, purpose and possibility.
If you’re in Cannes, please do join us for what promises to be a fascinating week full of insight and inspiration. And for those who can’t make it, we’ll be sharing regular updates and deeper content on our social channels. Give us a follow on LinkedIn, Instagram and TikTok.
We’re incredibly honoured to be one of the agencies chosen to appear at Cannes Lions. With the future of the industry at such a crossroads, we know that it’s critical to be at the forefront of creative excellence and effectiveness.