blog
Blog

The Cannes Loop: Tuesday's Top Takeaways

No awards on a dead planet, turning personal purpose into planetary impact and making sustainability an uncompromising standard
Becca Muir
Guest Editor
21 June 2022

Day two along La Croisette has seen a host of thought-provoking talks, panels and fireside chats.

But first, here's some news from last night's awards ceremony.

A surprise turn of events


Former Cannes Lions winner and judge Gustav Martner last night returned to the awards stage - this time as a Greenpeace activist.

Using the prestigious awards ceremony to reach the most influential people in marketing, Marner called for a ban on fossil fuel advertising and handed back the award he'd previously won.

Martner took to the stage and unfolded a banner that read "No Awards On A Dead Planet, Ban Fossil Ads!".

He said: "As a former head of a creative agency, I know the power of advertising and sponsorship in mobilising people or distracting them from crucial issues. My job was to use my ideas to help polluters sell products that are killing the planet and the people. For too long, ad agencies have escaped their responsibilities towards the climate crisis, now they must cut ties with the fossil fuel industry. Cannes Lions claims to be the 'Home of creativity', I'm here to say there's no creativity on a dead planet."

Over 30 organisations have launched a European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) calling for a new law that bans fossil fuel advertising and sponsorship in the European Union. If an ECI reaches one million verified signatures in a year, then the European Commission is legally obliged to respond and consider implementing the demands into European law.

And by the looks of this tweet from Jess Zafarris, Director of Audience Engagement, AdWeek, it won't be the last time we hear those words this week.


Turning personal purpose into planetary impact


Carol Montgomery, Head of Guinness in Society and Brand Experiences, Diageo, and Jennifer English, Global Brand Director, Baileys and Roe & Co., today delved into the power marketers have to bring about real change.

Underpinning the discussion was the fact consumers want to do good - and one of the ways they achieve that is through making responsible decisions about the products they buy. Those decisions are made based on what brands tell consumers about their products and their brand, such as, it's made of recycled materials, profits are donated to charity etc.. The problem is when those messages are not in fact true (greenwashing) and what this creates is a "say-do" gap for billions of consumers.

Montgomery and English argue brand activism is the conversion of personal purpose and brand strategy into consumer impact and big change. You're not one person. You're a leader of your business, a decision-maker whose decisions impact the future of humanity, and an amplifier who can persuade consumers to make the changes needed today.

For marketers who find themselves in a similar position, here are three questions to ask yourself:

  1. How can you lead the whole business to connect brands to sustainability?
  2. How can you realise your role as a change agent?
  3. How can you drive your brand's growth through sustainability?

"That's the equivalent of taking 1 million cars off US roads"

P&G's Marc Pritchard took to the stage with a powerful bit of maths that highlights the potential for huge change when brands partner with sports organisations to leverage large fan bases and create change at scale.


Sustainability cannot be a trend - it must be an uncompromising standard


The Female Quotient has been out in force championing DE&I at Cannes, but they've also been highlighting the importance of sustainability and the role that women specifically can play in saving the planet when armed with the right support and environment.


That's all for today, don't forget to come back and check out tomorrow's round-up!

Please use portrait orientation for this website. Thanks!