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Engaging the LGBTQ Community: Unconventional channels and multi-channel outreach

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Insights from Grindr, CMI Media Group, and Atlanta’s Response to the Monkeypox Outbreak.

 

The LGBTQ community is a diverse and influential audience, necessitating thoughtful strategies to reach and engage them authentically. In this session, Andy Kraut of Grindr, Amy Litt of CMI Media Group and Malik Brown from the city of Atlanta explore the approaches employed during an outbreak of monkeypox in the gay and bisexual community, highlighting both historical and current examples in LGBTQ advertising and providing tips for brands to connect with this audience.

Swift and collaborative response: Mobilizing partnerships for effective outreach

Atlanta’s mayoral office responded swiftly to the monkeypox outbreak, recognizing the need to address health inequities prevalent in the LGBTQ community. Leveraging collaborative partnerships with county, federal and state entities, the response effort gained momentum through collective expertise and resources. Inclusive decision-making ensured the voices of affected communities were heard, with active involvement from nightlife leaders. Strategies were tailored to address disparities amongst black and brown LGBTQ individuals.

Embracing unconventional channels: Engaging platforms and multi-channel outreach

Understanding the significance of gay spaces, Atlanta’s response included advertising on Grindr, a popular dating app for the LGBTQ community. Non-stigmatizing messaging was designed to provide information without perpetuating stereotypes or adding to existing stigmas. Alongside Grindr, the campaign utilized billboards and bus shelters across Atlanta, including high-traffic areas like the city’s airport, maximizing exposure and engagement. This comprehensive multi-channel approach successfully reached over 10 million individuals within and passing through Atlanta.

Historical and current examples: Navigating LGBTQ advertising landscape

Brands have experienced both successes and setbacks in reaching the LGBTQ community. Positive engagement, such as Absolut’s support and advertising in gay spaces, demonstrates inclusivity and generates community support. However, challenges and controversies exist, with brands like Guinness facing protests for certain LGBTQ-focused ads. Sensitivity and a nuanced understanding of the community are crucial as expectations evolve beyond superficial gestures like logo changes during Pride Month.

Authentic marketing to the LGBTQ community: Tips for success

To engage the LGBTQ community authentically, brands should critically evaluate their motives, ensuring their desire to connect aligns genuinely with core values and resonates with community needs. Incorporating LGBTQ voices in decision-making processes and promoting diversity within organizations fosters authenticity and helps build trust. Companies should assess policies, benefits, and practices to ensure they are inclusive, supportive, and reflective of LGBTQ values. Recognizing the diversity within the LGBTQ community, brands should avoid relying on stereotypes in messaging and tackle sensitive topics such as sex with an open and factual approach.

Reaching and engaging the LGBTQ community requires an intentional and genuine approach that respects their diverse identities and experiences. By embracing collaboration, leveraging unconventional channels and aligning with core values, brands can create impactful campaigns that resonate with the LGBTQ audience. Through thoughtful strategies and authentic engagement, organizations can foster meaningful connections, contribute to inclusivity and make a positive impact within the community.

– Katherine Scarrow

Follow us @globemediagroup on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter to stay in the know on all things Cannes Lions. 

Jordan Doucette on trusting your gut and the dreaded ‘blue sky’ brief

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Jordan Doucette has held Chief Creative Officer roles at TAXI, Leo Burnett Chicago and FCB West (San Francisco), as well as a recent stint as Partner and President at No Fixed Address. She is now CCO at Dentsu Creative in Canada.


How do you define creativity in the context of your industry, and how has that definition evolved over time?

I think the role of creativity has expanded, from applying it to ‘advertising’ to applying it to business. We know that creativity is an economic multiplier and we’re always looking to help brands solve their business problems instead of just their advertising ones. You can see the proof in this with the huge number of clients and brands showing up at Cannes, investing in creativity in a whole new way. This is what makes the most excited about our industry, partnering with clients to transform their business in a way that moves society forward.

How do you stay ahead of the curve when it comes to identifying emerging trends and innovative ideas in your field?

I guess it’s a gut thing – when something feels too right, especially for its category, or nobody has any sort of emotional reaction to the work you’re creating, it’s probably not fresh. When you have an idea and you’re all kind of wondering how you’re going to make it happen and what kind of different perspectives and skillsets you need at the table to figure it out, you know you’re innovating.  And when you build all of that on a true human insight, need or tension, I think that’s when breakthrough ideas happen.

Can you share a specific example of a project or campaign where unconventional thinking led to remarkable creative outcomes?

We just launched an idea called Inflation Cookbook with Skip Express Lane that is a true piece of utility to help Canadians take inflation out of their cart. It started with a human and cultural insight and then required everyone from our legal, data, tech, UI, creative, strategy team to figure out how to bring it to life while keeping the user experience incredibly simple.

How do you balance the need for creativity with the practical considerations of budget, timelines, and client expectations?

For me, there’s nothing worse than the ‘blue sky’ brief where anything might be possible and nothing should limit creativity when in reality, you have three days, zero media and even fewer dollars. I love knowing the sandbox we’re playing in, that’s when true creativity to find the best idea for the parameters.

In your experience, what are some of the most effective strategies for fostering a culture of creativity within a team or organization?

Make everyone realize they contribute to the creative product, no matter the department. We all work for the work. And just off the heels of Cannes, there’s nothing better than the chance to talk about creative ideas being made around the world and what we love about it (or hate about it). And we should be doing that with different perspectives at the table to really understand what resonates with people and what doesn’t.

How do you measure the success of a creative campaign or project, and what metrics do you consider most important in evaluating its impact?

Real people see it, it resonates with them and it drives the brand and business forward.


The Globe is the official Canadian representative of Cannes Lions — the world’s most prestigious and coveted advertising and marketing awards. Since its first outing in 1954, the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity has been bringing the creative communications industry together every year at its one-of-a-kind event in Cannes to learn, network, and celebrate.

That’s a wrap: Five takeaways from Cannes Lions 2023

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Every year, when the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity ends, it’s the ideal opportunity to decode the trends in culture, technology, and creativity and analyze how they will affect business in the year ahead.


Karen Howe, founder of The Township Group serves on the Cannes Advisory Board for Canada, shares her highlights from Cannes 2023:

It’s already here

While we are busy wringing our hands about the role AI – specifically ChatGPT – will play in our lives, AI is already very much the thread that runs through much of the awarded work. Smart brands are harnessing it in numerous ways: MealVision uses it to track senior nutrition, while Nike captures the genius of Serena Williams for future generations in its AI-informed “Never Done Evolving” campaign.

But the sessions at Cannes revealed that the tension is one of intent. Will AI be the path to exponential creativity, as musician and entrepreneur will.i.am suggests, or a data-driven replacement for entire creative departments? All eyes are on this in the year ahead.

Untethering from cause

Brands have spent several years over-vectoring in the purpose arena. It’s no small surprise, given the wake of climate change, Covid, and a war in Eestern Europe. But purpose fatigue is our post-pandemic reality. We are all just so tired of earnestness that many brands, such as Mini, Ocean Spray and Doritos with its Triangle campaign, have turned back to humor and entertainment. I expect more brands to follow suit.

Crack the code

Media innovation continues to thrive: Figuring out how to use a media channel to its greatest potential is advertising magic. TikTok has found its rightful place in marketers’ hearts with “The Ad You Stay In” for Hilton Hotels. It showcases TikTok stars like Bomanizer and Paris Hilton and is delightfully long, because you stay in it, just like the hotel, and it works.

But I also saw the wonderfully clever creation of a new “media channel”: Skoda turned the backup cameras of its competitors into parking-lot deployed mini-billboards.

Samsung’s “Flipvertising” caught my eye because its genius is a competition awarding free phones by courting online tracking.

The age-old dilemma

The Cannes sessions continue to champion diversity and inclusion, as exhibited by the topics and speakers. Ranges of racial, gender, and sexual orientation are now well represented, as are those whose physical or cognitive abilities are compromised.

However, in the sea of work I reviewed, I recall but one case that addressed ageism, and it was Dove’s #KeepTheGrey. Given that we have an exploding and wealthy greying demographic, it remains the most overlooked opportunity. Smart brands, take note.

Oh! Canada!

A final note. What a glorious year for Canada. We won the most Cannes Lions ever, shattering the record set in 2019. And the next generation seems ready to claim its place on the podium, as our Young Lions claimed Gold, Silver, and had two shortlists – remarkable, given they competed against 444 teams from 70 countries. Let’s all take a quiet moment and pat ourselves on the back. Well done.

– Karen Howe

Sign up for the official Cannes Lions wrap-up report here.

Book Decoding Cannes Lions

“Decoding Cannes” is a fast-paced, one-hour presentation that offers equal parts insider intel and inspiration by Karen Howe – a Cannes judge, winner, and member of the Cannes Advisory Board for Canada. Karen brings the best of Cannes back to you and decodes how it will drive business in the year ahead.

https://www.thetownshipgroup.com/karen-howe-speaks

Insider advice for making the most of Cannes Lions festival

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From building meaningful relationships to generating big ideas, here are expert tips to help you make the most of your time at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity

 

The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity attracts some of the brightest minds in the industry, from executives to creatives, to showcase their work, learn from each other, and be recognized for their achievements.

But most importantly, Cannes offers the chance to break away from the day-to-day and “see what is possible through the magic of creativity,” says creative director Karen Howe. “You are immersed in a curiously potent alchemy of inspiration and intel for five days straight.”

Thousands of people from nearly 100 countries attend the festival in the south of France. The jam-packed week is filled with keynotes, panels, and workshops featuring the who’s who of advertising, business, tech, entertainment, and culture.

To make the most of your experience, it’s important to be prepared, both mentally and logistically, says creative recruiter James Coburn. “The heat mixed with the time difference, anticipation, and the Mediterranean air can be a lot to take in.”

A brisk 30-minute walk up the hill can do wonders, he says. “In mere minutes, the light, air, and sounds will invigorate you. By grounding yourself, stretching out, and clearing your mind, you’ll stay ahead of the game.”

For Young Lions competing in the festival, communications strategist Alessia Grosso suggests keeping an open mind. “To be creative, you must be curious. Find inspiration in everything around you, explore your interests, and make sure to write down your ideas.”

Although Grosso says there’s no guidebook for Cannes, she also underscores the importance of having fun. “If you’re not having fun, you’re not winning… Remember that enjoyment is essential to success.”

But as much as you prepare, you’ll undoubtedly have FOMO at some point, Howe cautions. “There is so much happening that you need to accept that no matter what you do, you are missing something else incredible,” she says. The good news is, Cannes posts the content after the fact, so you can catch up.

To make the most of your time at the festival, Coburn suggests focusing on the talks that best align with your interests and priorities.

Howe also suggests venturing beyond the Palais along the Croisette. “There are dozens of pavilions by brands like Google, Meta, Pinterest, the Wall Street Journal, and The Economist that host events, speakers, and demonstrate leading-edge technology,” she says.

The nightly award show is also a highlight of the festival. There’s nothing like the energy of seeing the winners of the work that you admire most claim their Lions.

Fun fact: Canada achieved sixth place last year for the most Lions won globally, she says. “I am proud to say that as a country, we really punch above our weight creatively. In a typical year, we place in the top ten for wins.”

For Howe, Coburn, and Grosso, the festival is also the ultimate place to meet creatives from all over the world.

“You will be surrounded by top talent from around the world, all bringing uniquely innovative perspectives to the table. Approach with openness to learn something new,” Grosso says.

“You just never know who you will see,” adds Howe, who suggests attending the end-of-day cocktails at the back of the Palais. “It’s a great chance to raise a glass with the ad folks of the world and talk creative. Don’t miss out.”

“Dive into conversations, network relentlessly, and embrace fresh ideas and perspectives,” Coburn adds. “Anything can happen here as long as you’re open to it.”

Karen Howe, founder of The Township Group, has not only won several Lions for her work but also represents Canada as a judge and serves on the Cannes Advisory Board.

James Coburn is one of the industries top creative recruiters, who casts global talent at Mandrake Human Capital.

Alessia Grosso, an award-winning strategist and marketing leader, leads the Strategy & Insights Department in Canada at Havas Media.

Follow us @globemediagroup on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter to stay in the know.

The Globe and Mail is pleased to announce the 2023 Canadian Young Lions Competition winners

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The Globe and Mail, the Official Festival Representative in Canada for the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, is pleased to announce the winning teams for the 2023 Canadian Young Lions Competition in all five categories: Digital, Film, Print, Media and Marketers.

Over the weekend of March 4 to March 6, 2023, working in teams of two, 680 entrants received a brief from a non-profit charity and had to complete the challenge for their respective category within a 24- or 48-hour time period.

Each year, the Competition jury chairs select a non-profit charity as the subject of the competition briefs. This year, two charities were chosen: the Nature Conservancy of Canada for the Print, Film, Digital and Media categories, and The Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund for the Marketers category.

The Nature Conservancy of Canada

The Nature Conservancy of Canada protects, restores, and sustainably manages the most ecologically important Canadian lands in the urgent fight against climate change and bio-diversity loss. With your donations NCC purchases and protects land – permanently, from coast to coast. In this, NCC is unlike any other environmental organization. When you donate, the difference you make lasts forever. Young Canadians are deeply worried about the environmental crisis. They understand that solving climate change will require a collective effort, but real progress seems to have stalled out. They want to know how they can make a sustainable difference in protecting nature, to have true impact.

The Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund

In 1966, at 12 years old, Chanie Wenjack, an Anishinaabe boy, ran away from Cecilia Jeffrey Residential School in northern Ontario to reunite with his family 600 kilometers away. His body was found beside the railway tracks on October 22, 1966. His death sparked the first inquest into the treatment of Indigenous children in the residential school system, and years later, inspired Gord Downie’s album, Secret Path. Reconciliation became Gord’s central focus after he learned more about the history of Indigenous people in Canada and residential schools. At one of the final Tragically Hip concerts, Gord Downie asked all Canadians to look at the state of Indigenous-settler relations in this country and to “Do Something” to change them for the better.

The relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples is foundational to Canada and critical to its future. The impact of residential schools is still felt today, affecting the health and well-being of Indigenous people and communities, and contributing to inequalities. Reconciliation is critical to healing this rift and enabling the well-being and prosperity of all peoples in Canada.

Competition submission entries were judged by an esteemed panel of industry leaders, led by returning jury chairs Mary Maddever, EVP, Editorial Director, Brunico (Digital, Film, Print), Cathy Collier, Chief Executive Officer, OMD Canada (Media) and Susan Irving, Chief Marketing Officer, Kruger Products Inc. (Marketers).

The medal winners for 2023 Canadian Young Lions Competitions are:

DIGITAL

Gold – Pay-Per-Viewpoint

  • Andronicus Wu, Art Director, The Garden
  • Jon Dawe, Senior Copywriter, The Garden

Silver – The VPN that Virtually Protects Nature 

  • Sammy Lo, Art Director, LG2
  • Peter Sreckovic, Senior Copywriter, Sid Lee

Bronze – Tip Your Trees

  • Ethan Gans, Writer, Rethink
  • Ekenechukwu Oduh, Art Director, Rethink

FILM

Gold – Do Nothing for Something

  • Cory Hansen, Senior Writer, Milestone Integrated Marketing
  • Anthony Curran, Motion Designer, Milestone Integrated Marketing

Silver – HOLD ON

  • Frédérick Pelletier, Freelance Director, Clark Influence
  • Gabrielle Roy, Strategist, Clark Influence

Bronze – Forever Home

  • Samantha Beauchamp, Art Director, Rain
  • Rebecca M. Williams, Senior Copywriter, Rain

PRINT

Gold – The Deforestation Defense

  • Jaclyn McConnell, Art Director, Rethink
  • Shawn Weidman, Copywriter, Rethink

Silver – Thanks for Nothing

  • Grace Guan, Junior Writer, Taxi
  • Kyle Simpson, Art Director, Taxi

Bronze – Immortal Landscape

  • Emma Laberge, Art Director, Rethink
  • Laurent H. Tremblay, Copywriter, Rethink

MEDIA

Gold – Consent to Conserve

  • Thierry Lessard, Head of data and technology, Cartier
  • Olivier Houle, Media Strategy Supervisor, Cartier

Silver – Do You Have the Willpower

  • Dustin Wilson, Associate Director of Strategy, OMD Canada
  • Kunal Jain, Paid Social Supervisor, OMD Canada

Bronze – My Nature Moments

  • Béa Beaini, Assistant Media Designer, Cossette Media
  • Gabriel Lafond, Media Designer, Cossette Media

MARKETERS

Gold – The Purple Legacy

  • Mike Miura, Manager, Commercial Marketing Strategy, MLSE
  • Ryan Grippo, Associate, Strategy, MLSE

Silver –The Land is Your Land

  • Christie Stelling, Brand Manager, Twisted Tea & Truly Hard Seltzer, Moosehead Breweries
  • Sarah Smith, Creative Manager, Moosehead Breweries

Bronze – Food For Thought

  • Abigail Rigonan, National Marketing Specialist, McCafé & Breakfast, McDonald’s Canada
  • Jordyn Posluns, National Marketing Consultant, McCafé & Breakfast, McDonald’s Canada
2023 Winning Work
View the winning work from the top-3 teams in each category.


“We are thrilled to announce the 2023 Young Lions winners, a group of exceptionally talented individuals who embody the future of our industry,” said Andrew Saunders, Chief Revenue Officer at The Globe and Mail and Chair of the Canadian Cannes Lions Advisory Board. “This competition showcases the next generation of creative minds and provides a once-in-a-life time experience that can propel their careers to new heights. Our commitment to supporting the marketing and advertising community in Canada remains steadfast, and we take pride in celebrating innovation and creativity year after year. These winners will represent Canada’s talent on the global stage, and it’s exciting to be able to highlight that talent on the global stage for the world to see.”

In addition to being crowned as Canada’s best, gold teams go on to compete in the Global Young Lions Competition taking place at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, from June 19 – 23, 2023, where they will compete against the most creative teams from all over the world.

As the Competition Sponsor, The Globe and Mail awards a prize per gold team, which includes the registration fees for the Global Young Lions Competition, delegate passes to attend the five-day festival in Cannes, France, the cost of flights and accommodation.

To view the profiles of this year’s competition jurors please visit https://globeandmailyounglions.ca/jury/.

For complete eligibility criteria and competition guidelines, refer to the Official Rules and Regulations.

About the Young Lions Competition

The Globe and Mail has been the official Canadian representative of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity since 2005, hosting the Canadian Young Lions competitions since 2007 and the Marketers competition since 2012.

Strategy Magazine, Association of Canadian Advertisers (ACA), and the Canadian Media Directors’ Council (CMDC) also support the competitions as partners of the Canadian Cannes Program.

Twitter: @CannesLionsCAN

Hashtag: #YoungLions2023

For more information about The Globe and Mail’s Young Lions Competition visit globeandmailyounglions.ca.

About the 70th Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity

Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, also known as Cannes Lions, is the world’s leading celebration of creativity in communications and encompasses Lions Health, Lions Innovation and Lions

Entertainment. Founded in 1954, the Festival takes place every June in Cannes, France. As the most prestigious international annual advertising and communications awards, entries from all over the world are showcased and judged at the Festival.

About The Globe and Mail

The Globe and Mail is Canada’s foremost news media company, leading the national discussion and causing policy change through brave and independent journalism since 1844. With our award-winning coverage of business, politics and national affairs, The Globe and Mail newspaper reaches 6.5 million readers every week in our print or digital formats, and Report on Business magazine reaches 1.8 million readers in print and digital every issue. Our investment in innovative data science means that as the world continues to change, so does The Globe. The Globe and Mail is owned by Woodbridge, the investment arm of the Thomson family.

Young Lions Alumni Spotlight with the 2022 Media Winners

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Ahead of the 2023 Young Lions Competitions in a few weeks’ time, we’re looking back at past competition winners and picking their brains on their Young Lions experience and tips and tricks they can share with this year’s competitors! We spoke to Tristan Bonnot-Parent (TBP), Digital Specialist, and Ana Matuk (AM) Media Design Assistant, both with Cossette Media during the competition, the winners of the 2022 Young Lions Competition in the Media Category. 

Tell us a bit about yourselves – who you are, where you work, and what you do (the 30-second elevator pitch!)

TBP: My name is Tristan and I am a performance analyst at Cossette Media in Montreal. I’ve always been fascinated by numbers and statistics. I have never been a big video game player but I often joke that I’m an Excel Gamer. I also have a passion for graphic design. On a daily basis, I mix these two passions to try to find ways to present and vulgarize my different analyses. I love to communicate, convince and pitch!

AM: From media planning to project management to what now? I joined the advertising world right after finishing my degree without really understanding what it was, frankly, I’m still figuring it out. I fell in love with the creativity I was surrounded by daily, the people I was working with, and the fact that the challenge never stops. I’ve always loved new beginnings, so after over a year in advertising I tried project management, which was not my cup of tea. I am currently on a professional break, traveling around and reflecting on what’s next, which will most definitely be back to basics, aka advertising.

What was the most rewarding or memorable moment about competing (either domestically or globally/virtually)?

TBP: The national competition was a roller coaster of emotion for us. We started the 24-hour with an idea that we thought was solid and that we loved. We had our noses stuck in it so much that we were convinced it was the best idea. Around midnight, we had a big second thought and realized that our big idea was not that great, that it was too complex, and that the wow factor was slowly disappearing as we detailed the idea. Even though we were completely discouraged, we did a complete 180 and went with a brand-new idea. We finished in the early hours of the morning. When we found out that this idea was going to take us all the way to Cannes, the first thing I thought was, “imagine if you had given up instead of starting over at midnight” I think that’s what makes the victory and the experience even more rewarding.

AM: The 12 hour nap after our sleepless night during the national competition. No, but honestly the most memorable moment is when we had an illumination around midnight on how the idea we were working on the whole day was not actually that good. We did a complete 180 and started from scratch and I’m so glad we did. That night, it was the nuit blanche in Montreal, we finished almost 24 hours after the beginning of the competition and took the first-morning metro to go back home. The train was full of people still partying which gave us a little FOMO, all worth it now.

How did being crowned Canadian gold winners change, if at all, your perspective or approach to work?

TBP: I don’t think it changes everything. I think it’s a tremendous professional and personal victory, but it was important for me to keep my feet on the ground and continue to focus on learning every day at work. Nevertheless, it’s a huge confidence boost and every time I think that I don’t have the experience or knowledge to bring my ideas to the table, I think about this victory and I tell myself that all ideas can go far. Sometimes even as far as Cannes…

AM: I would say it didn’t change that much for me except that I feel more confident about speaking my points of view despite my title/position. Other than that, I’m still young on the working market and I know that I have tons to learn. I listen, I learn and I try.

What’s the best piece of advice you’d give to YL Competitors heading into the competition weekend?

TBP: I think the first thing I would say is don’t “fall in love with an idea”. I think it’s super important to be able to step back and evaluate our ideas objectively. And that’s really hard, especially when you’ve been working on an idea for 12 hours straight. I would also say forget about your job title and experience. Young Lions is all about having the right idea at the right time and being able to communicate it effectively and there is no title or seniority that guarantees that. And that’s the beauty of Young Lions!

AM: I think the best part of the competition is that we’re not alone, being a team of two gives us a better perspective. Sometimes we are so deep in our heads/minds that we don’t question whether the idea is good or clear enough. I’d say keep challenging each other and your ideas even though you think it’s great. Also, give it your 100% and encourage your partner to continue, whether it’s your first or 9th-time competition – keep each other motivated. Last thing: don’t underestimate the power of the pitch.

Talk to us about your experience at the virtual Global Young Lions competition. What were some highlights? 

TBP: The experience at Global Young Lions was very similar to the national competition. The biggest difference is that we had the chance to see pitches from several other countries. As much as it is stressful and not necessarily fun to compare yourself, it is super enlightening. The other thing that was amazing about Global Young Lion was getting feedback from top people in agencies from all over the world and being able to learn from their experience and become better.

AM: The key to our National pitch, was the insight. In that sense, the Global competition was a little bit more challenging for us since we had to find an insight that was understood globally. Other than that, the national competition prepared us pretty well for what was coming, we elaborated a sort of “template” on what was important and we had lots of fun brainstorming ideas in a “smash or pass” kind of way. 

 You can connect with Tristan and Ana online, and can view their winning work here.

About the Young Lions Competition

The Young Lions competition, happening this year over the weekend of March 4 – March 6, 2023, is where teams of two will participate in a live competition in their registered category (over a 24 to 48- hour period), modeled after the global competitions in Cannes. A brief for a not-for-profit organization will be unveiled when the competition begins.

The winners from our Canadian qualifying competitions will go on to compete in person at the Global Young Lions Competition taking place during the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in Cannes, France from June 19-June 23, 2023.

Visit our competition website here for more information about Young Lions, including, how to register. Registration closes on February 17, 2023.

About the Globe and Mail

The Globe and Mail has been the Official Cannes Lions Festival Representative for the past 17 years and has had the privilege of sending over 60 Canadian teams to compete in the global competition that’s hosted in the south of France in Cannes against some of the best talents from around the world.

As the Competition Sponsor, The Globe awards a prize per Gold-winning team, which includes the registration fees for the virtual Global Young Lions Competition at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, delegate passes to attend the five-day festival, and the cost of flights and accommodation.

Young Lions Alumni Spotlight with the 2022 Marketing Winners

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Ahead of the 2023 Young Lions Competitions in a few weeks’ time, we’re looking back at past competition winners and picking their brains on their Young Lions experience and tips and tricks they can share with this year’s competitors! We spoke to Omar Elmezaini (OE) and Kush Gandhi (KG), both Marketing Managers at PepsiCo, the winners of the 2022 Young Lions Competition in the Marketers Category. 

Tell us a bit about yourselves – who you are, where you work, and what you do (the 30-second elevator pitch!)

KG: I’m Kush Gandhi and work at PepsiCo Canada as a Customer Marketing Manager leading our Foodservice Customer Marketing team. Today, I’m responsible for bringing PepsiCo’s brands & strategies to life across the Foodservice channel. In my career, I’ve been fortunate to have a breadth of experiences like building upon Canadian-led brands like Miss Vickie’s & influencing iconic global brands like Doritos along with experiences across Shopper, Sports & Portfolio Marketing.

OE: My passion is telling compelling stories rooted in insights-based strategic plans. Throughout my career at PepsiCo, I’ve had the pleasure of applying this passion to the most iconic beverage brands including Pepsi, Gatorade, and Bubly. I currently lead the 7UP and Mtn Dew brands across Canada by building consumer-centric communication plans to drive brand equity and long-term growth.

As a multi-year competitor, what was your Young Lions experience like and how did it differ each time?

OE: The Young Lions competition is by far my favourite competition that I’ve participated in because it brings together the thing that any marketer needs to do really well (write compelling briefs!), and couples it with charitable organizations to drive awareness for a great social cause. Every year the competition poses a unique challenge as each charitable organization has its own mission and unique challenges to reach its target community. So the challenge is being able to identify a really powerful human insight that can bring the charity and your brand together and be a springboard for big creative ideas. When you have something that makes you go “wow I never thought about it like that”, that’s when you know you have something really powerful.

What was the most rewarding or memorable moment about competing (either domestically or globally/virtually)?

KG: The most rewarding part of the competition was definitely the opportunity to head to Cannes. As professionals still early in our careers it gave us an unparalleled opportunity to network with individuals who are all in Cannes searching for the same thing – inspiration. We were in a position to be inspired by the industry’s best, be envious of the work that wasn’t ours, and have pride in representing Canada on a global stage. Somehow, this was all packaged into a whirlwind 5-day trip.

OE: For me, the most memorable moment was definitely winning the Canadian competition! After many years of competing, I’ve had varying degrees of success, placing as a Finalist in 2018 and winning Bronze in 2020, so it was a very rewarding conclusion after many years of attempts to finally win Gold. Also, I can’t not mention being able to go to Cannes to compete globally and attend the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity, it was an absolute blast!

How did being crowned Canadian gold winners change, if at all, your perspective or approach to work?

KG: The biggest shift in perspective for me was on realizing the amount of talent we have in the Canadian industry. With only 24 hours to put our skills to the test, it is a testament to the unequivocal talent that is growing up across organizations and agencies in Canada. After the competition and chatting with our cohort, we realized that the majority of competitors all had different interpretations of the brief leading to vastly different outputs. This was a great reminder for me that there never is a “right answer” to the work we do and that not limiting creativity and crafting a compelling story can be the difference maker, both in the competition and in our day-to-day jobs.

OE: The thing I learned the most from the competition is the power of deep and compelling human truth, that’s truly the start of breakthrough work. And although we’re all given the same case, it’s truly inspirational to see the breadth and variety of insights that can be uncovered as everyone brings their own unique experience and human perspective to the brief.

What’s the best piece of advice you’d give to YL Competitors heading into the competition weekend?

KG: Don’t play it safe &, take the risk. I believe we all stepped into a career in marketing & creativity for a reason and the Cannes competition is a way to disconnect from the realities of the day job and put the skills we work on every day to the test. The only true constraint is the amount of time you have. Knowing this, this is an opportunity to truly swing for the fences as long as you are able to succinctly communicate the idea and inspire the judges behind the vision. We found that by the time we figured out our idea, we were jumbled in our own thoughts and could only communicate the idea to ourselves… taking that step back, slowing down, and ensuring we could communicate the magic of our idea in the simplest story possible I believe was the difference maker for Omar and me.

OE: Be very purposeful with how you’re going to use the 24 hours that you have. Have a plan for how you want to start the day, it’s important to build in time for independent discovery and inspiration to really process and digest the case on your own before you get to work with your partner. Also, discuss with your partner how you want to structure the time between collaborative ideation to explore all your possible angles when developing the insight and idea, and when it’s smart to divide and conquer parts independently.

Talk to us about your experience at the virtual Global Young Lions competition. What were some highlights?

KG: The Global Young Lions competition was an absolute blast to participate in. Right from the kick-off, we felt the shift in the magnitude of the competition seeing 450 individuals all representing their home country and a hunger to win. The biggest highlight for me was the opportunity to share our ideas with a jury of executives leading global businesses and brands and understand the types of questions they ask, what they evaluate, and how they make decisions on great creative work. It gave us an opportunity to reach out following the competition and connect live in Cannes to learn, adapt, and adjust to continue to build on our own personal journey in the industry. At the end of the day, we are grateful for the opportunity to represent the Canadian flag and know that the legacy of Canada at the global competition is just getting started!

OE: It was an absolute honour to represent Canada on the global stage. The biggest highlight for me was being able to connect and build relationships with amazing marketers from across the globe. Every country and culture is unique, and that really came through in the submissions as every team brought their unique background to how they would execute in their markets. It was a great opportunity to connect and build networks with all of the other Young Lions!

You can connect with Omar and Kush online using their LinkedIn profiles, and can view their winning work here.

About the Young Lions Competition

The Young Lions competition, happening this year over the weekend of March 4 – March 6, 2023, is where teams of two will participate in a live competition in their registered category (over a 24 to 48- hour period), modeled after the global competitions in Cannes. A brief for a not-for-profit organization will be unveiled when the competition begins.

The winners from our Canadian qualifying competitions will go on to compete in person at the Global Young Lions Competition taking place during the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in Cannes, France from June 19-June 23, 2023.

Visit our competition website here for more information about Young Lions, including, how to register. Registration closes on February 17, 2023.

About the Globe and Mail

The Globe and Mail has been the Official Cannes Lions Festival Representative for the past 17 years and has had the privilege of sending over 60 Canadian teams to compete in the global competition that’s hosted in the south of France in Cannes against some of the best talents from around the world.

As the Competition Sponsor, The Globe awards a prize per Gold-winning team, which includes the registration fees for the virtual Global Young Lions Competition at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, delegate passes to attend the five-day festival, and the cost of flights and accommodation.

Young Lions 2023: Meet the Print Jury!

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The 2023 Canadian Young Lions Competition is back, and we are excited to share the jurors for the Print Category for this year’s competition. 

 

The Print category is once again Chaired by Mary Maddever, EVP, Canadian Media Brands & Editorial Director, Brunico Communications, and includes: 

  • Allen Kwong, Group Creative Director at TAXI

  • Dean Lee, Executive Creative Director at Zulu Alpha Kilo

  • Israel Diaz, Founder at Sunday+Night Inc.

  • Keli Pollock, Creative Director at Daughter Creative

  • Marta Hooper, Chief Creative Officer at Rain

  • Marie-Ève Best, Executive Creative Director at lg2

  • Mo Bofill, Partner/Creative Director of Design at 123w

  • Natalie Bomberry, Vice President, Operations at Pilot PMR

  • Pam Danowski, Creative Director at Gut

  • Stephen Flynn, Creative Director at Wunder

Click here to learn more about the jury members. 

About the Young Lions Competition

The Young Lions competition, happening this year over the weekend of March 4 – March 6, 2023, is where teams of two will participate in a live competition in their registered category (over a 24 to 48- hour period), modeled after the global competitions in Cannes. A brief for a not-for-profit organization will be unveiled when the competition begins.

The winners from our Canadian qualifying competitions will go on to compete in person at the Global Young Lions Competition taking place during the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in Cannes, France from June 19-June 23, 2023.

Visit our competition website here for more information about Young Lions, including, how to register.

About the Globe and Mail

The Globe and Mail has been the Official Cannes Lions Festival Representative for the past 17 years and has had the privilege of sending over 60 Canadian teams to compete in the global competition that’s hosted in the south of France in Cannes against some of the best talents from around the world.

As the Competition Sponsor, The Globe awards a prize per Gold-winning team, which includes the registration fees for the virtual Global Young Lions Competition at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, delegate passes to attend the five-day festival, and the cost of flights and accommodation.

 

Young Lions 2023: Meet the Media Jury!

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The 2023 Canadian Young Lions Competition is back, and we are excited to share the jurors for the Media Category for this year’s competition. 

 

The Media category is once again Chaired by Cathy Collier, Chief Executive Officer, OMD Canada, and includes: 

  • Alastair Taylor, Chief Executive Officer at Publicis Media

  • Alicia Petralia, Head of Media at Zulumatic

  • Brooke Leland, Managing Partner at Jungle Media

  • Caroline Moul, President at PHD Media

  • Helen Galanis, Chief Executive Officer at Initiative

  • Isabelle Baillargeon, Vice President, Strategy at OMD Montreal

  • Kris Davis, Senior Vice President at Media Experts

  • Noah Vardon, President at Havas Media Group Canada

  • Sarah Thompson, President at Dentsu Media

  • Shannon Lewis, President at CMDC

  • Shelley Smit, Chief Executive Officer at UM

  • Sheri Rogers, SVP, Business Solutions at Horizon Media

  • Sophie Laberre, Chief Client Officer at dentsu X Canada

Click here to learn more about the jury members. 

About the Young Lions Competition

The Young Lions competition, happening this year over the weekend of March 4 – March 6, 2023, is where teams of two will participate in a live competition in their registered category (over a 24 to 48- hour period), modeled after the global competitions in Cannes. A brief for a not-for-profit organization will be unveiled when the competition begins.

The winners from our Canadian qualifying competitions will go on to compete in person at the Global Young Lions Competition taking place during the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in Cannes, France from June 19-June 23, 2023.

Visit our competition website here for more information about Young Lions, including, how to register.

About the Globe and Mail

The Globe and Mail has been the Official Cannes Lions Festival Representative for the past 17 years and has had the privilege of sending over 60 Canadian teams to compete in the global competition that’s hosted in the south of France in Cannes against some of the best talents from around the world.

As the Competition Sponsor, The Globe awards a prize per Gold-winning team, which includes the registration fees for the virtual Global Young Lions Competition at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, delegate passes to attend the five-day festival, and the cost of flights and accommodation.

 

2023: What’s Ahead for the Agency Sector?

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Looking into the future, the Toronto Chapter of the American Marketing Association (AMA Toronto) recently gathered a diverse group of progressive agency leaders to predict and discuss the trends, challenges and opportunities facing Canadian marketers in 2023. 

At the association’s annual Agency Panel event, influential thinkers from creative advertising, media, sponsorship, strategy and technology engaged a crowd of marketing and agency executives to talk about what to expect in the year ahead. 

The lineup included Mark Harrison, founder, The T1 Agency, Leah Power, EVP, the Institute of Canadian Agencies (ICA); Mike Sutton, president & CEO, Zulu Alpha Kilo; Paul Tedesco, president, Track DDB North America; Sarah Thompson, president, Dentsu Media Canada; and moderator Sean Stanleigh, head of the Globe and Mail’s Content Studio.

Photo by Yakov Radyushin

“It’s an empowering narrative: braced against a pandemic-driven storm and the possibility of economic recession, the agency sector is resilient,” says Barbara Boyd, president of AMA Toronto. “Even wrestling with familiar themes — changing client expectations, DE&I, agency priorities and strategies — bellwether marketers are steering their businesses boldly and successfully into the future, leading us all forward.”

Guided by Stanleigh’s questions about the emerging marketing landscape, panelists revealed insights and provided much-needed aspiration.  Here are five big takeaways from the discussion worth noting.

Retain talent by bringing in purpose and respect

The agency industry needs to change its approach to talent retention and make sure that entry-level employees thrive in this fast-paced environment. “The churn-and-burn approach is not the way to go anymore,” says Power.  

In today’s playbook to retain talent, agency managers need to find better ways to nourish the culture of respect and collaboration, train and challenge junior people, and help employees embrace and love the industry. 

The panelists agreed however, that the secret ingredient is ensuring people understand the purpose of their work, and how it’s connected to business success at their agency and with their client. 

“We need to be purposeful as leaders leading our people, leading our agencies, and leading our clients. And the language we use has to be purposeful […] that’s the very first thing that indicates what culture we’re trying to set,” says Power, who advocates for over 120 agencies across Canada at the ICA. 

Accelerated by the pandemic and reflective of this insight, is a clear shift from account management to customer service at leading agencies. It might sound good just to add a new shiny logo to an agency portfolio, but it’s also crucial to make agency employees “ears” to understand clients and their businesses to bring value and growth. 

Shift client expectations from productivity to creativity and accountability

Throughout the first two years of the pandemic, when clients were going through unprecedented circumstances and changing their marketing plans constantly and unexpectedly, flexibility and nimbleness became the top expectations from brands.

And there continues to be a lot of conversations around productivity too, because it’s been viewed as a pandemic-driven challenge.  But according to the panel, it’s time to move on and shift clients’ focus to other things that can help their businesses thrive.

“I think that what procurement and what the clients are sometimes buying, especially, when they’re buying an hour-times-rate, they’re buying productivity, and we need them to buy creativity. We need them to buy innovation, and to do that we need space and time,” pointed out Power.

Though productivity and creativity are crucial components of agency-client collaboration, aside from that it’s critical to integrate into the relationships some accountability as well. “Good marketers want their agencies to hold them to account, to push them, to challenge them, to help them understand where they are today, what they stand for and what they want to be and how to get there,” said Sutton, who leads one of North America’s most acclaimed creative agencies. 

He added, “If we’re not doing that as an agency, what are we here for? If we’re working with clients who are not OK with us having a point of view and challenging them respectfully to hold them to account […] What are we really doing?”

Be intentional about DEI and hold clients to the same standards

More and more candidates applying for jobs in the agency sector ask DEI-related questions to see who’s walking the talk. These people would like to learn more about leadership diversity, real-world DEI actions and retention approaches. 

Hiring managers need to open up to internationally-trained professionals, explore and appreciate their skill sets, and have meaningful conversations with them to understand their knowledge and expertise. It’s time to meet newcomers halfway by changing how employers are interviewing them and reviewing their resumes.

Harrison, who runs a successful sponsorship marketing firm, acknowledged that clients ask a lot of questions about what agencies and suppliers are doing to create diversity, equity, and inclusion. But he was quick to add that “the conversation needs to become a two-way street” because there’s still a lack of diverse voices and faces when you look across the table at a client’s marketing and management teams. 

“Yes, it’s important for us to ensure that the agency community and the businesses we build are diverse, but I’d hold clients to the same standard,” concluded Harrison.

Help diversify media investment and revive local news

Waves of media restructuring, acquisitions and mergers have gutted newsrooms, shuttered many community papers, and led to fewer publications across Canada.  

“If we want in Canada the rise of populism, if you want people to have misinformation, then the best thing you can possibly do is to have local news closed,” said Thompson, an outspoken media agency leader. 

In her opinion, the media landscape and the buying and planning business was critically damaged when advertisers started chasing fast-moving metrics instead of circulation. What’s been undervalued in this age of fake news is the high level of trust that North Americans still have for local news to keep them informed, hold leaders accountable and amplify stories in their communities versus social media, community-based apps and word-of-mouth. 

It’s time to shift the mindset and encourage brands to diversify their media investments to revive local news. This approach can help enhance democracy, support communities across the country, and reach customers on the local-level across the country, especially outside major city centres. An urban-centric mindset may lead to missing opportunities for clients.

Brands should diversify their media investment in a smarter way by advertising in community newspapers, not just with massive digital platforms.

Focus on creating value in the digital space

The tech disruption that we are experiencing right now has provoked many thoughts about adjusting digital marketing strategies. 

Tedesco, who heads the digital arm of DDB, an iconic creative agency network, shared his ideas on data collection and analysis, and how to humanize the customer experience online to create better value. 

He noted the pandemic has propelled the need to refine the customers’ journey. With every online journey unique, making marketing messages more personalized and relevant by getting rid of fluff and clutter has never been more important. Savvy digital marketing today can generate real value for customers and brands alike by making the experience simpler and more time-effective. 

Tedesco reasons the most successful brands of the future will focus more on quality and creative messaging, stop insisting on extra digital actions, and move to one-click purchases. 

The future, as always, belongs to the brave

“The annual Agency Panel, with its all-star lineup of thought-leaders, serves as a welcome reminder that the sector is a hardy, irrepressible force,” says Robert MacLean, VP of Public Relations, AMA Toronto, who spearheaded this year’s event. 

“Yet the key message this event always delivers is famously summed up by the legendary adman Bill Bernbach: ‘Those who are going to be in business tomorrow are those who understand that the future, as always, belongs to the brave.’”

About AMA Toronto

The Toronto Chapter of the American Marketing Association (AMA Toronto) is a not-for-profit community of volunteer marketers who have been empowering leadership and business growth for more than 70 years in Canada. The AMA, with more than 30,000 members and 70 chapters across North America, is the largest marketing association in the world serving organizations and individuals who practice, teach and study marketing.

About the Author

Elvina Bulatova volunteers as director of public relations at AMA Toronto and works as a senior communications and design associate at Sustainalytics. 

Photos and Videos

Event photos by AMA Toronto photographer, Yakov Radyushin. 

Videos created by AMA Toronto videographer, Jeff Powell.