The WPP Beach at The Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity 2023

Ogilvy: The most important brief – harnessing creativity to address climate change
10:00 | The Beach
Add to calendar

Speakers: Susan Machtiger, President, Ogilvy Consulting North America; Yves Briantais, VP, Marketing Asia-Pacific, Colgate-Palmolive; and Beatriz Perez, SVP and Chief Communications, Sustainability & Strategic Partnerships Officer, The Coca Cola Company

With the world on track to miss the Paris Agreement global warming target, we urgently need creativity to unlock sustainable behaviour change at scale. Only through the innovation of sustainable solutions, new partnerships across ecosystems and interventions to educate and inspire consumers, will we begin tackle our negative impacts and create a more sustainable world.

Health@WPP: Health on her terms – women’s health is the new women’s movement
11:00 | The Beach
Add to calendar

Speakers: Lindsay Pattison, Chief Client Officer, WPP; Elaine Rodrigo, Chief Insights & Analytics Officer, Reckitt; Erica Taylor, Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer, Genentech; Christine Guilfoyle, President, SeeHer; Cassandra Sinclair, President, Health & Wellness, Grey Group; and Amy Litt, Vice President, Communications Planning, CMI Media Group

We have come a long way in how we represent women in marketing and within health. However, there remains critical work to be done to better represent and prioritise all women for both their healthcare and how we market healthcare brands to them. Marketers hold the power to affect change, to educate consumers and healthcare professionals, to provide needed resources, and to support improved health outcomes. This presentation and panel will share proprietary research from WPP and explore what current marketers are and can be doing to lead the charge.

The known unknown: 15 four-minute talks on creativity and breakthrough ideas on marketing
12:00 | The Beach
Add to calendar
Email [email protected] to submit your topic

What's an Ignite talk? Four minutes on stage to talk about an idea, an interest or a passion. Our version is 15 slides that rotate automatically after 15 seconds. It's fun, it's fast and the format forces you to really think about what you want to say.

Topics include: “#AutisicOutLoud”, “Life Hacks”, “Music and AI”, “Never Too Asian”, “Eurovision Song Contest”, “Impact Index” and more.

Design Bridge & Partners lunch: invitation only
12:00 | The Beach

Institute for Real Growth event: invitation only
14:00 | The Beach
Add to calendar
Email [email protected] for more information

A private event hosted by Mark Read, CEO, WPP; Frank van den Driest, Founder, IRG; and Marc de Swaan Arons, Founder, IRG.

The WPP friends & family get-together
17:00 | The Beach
Add to calendar
Email [email protected] for more information

The EssenceMediacom friends & family get-together: invitation only
20:00 | The Beach
Add to calendar

 

BCW breakfast: invitation only
09:00 | The Beach

AKQA Future Lions 2023: pioneering the protection of people and planet
10:00 | The Beach
Add to calendar
Email [email protected] for more information

Speakers: Peter Lund, Global Chief Creative Officer, AKQA; Gemma Redgrave, Marketing Director, AKQA; and Seth Matlins, Managing Director, Forbes CMO Network

AKQA’s Future Lions award is the only accolade for emerging talent at Cannes Lions. Partnering with Volvo Cars and Forbes, AKQA set the ‘For All Life’ brief, calling for young creatives to protect what is most important about our home planet and find innovative solutions to real world problems that go beyond the car. This session reveals the ground-breaking responses and Grand Prix winners.

VMLY&R & Proto: Unicorns vs Donkeys – the difference between disruption and hype
11:00 | The Beach
Add to calendar

Speakers: Scott Galloway, NYU Professor, best-selling author and host of podcasts Pivot and The Prof G Pod; Yonca Dervisoglu, VP of Marketing, Europe Middle East and Africa, Google; Colleen DeCourcy, Chief Creative Officer, Snap Inc. and 2022 Lion of St. Mark Recipient, Cannes Lions; Jon Cook, Global CEO, VMLY&R; and Saneel Radia, CEO and Chief Innovation Officer, Proto

Emerging technology is poised to shake up our world again, after the web, mobile and social turned it upside down. We’re on the cusp of another wave of disruption and innovation driven by AI, blockchain, automation, Web3, the metaverse and much more. But how can you tell the difference between true potential and mere hype? And how do marketers make investment decisions at a time when the path forward has never been more unclear? Learn some tricks of the trade for finding Unicorns and keeping them safe from Donkeys.

Partnering for success: how good collaboration makes for better business and a better society
12:00 | The Beach
Add to calendar

Speakers: Sabrina Dhowre Elba, CEO, S’ABLE Labs and UN Goodwill Ambassador and Karen Blackett OBE, WPP UK President

Unstereotyping in the age of influence: discussing authenticity, identity and equity online
14:00 | The Beach
Add to calendar

Speakers: Jay Shetty, Global bestselling author, Podcaster, Co-founder and Purpose Coach; Jess Weiner, Cultural Expert & CEO of Talk to Jess; Aline Santos, Chief Brand Officer, and Chief Equity Diversity & Inclusion Officer, Unilever; and Rahul Titus, Global Head of Influence, Ogilvy

Influencers and online content creators play a powerful role in shaping social attitudes and building brand relationships. This session unpacks the impact of stereotypes in branded influencer content on consumers, the value of lived experience and authenticity on social media, and how brands and influencers can work together to eradicate stereotypes and create equity for underserved groups. Unilever will also share the next milestone in its Act 2 Unstereotype initiative.

Hogarth: Celebrating 50 years of hip-hop – how it started, how it’s going and its influence on culture and brands, in collaboration with The Source & Songtradr
15:00 | The Beach
Add to calendar

Speakers: Londell McMillan, CEO, The Source; Kevin Liles, Chairman and CEO, 300Elektra Entertainment; Cheryl Ryan, Global Head of Equity, Diversity & Inclusion, Hogarth; Dave Rolfe, Global Head of Production, WPP / Hogarth; and artist, producer and TikTok star Lady London, Def Jam Recordings

A panel discussion capturing the journey of hip-hop through pitting the old and the new, the OG and new skool, in a lively conversation about hip-hop’s impact on culture, brands and diverse creative expression.

The GroupM friends & family get-together: invitation only
17:00 | The Beach
Add to calendar

The Ogilvy get-together: invitation only
20:00 | The Beach
Add to calendar

The Fireside: Mark Read, CEO, WPP in conversation with Julia Boorstin, Senior Media and Technology Correspondent, CNBC
09:30 | The Beach
Add to calendar

Artificial or authentic: unleashing the next generation of creativity through AI
10:30 | The Beach
Add to calendar

Speakers: Manolo Arroyo, Global Chief Marketing Officer, The Coca-Cola Company; Laurent Ezekiel, Global CEO, WPP Open X at WPP; and Hue Tran Davis, Digital Twin, Metaverse, AI Industries at NVIDIA

A discussion on what Artificial Intelligence means for iconic brands when it comes to inviting collaboration and authentic co-creation, and how we’ve started to unleash this next generation of creativity.

Wunderman Thompson: How to make a mammoth meatball
11:30 | The Beach
Add to calendar

Speakers: Mel Edwards, Global CEO, Wunderman Thompson; Bas Korsten, Global Chief Creative Officer, Wunderman Thompson; and Tim Noakesmith, Founder & Director, Vow

It may sound like science fiction, but the Mammoth Meatball is real animal protein that resurrects the flesh of these long-extinct animals. Its purpose is to highlight the potential of cultured meat in solving the pending global food crisis and climate disaster. In the evolution of food, nature is no longer the limitation – our imagination is. Join us in the WT Inspiration Kitchen to discover the special ingredients in the dish that whetted the world’s appetite.

Wavemaker: Find the Gen X Factor – confronting marketing mishaps and bias in social to over-45s
12:30 | The Beach
Add to calendar

Speakers: Pam Kaufman, CEO & President International Markets, Global Consumer Products & Experiences, Paramount; Alexandra Bolten, Vice President of Global Content & Influencer Marketing, L’Oréal; Arron Shepherd, Co-Founder & Global CEO, Goat; Zoe Bowen-Jones, Senior Insight Director, Wavemaker; and Stuart Bowden, Global Chief Strategy & Product Officer, Wavemaker

The 45-60 year-old audience is largely ignored by brands and the advertising industry as homogenous and unchanging. But this highly nuanced group is rapidly spawning on social in new and surprising ways. Our research reveals why platforms like TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook are an untapped ‘switching factory’ that can catapult brands into Gen X’s lucrative consideration set – but only if marketers can see past their age.

The Atlantic Women's Lunch: invitation only
13:15 | The Beach

Speakers: Sophie Gilbert and Helen Lewis, staff writers at The Atlantic

A fearless, frank and funny discussion of feminism and pop culture. What archetypes are women expected to measure themselves against today? How much do the women we see on screens and billboards reflect our lives? And how can advertisers talk to women in a way that we find authentic and engaging, rather than patronising or reductive?

The road to excellence is paved with empathy: the Mondelēz story of creative transformation
14:00 | The Beach
Add to calendar

Speakers: Lindsay Pattison, Chief Client Officer, WPP; Martin Renaud, Executive Vice President, Global Chief Marketing and Sales Officer, Mondelēz; and Jon Halvorson, Global SVP, Consumer Experience & Digital Commerce, Mondelēz

Delve into the creative transformation journey of Mondelēz International and explore how empathy has played a vital role in achieving excellence. Gain unique insights into their successful strategies and innovative approach, and how they leverage marketing as a competitive advantage.

Audio that builds brands: exploring the science of sound in storytelling
15:15 | The Beach
Add to calendar

Speakers: Rich Frankel, Global Creative Director, Spotify; Marion Boeri, Global Lead, Thought Leadership Research, Spotify; Michele Arnese, Founder and Global CEO, amp; and Selman Careaga, Global Category President, The Coca-Cola Company

An afterthought no longer, audio has quickly become a crucial platform for building brands. Throughout this session new sonic insights from Spotify's recent ad-based neuroscience study will be revealed, highlighting the power of quality audio creative on listener engagement and memory. Join us for a crash course in best audio practices and creative sound optimisations from global brand advisors, sonic branding experts, and dynamic thought leaders.

The VMLY&R friends & family get-together: invitation only
20:30 | The Beach
Add to calendar

VMLY&R Commerce: The Commerce revolution is here. How to respond
09:30 | The Beach
Add to calendar

Speakers: Beth Ann Kaminkow, Global CEO, VMLY&R Commerce; Jimmy Bennett, Global Head of Brand Engagement, The Wendy's Company; Diana Haussling, Vice President - General Manager Consumer Experience & Growth, Colgate-Palmolive

2023 is tracking to be a pivotal year in commerce, requiring nothing short of a revolutionary transformation in the work we produce and how we structure ourselves to deliver across industries. For brands to breakthrough and drive conversion, a new playbook must be written. In the future, there will be no distance between “brand love” and “brand buy”. Hear how today’s modern marketers are relying on insight-driven creativity to bridge the online and offline experience and create a more seamless path-to-purchase for consumers. This session will explore topics across retail media, digital shelf optimisation, DTC, social commerce, live streaming and more.

The&Partnership: Changing capitalism from the inside
10:30 | The Beach
Add to calendar

Speakers: Mark Read, CEO, WPP and Darren Entwistle, President & CEO, TELUS

In his new book, ‘It’s OK to be angry about capitalism’, Bernie Sanders argues that today’s economies are mostly uber-capitalist, serving only a privileged few, unlimited by codes of morality. An extreme view, but capitalism is certainly under scrutiny. We’ll discuss the ways in which our businesses may have to evolve, build trust, embrace social capitalism and consider partnership models.

GroupM: Do I have your attention?
11:30 | The Beach
Add to calendar

Speakers: Kirk McDonald, Chief Executive Officer, GroupM North America; Jeremi Gorman, President, Worldwide Advertising, Netflix; Joy Robins, Global Chief Advertising Officer, The New York Times; and Khartoon Weiss, Global Head of Agency & Accounts, TikTok

Today's attention economy presents an impossible equation. There are more channels and platforms than ever – with seemingly infinite content to choose from – yet time remains scarce. When consumers are overwhelmed with choices, likely to switch up what they consume and pay for, and averse to bad advertising experiences, what does it take to keep viewers engaged and coming back for more? Our panellists share how they've built and grown some of the biggest content platforms and what's next in the battle for attention.

The Braze workshop: the high bar of quick service
11:30 | The Beach
Add to calendar

Speakers: Astha Malik, Chief Business Officer, Braze; Fernando Machado, CMO, NotCo (formerly Global CMO, Burger King); and Ab Gaur, CTO & Chief Data Officer, Ogilvy

In this interactive workshop, we discuss how the fast-food industry is quickly becoming the gold standard for marketing innovation and experimentation. We’ve seen the industry transform over the past few years with app usage, automation, and creative contests and content. Quick service restaurants know that it’s not just the food that brings people in, it’s the personalization, technology, and thoughtful use of data. Expect a lively discussion over refreshment in The WPP Beach restaurant.

Ogilvy: Unreasonable impact – how creativity can change the law
12:15 | The Beach
Add to calendar

Speakers: Devika Bulchandani, Global Chief Executive Officer, Ogilvy; Mona Sinha, Global Executive Director, Equality Now; Leandro Barreto, Global Vice President, Dove Masterbrand & Skin Care; and Ann Mukherjee, CEO and Chairman, Pernod Ricard North America

At a time when trust in government is low and the need to address crucial societal issues is more pressing than ever, the creative industry can play an important role in creating meaningful change. Creativity is a force multiplier that can be used to open minds, generate passion, and even impact policy change. From addressing issues like race-based hair discrimination to equality and sustainability, this session will unpack recent examples of how creativity has helped galvanise movements that have changed laws, impacted public policy, and shifted corporate practices. We'll talk about how artists, designers, innovators, influencers, and storytellers have developed ideas that support a more equitable, just and sustainable world.

The Cookout: invitation only
13:00 | The Beach
Add to calendar
Email [email protected] to register your interest

WPP invites you to join our second edition of The Cookout. Featuring Caribbean fare and fuelled by music from across the African diaspora, we invite anyone of colour, CMOs and allies to attend this event, to connect, network, build relationships and to belong at Cannes.

The art of the creative prompt: how to get the best out of generative AI
15:00 | The Beach
Add to calendar

Speakers: Perry Nightingale, SVP, Creative AI, WPP; David Raichman, Executive Creative Director & AI Creative Lead, Ogilvy Paris; and two WPP Creative Technologist apprentices, Adele Loye and Jasmin Federer

AI is the buzz word of the year, but what’s involved in the creative process and how is WPP producing AI generated content that works for brands and society at large. We rethink the challenges of discerning what is true and not true, with the possibilities of positive change through generative AI.

What won and why?
16:00 | The Beach
Add to calendar

Speakers: Rob Reilly, Chief Creative Officer, WPP; Debbi Vandeven, Global Chief Creative Officer, VMLY&R; Liz Taylor, Global Chief Creative Officer, Ogilvy; Bas Korsten, Global Chief Creative Officer, Wunderman Thompson; and Gabriel Schmitt, Global Chief Creative Officer, Grey

The WPP dinner: invitation only
17:00 | The Beach

The WPP Beach closes at 14:00