The WPP Beach at The Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity 2023
Welcome to the WPP Beach 2023
Showcasing transformative ideas, extraordinary work and our inspiring people. Join us at the WPP Beach for four days of thought-provoking discussions.
Championing the power of creative transformation, the WPP Beach brings together the most influential thinkers and do-ers to tell extraordinary stories that unlock change through creativity. Our presence at Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity demonstrates our belief in creativity as a force for growth – and a force for good. To build better futures for our people, planet, clients and communities.
Join us
Located on The Miramar Beach between The Carlton and Martinez hotels, the WPP Beach is open from 9am to 4pm daily – with mainstage talks from 9am to 2pm. We serve a breakfast and lunch buffet with shaded, café style seating available on a first come, first serve basis.
The WPP Beach is open to all WPP agencies, clients, partners and friends. As always, access to the WPP Beach is subject to capacity and at the discretion of our door staff. If you’re a member of the press, you can request access here.
For all other requests, get in touch.
Guest and Employee Safety Guidance Cannes PDF 1.3 MB
Ogilvy: The most important brief – harnessing creativity to address climate change
10:00 | The Beach
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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
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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
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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
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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
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Email [email protected] for more information
The EssenceMediacom friends & family get-together: invitation only
20:00 | The Beach
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BCW breakfast: invitation only
09:00 | The Beach
AKQA Future Lions 2023: pioneering the protection of people and planet
10:00 | The Beach
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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The Ogilvy get-together: invitation only
20:00 | The Beach
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The Fireside: Mark Read, CEO, WPP in conversation with Julia Boorstin, Senior Media and Technology Correspondent, CNBC
09:30 | The Beach
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Artificial or authentic: unleashing the next generation of creativity through AI
10:30 | The Beach
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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VMLY&R Commerce: The Commerce revolution is here. How to respond
09:30 | The Beach
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
Speakers
Mark Read
Chief Executive Officer, WPP
Laurent Ezekiel
Chief Marketing and Growth Officer, WPP
Devika Bulchandani
Global President, Ogilvy
Rob Reilly
Global Chief Creative Officer, WPP
Lindsay Pattison
Chief People Officer, WPP
Kirk McDonald
Chief Executive Officer North America , GroupM
Christian Juhl
Chief Executive Officer, GroupM
Karen Blackett OBE
UK President, WPP
Mel Edwards
Wunderman Thompson, Global CEO
Sabrina Dhowre Elba
CEO, S’ABLE Labs and UN Goodwill Ambassador
Toby Jenner
Global Chief Executive Officer, Wavemaker
Jay Shetty
Global bestselling author, Podcaster, Co-founder and Purpose Coach
Jon Cook
Chief Executive Officer, VML
Manolo Arroyo
Global Chief Marketing Officer, The Coca Cola Company
Liz Taylor
Global Chief Creative Officer, Ogilvy
Jess Weiner
Cultural Expert & CEO of Talk to Jess
Scott Galloway
Professor, Author and Podcast host, NYU
Khartoon Weiss
Global Head of Agency & Accounts, TikTok
Dave Rolfe
Global Head of Production, WPP and Hogarth
Peter Lund
Global Chief Creative Officer, AKQA
Diana Haussling
Vice President - General Manager Consumer Experience & Growth, Colgate-Palmolive
Kevin Liles
Chairman and CEO, 300Elektra Entertainment
Colleen DeCourcy
Chief Creative officer, Snap Inc.
Lady London
Artist & Producer, Def Jam Recordings
Debbi Vandeven
Global Chief Creative Director, VMLY&R
Amy Litt
Vice President, Communications Planning, CMI Media Group
Cassandra Sinclair
President, Health & Wellness, Grey
Londell McMillan
CEO, The Source
Jeremi Gorman
President, Worldwide Advertising, Netflix
Yves Briantais
Vice President Marketing, Asia-Pacific, Colgate Palmolive
Erica Taylor
Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer, Genentech
Susan Machtiger
President, Ogilvy Consulting North America
Yonica Dervisoglu
VP of Marketing, Europe, Middle East and Africa, Google
David Raichman
Executive Director & AI Creative Lead, Ogilvy Paris
Christine Guilfoyle
President, SeeHer
Hue Tran Davis
Digital Twin, Metaverse, AI Industries, NVIDIA
Rich Frankel
Global Creative Director, Spotify
Saneel Radia
CEO and Chief Innovation Officer, Proto
Adele Loye
Creative Technologist Apprentice, Hogarth
Arron Shepherd
Co-Founder and Global CEO, GOAT
Joy Robins
Global Chief Advertising Officer, The New York Times
Rahul Titus
Global Head of Influence, Ogilvy
Aline Santos
Chief Brand Officer and Chief Equity Diversity & Inclusion Officer, Unilever
Seth Matlins
Managing Director, Forbes CMO Network
Marion Boeri
Global Lead, Thought Leadership Research, Spotify
Helen Lewis
Staff Writer, The Atlantic
Jon Halvorson
Global SVP, Consumer Experience & Digital Commerce, Mondelēz
Jasmin Federer
Creative Technologist Apprentice, Hogarth
Bas Korsten
Global Chief Creative Officer, Wunderman Thompson
Pam Kaufman
CEO & President International Markets, Global Consumer Products & Experiences, Paramount
Sophie Gilbert
Staff Writer, The Atlantic
Darren Entwistle
CEO, TELUS
Perry Nightingale
SVP, Creative AI, WPP
Alexandra Bolten
Vice President of Global Content & Influencer Marketing, L’Oréal
Michele Arnese
Founder and Global CEO, amp
Gemma Redgrave
Marketing Director, AKQA
Tim Noakesmith
Founder and Director, VOW
Zoe Bowen-Jones
Senior Insight Director, Wavemaker
Stuart Bowden
Global Chief Strategy & Product Officer, Wavemaker
Gabriel Schmitt
Global Chief Creative Officer, Grey
Selman Careaga
Global Category President, The Coca-Cola Company
Cheryl Ryan
Global Head of Equity Diversity & Inclusion, Hogarth Worldwide
Martin Renaud
Executive Vice President, Global Chief Marketing and Sales Officer, Mondelēz
Bea Perez
SVP and Chief Communications, Sustainability & Strategic Partnerships Officer, The Coca-Cola Company
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