FleishmanHillard and FH4Inclusion Teams Shine at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity

The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity draws the best and brightest from the worlds of advertising, media and communications. Amongst all the awards and global brands, one initiative stands out for its impactful mission and transformative vision: the Cannes Can: Diversity Collective (CC:DC). Created in 2018 due to the lack of diversity in the advertising, marketing, communications and creative industries, CC:DC has taken the initiative to increase the representation of talented people of color at some of the largest marketing events in the world. FleishmanHillard is in its second year of partnership with CC:DC through its global pro bono and volunteer initiative, FH4Inclusion.

A highlight of the festival is its captivating panels. FleishmanHillard helped bring diversity to the CC:DC stage this year with two thought-provoking sessions. Our “Creativity Doesn’t Have an Age Limit” panel tackled the issue of ageism in the creative field, a topic especially pertinent as five generations collaborate in the workplace for the first time in history. It was moderated by our Colleen McTaggart, global executive creative director, and featured an inspiring lineup of powerful women — Angela Guidry, Karen Blanchard (KarenBritChick™), Kimfer Flanery-Rye and Shannae Ingleton-Smith. Adding to the excitement, Jacob Porpossian, global executive creative director in Health and Life Sciences for FleishmanHillard, moderated “Creativity for Health: Why Harnessing the Power of Creativity is Critical to Engaging Multicultural Communities” featuring our client, Yvonne Bryant, executive director, U.S. Marketing, Novo Nordisk, and the phenomenal Queen Latifah.

“Getting to moderate a panel and then watching our Novo Nordisk client and the iconic Queen Latifah speak about the FH and Novo Nordisk ‘It’s Bigger Than Me’ campaign on the main stage of the festival was a dream come true. It made me extremely proud to be an FH-er and was a wonderful way to recognize the incredible amount of work that was strategically led and creatively executed by the Novo Nordisk team and our agency,” shared Porpossian.

FleishmanHillard also made an appearance on the main stage, where Adrianne C. Smith, our chief diversity and inclusion officer, discussed the topic “DE&I Will Never DIE.” Smith shared her thoughts on the state of DE&I and addressed the myth that DE&I efforts are obsolete, explaining why they’re more vital than ever.

This year was also historic for media coverage of CC:DC, with the FH4Inclusion team securing more than 20 media placements highlighting stories of legacy and growth within the organization. Leading up to the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, media outlets such as Time, Ad Age and PRWeek shared the amazing work CC:DC brought to the Palais. Being on the ground at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity also provided Chelsie Kumar, CC:DC Ambassador and a vice president at FleishmanHillard, with the opportunity to build relationships with journalists.

“Attending Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity was a great opportunity to secure face time with journalists from top-tier publications. Events hosted by news outlets (such as AXIOS, Business Insider, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg) were particularly helpful for these networking opportunities, and the sessions tended to have a more communications and earned media focus,” said Kumar.

CC:DC’s annual AYA Inclusion Awards were another point of inspiration at the festival. These awards were the first diversity-based awards on the ground at the festival and in the spirit of inclusion are made free to enter. This year’s submissions demonstrated that DE&I will endure despite challenges, with agencies across the globe submitting inspiring work challenging the status quo.

“Working on the AYA Inclusion Awards was an honor. And I believe every year, they will keep growing. I thought last year’s submissions were amazing, but this year, every single submission deserved an award. The jury did an amazing job picking a winner, and in my eyes, any of the submissions could have won,” shared Mirella Lopez, FleishmanHillard assistant account executive and CC:DC Ambassador.

“It’s incredibly refreshing to see work that genuinely celebrates cultural identity and is rooted in unique behaviors and authentic insights. This is the true essence of diversity. We’ve come a long way from the tokenism of the past, rooted in diverse cast and call-it-a-day. While there’s still work to be done, I’m optimistic about the direction we’re heading,” commented Geraldine Szabo, FleishmanHillard senior vice president – strategy and AYA Inclusion Awards judge.

As CC:DC continues to expand, so does FleishmanHillard’s commitment to DE&I, providing a wealth of opportunities for creatives and industry leaders. This dedication to fostering growth and development within the industry is a source of optimism for the future of diversity and inclusion in the communications and advertising fields.