The Campaign for Creativity: Expert Opinion from Cannes Lions Chairman Philip Thomas

The Raconteur Future of Advertising special report, published in The Times, spotlights insights into the current creative landscape from Cannes Lions.

In the face of rapid change, Cannes Lions’ global community has continued to evolve to meet the needs of a new era. While the industry has changed almost beyond recognition over the past decade, with agencies joined by new players, partners and powerful technologies, creativity has remained imperative. From accelerating business growth to making the world a better place, creativity has never been more valuable than it is today.

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"Innovative solutions, brave creative thinking and world-class communications are needed to drive business growth, and to help us face, and begin to solve, the biggest global challenges."

President of Ascential's Marketing Division, (which comprises Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, WARC and MediaLink) Philip Thomas is Chairman of Cannes Lions. He has seen this evolution first-hand over his ten years as CEO of Lions Festivals, between 2006 and 2016. In an opinion piece on the state of the new world order, Philip explains why creativity is still so essential for marketing to make a meaningful impact on the world.

"Microsoft sits alongside a constellation of global brands that are defining new cultures and models to move the needle on creative marketing and, as a result, drive growth."
The Raconteur feature sets the scene with results from the ever-increasing body of research that connects creativity with a bottom-line increase. Philip cites the success of top-performing creative brands like Microsoft as an example of the right ‘conditions and culture’ in action and looks at the move towards accountability and action in winning work from recent years. A timely piece of industry commentary refocuses our attention on the all-important role of creativity and Cannes Lions’ unique place in celebrating evolution across our international community.
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