creativity, cannes lions, marketing Anthony Kennedy creativity, cannes lions, marketing Anthony Kennedy

David Droga's Legacy and Creative Effectiveness at Cannes Lions

Stay ahead with insights from David Droga, the most awarded creative at Cannes Lions, on the importance of creative effectiveness in advertising.

David Droga, known as the "Prince of Cannes", has had a profound impact on the advertising industry through his work that has been reflected in extraordinary achievements at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

Over the years, he and his agencies have won more than 180 Cannes Lions, including five Grand Prix and 14 Titanium Lions, making him the most awarded creative at the Festival.

The recent announcement of David Droga's retirement is a significant moment for the industry and a reminder of the importance of creativity. More About Advertising, has shared some of the advice Droga has given over the years that continues to be relevant for professionals in the industry.

"Most advertising, most marketing, most journalism, most music, most architecture-it's pedestrian and garbage anyway. And it's written by something worse-scarier than Al. It's written by compromise and research."

- David Droga

This declaration underscores the necessity of transcending the ordinary and pursuing creative efficacy in all our pursuits.

It's a compelling directive for the industry to shun the allure of the mediocre and instead invest the requisite time and resources into crafting genuinely impactful work.

Post Cannes Lions 2025, it's more important than ever to champion creative effectiveness and the value of creativity in driving business results. By doing so, we can ensure our work cuts through and continues to have a lasting impact on culture.


Published on June 26, 2025, at anthonykennedy.com

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Cannes Lions 2025: Hegarty Warns “Giants Can’t Dance” Without Cultural Courage

Stay ahead with Sir John Hegarty’s insights at Cannes Lions 2025. Discover how marketing and creativity must evolve to thrive in the AI landscape.

A selfy image of Sir John Hegarty and Anthony Kennedy in Cannes for Cannes Lions 2025

Sir John Hegarty and me at Cannes Lions 2025

At Cannes Lions 2025, Sir John Hegarty returned to the Croisette with a provocation that cut through the AI noise with characteristic clarity: size is no longer a competitive advantage—creativity is. Addressing a packed audience, the BBH co-founder made the case that legacy institutions are structurally ill-equipped to thrive in the AI era unless they undergo radical cultural reinvention.

“It’s not the big that beat the small or the small that beat the big. It’s the bold that beat the bureaucratic.”

This central thesis—delivered with Hegarty’s signature wit and steel—has clear implications for CMOs and agency leaders. As WARC has previously reported, organisational agility and creative bravery are outperforming traditional scale economics (a). Hegarty’s framework clarifies why bureaucracy and process, once the hallmark of durable enterprise, are now liabilities in a landscape shaped by speed, signal, and strategic improvisation.

The Collapse of the Creative Pyramid

Hegarty contended that the traditional triangle of leadership—where decision-making is concentrated at the top—is outdated. Instead, he offered the metaphor of the inverted triangle, where leadership serves from below, unlocking the distributed creativity of the organisation.

In the age of AI, everyone becomes a creative director. That shift necessitates more than upskilling—it demands a wholesale rethinking of structure, culture, and philosophy.

AI as Collaborator, Not Tool

Rejecting the reductive view of AI as a “tool,” Hegarty framed it as a collaborator. This nuance matters: AI can preserve and evolve founding philosophies, keeping a brand’s original vision relevant long after its originator is gone.

“Maybe one of the functions of AI is that the founder never dies.”

This reframing invites serious consideration from brand stewards. If AI can embody the sensibility and philosophy of a company’s origins—Chanel, Ford, Apple—then strategic brand leadership must shift from protecting the past to actively operationalising it in real-time.

Rebuilding from First Principles

For Hegarty, the path forward for large enterprises lies in rediscovering and reactivating their original philosophy. This rebuilding from first principles is not a nostalgic exercise. It is strategic regeneration. As he put it:

“Go back to what built you.”

This approach aligns with a trend WARC has observed in post-pandemic brand strategy: a return to essential values, often codified in founding principles, used as a compass for navigating transformation (b).

Hegarty cited Patagonia, Oatly, and Apple as examples of brands whose philosophies were not marketing lines but business doctrines—creatively interpreted through product, communications, and culture.

The Strategic Imperative for Brands

Hegarty’s presentation was a call to action, particularly for global brands under pressure to remain culturally relevant in a fragmented, AI-powered landscape. His advice:

  • Rethink structure: Flip hierarchies to empower bottom-up creativity.

  • Rediscover your philosophy: Make it central to innovation and brand behaviour.

  • Use AI to scale culture, not just content.

  • Stop aiming to be the biggest. Start aiming to be the boldest.

Final Thought

Sir John Hegarty may be a familiar voice at Cannes, but his message this year felt newly urgent. For organisations struggling to keep pace, his challenge was simple: either dance or die. And in the AI era, the pace is only accelerating.

I have recently completed the Creativity for Growth Course. It was a brilliant opportunity for insight and learning from an industry legend.

Sources:

(a) Building Belief: What It Takes to Instill a Culture of Creative Effectiveness

(b) WARC Asian Strategy Report: Staying relevant amidst changing tides

Also published to Medium.


Published on June 25, 2025, at anthonykennedy.com

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Remembering The Fundamentals Of Marketing In A Digital Age

Anthony Kennedy explains why the fundamentals—the 4 Ps—are vital in digital marketing, and how focusing on customers over trends leads to success.

In this digital age, where a single viral video on TikTok can seemingly spark a new trend within 24 hours, the change of pace that marketers must keep up with is immense and, understandably, daunting. As a result, we're becoming so caught up on what's shiny and new that we risk losing sight of the crux of successful marketing—our customers.

According to HubSpot's 2024 State of Marketing Report, 75% of marketers believe personalized experience drives sales and repeat business (pg. 7). This driver is why it's now more important than ever to remember the core fundamentals of your practice. Your building blocks should be the "four P's": product, price, place and promotion. The customer sits above all four as an ultimate goal; the rest stem from their needs and changing habits. What product does your customer want, what price do they want it at and where do they want it?

Developed in the 1960s by E. Jerome McCarthy, the four P's demonstrate the necessity for executives to mix different methods depending on variable market forces. Doing so helps marketers design plans that fit their time's dynamic social and political realities, specific to attracting a target market.

The three P's—process, physical evidence and people—introduced by Booms and Bitner in 1982—are necessary additions. This is ultimately the best recipe that caters to consumers today because the four P's help you position your product according to the customer brief, but the three P's then strengthen this by helping you understand where to position it, for whom and how.

A customer-centric focus outlasts any trend.

Amid the evolving landscape, AI and automation have transformed marketing more in the past three years than over the past 50, according to the HubSpot report, and keeping laser-focused on these principles remains core to meeting business objectives and satisfying audiences. Tech is an enabler; customers are the core focus.

We see many brands struggle because they have ignored these principles in favor of catering to the whims of a digital audience that's not necessarily their own. Time and effort are concentrated on making something go viral, with many forgetting to understand and meet customers' unique needs.

Despite the fundamental shifts in the tools we employ, the essence of marketing persists in businesses actively tuning in to their customers' needs and delivering solutions that resonate authentically with them. As Fairfax M. Cone said: "Good advertising is written from one person to another. When it is aimed at millions, it rarely moves anyone."

First, a marketing team needs to define the business brief through a diagnosis phase: "What problem are we solving for the customer? What are we doing to solve it? Is there a market opportunity?" Then the four P's can get underway and a misalignment between the campaign created and the customer brief is avoided.

These are not dusty old concepts but rather basic principles that are adaptable and able to work in synergy with the latest technological innovations. The parameters outline future successful campaigns and allow you to keep up and embrace new ideas simultaneously.

Before big data and generative AI revolutionized the way we work, the challenge was creating the right, tailored message for your audience. In the race to keep up, broader trends that become prevalent across multiple industries end up causing a disorientating effect because businesses lose sight of the needs and wants of their specific audience in a bid to cater to the masses.

With 64% of marketers already using AI and automation (pg. 31), it's clear that technology is propelling growth, but the challenge is harnessing this growth to meet your customers' needs. How do you use these tools to create personalized, targeted campaigns? The market we're operating in has changed, but when did it become outdated to understand the brief?

It's a simple formula, but it works, and the variable nature of each "P" avoids falling victim to a one-size-fits-all approach. Often, I witness these metrics being overcomplicated or overlooked by today's marketers, or many make the fatal error of trying to retrofit their campaign to the customer's brief at the end of the process rather than at the beginning.

Basic principles do not lead to basic campaigns.

As Pete Markey of Aviva said, the four P's "are essentially about understanding the wants and needs of customers and how to extract value from that." Why have such fundamentals become increasingly ignored in the digital age? One explanation may be that marketing teams hire purely based on a candidate's digital skills, rather than checking whether they fully grasp the basics of marketing, too. Digital literacy and strong analytical capabilities need to be interwoven with creativity.

The P's should be our backbone to creating a customer-centric approach. I anticipate brands blending agility with a steadfast commitment to marketing principles as they navigate the delicate balance between innovation, profitability and expansion in the future. Once you devise a plan that fulfills each parameter, execute your campaign through the right tech stack—this combination should lead you to success.


Metadata: Originally published on Forbes.com on 04 April 2024.

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The Art Of Collaboration: How CMOs Can Prioritize People, Purpose And Processes

Learn how CMOs can drive business transformation by prioritizing people, purpose, and processes to foster collaboration. Insights from Anthony Kennedy.

Chief marketing officers (CMOs) are the ones responsible for understanding and representing the customer within the business, identifying new market opportunities and developing strategies that align with overall business goals. Our insights drive progress.

However, to truly play a transformative role, it’s important to acknowledge and harness our unique position that enables us to draw on the talent from departments across our organizations.

Swapping Isolation For Collaboration

CMOs can bind and unify an organization; to be successful, it is important to develop a core understanding of how data, money and resources flow around the company. By positioning yourself at the intersection of technology, strategy and communications, you can become the epicenter of broader business transformation. However, many struggle to fully utilize this opportunity to leverage talent across businesses.

As Gartner reported in December 2022, cross-functional collaboration is currently yielding unfavorable outcomes for businesses, with senior marketing executives who described their approach as “independent” outperforming self-described “collaborators” on annual revenue targets by almost a quarter when looking at customer acquisition goals. However, it’s important to note that it’s not the concept of cross-function collaboration that’s the problem, but the way it’s being executed.

The solution to the problem is to replace isolation between silos with collaboration and communication. As Aaron Dignan, founder of The Ready, said, “There’s no such thing as a big company … it’s 50 small companies that are just under the same banner with a set of shared principles in a marketplace with each other.”

A company’s size is irrelevant—it’s how effectively the divisions within it communicate with one another that determines whether it will function efficiently and successfully. CMOs are responsible for shaping a narrative that employees can unify behind. As such, it is critical to embed values and communicate a clear vision that everyone—no matter where in the company they work—believes in.



Indeed, the goal of a CMO is to effectively deliver values and brand promise across the customer journey—a journey that involves many (if not all) other functions, from supply chain to client handling. To forge a sense of collaboration while still preserving efficiency, agility and hitting targets, CMOs need to represent the voice of the customer when providing input and advice to other functions.

This is the case when helping the communications function with internal messaging. CMOs need to use persona-based, human-centered strategies so they can represent the customer as effectively internally as they do externally. The challenge is ensuring that this communication is both tailored to individual functions while retaining a joint underlying message. As experts in communications, we can collaborate with other executives in different business functions to provide guidance on what strategy and messaging will resonate most within their team to create a positive, long-term result.

The Right Tech, The Right Way

A study by EY and Oxford University’s Saïd Business School found that putting humans at the center of the drivers of business transformation can improve the odds of success by 2.6 times. This successful transformation relies on CMOs’ effectiveness to instill collaboration, care, inspiration and empowerment into the teams they build and lead.

The research found that 71% of workers agreed that for a corporate vision to become concrete, leaders must communicate clearly why the change is needed, not just what they want their employees to do. As such, it’s obvious that genuine belief can only be built from evidence. Members of the C-suite simply stating their business objectives will only result in a half-hearted effort to collaborate.

A key ingredient that will help CMOs spur cross-functional collaboration is the right technology. In EY’s research, nearly half (48%) of respondents said their organization invested in the right technologies to meet their needs, versus only 33% in companies who qualified as going through “low-performing transformations.”

However, it has to be the right technology and used correctly. Research from Howspace in January 2023 found that technology is currently reducing collaboration rather than improving it, with employees stating that it’s geared more toward independent work. This needs to change; part of our role as CMOs is to ensure that we are leveraging technology in a way that encourages, as Ilkka Mäkitalo, CEO of Howspace, states, “synchronous and asynchronous work to take place seamlessly in a fluid environment.”

Technology has long been a part of CMO efforts. Data is central to providing a more connected, intelligent and anticipatory customer experience. The intertwinement of data, creativity and innovation has meant CMOs have been increasingly partnering with CIOs and other executives to build technology and automation into their marketing and advertising.

This synergy has been amplified by the generative AI boom at the end of last year. Excitement about the potential impact has reverberated throughout our industry—like countless others—because it is, as you know, huge. Adding generative AI into current marketing strategies has the ability to transform any workflow and be an effective tool across the business.

This is an example of when cross-functional collaboration is necessary. We need to work with other executives to inform the functions of the business (whether that be supply chains, procurement or R&D) about generative AI’s transformative capabilities, remove any hesitations and agree upon a companywide strategy of how to best implement it.

Final Thoughts

Nurturing ecosystems and fostering partnerships is key for any CMO when dealing with change, complexity and disruptions. It’s a fundamental skill we need to possess if we are to be successful in communication and change management. Ultimately, employee satisfaction, drive and output increase when they’re embedded in collaborative teams—75% of employees rate it as necessary to their role. Remaining siloed will only hold us back.

Today, more than ever, it is important to empower employees, implement efficient processes, and demonstrate the importance and context of working in synergy with other business functions; that way, the corporate whole will be greater than the sum of its parts.


Metadata: Originally published on Forbes.com on 14 December 2023.

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The Art Of Collaboration: How CMOs Can Prioritize People, Purpose, and Processes

Discover how CMOs prioritize people, purpose, and processes to foster collaboration and deliver brand values across the customer journey. Read Anthony Kennedy’s latest insights.

In my latest article on Forbes, The Art Of Collaboration: How CMOs Can Prioritize People, Purpose and Processes, I discuss how CMOs are in a unique position that enables us to draw on the talent from departments across our organizations.

Leadership collaboration

The goal of a CMO is to effectively deliver values and brand promise across the customer journey—a journey that involves many (if not all) other functions, from supply chain to client handling. To forge a sense of collaboration while still preserving efficiency, agility and hitting targets, CMOs need to represent the voice of the customer when providing input and advice to other functions.

Nurturing ecosystems and fostering partnerships is key for any CMO when dealing with change, complexity and disruptions. It's a fundamental skill we need to possess if we are to be successful in communication and change management.

You can read the article at Forbes here.

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How do you execute your marketing strategy?

Setting clear and well-defined objectives is a cornerstone of any effective marketing strategy. It starts with the business brief - a well-written and documented brief that nails the objective, the offer, the target, the timing, and the budget. Some of the best brief templates today are …

An AI image of desk in a creative or marketing agency. I created this using Alicent, ChatGPT, and Midjourney.

I have recently answered a LinkedIn advice quesiton on Marketing Strategy.

Question: How do you execute your marketing strategy?

My answer:

Setting clear and well-defined objectives is a cornerstone of any effective marketing strategy. It starts with the business brief - a well-written and documented brief that nails the objective, the offer, the target, the timing, and the budget. Some of the best brief templates today are still the original BBDO and JWT briefs from many decades ago. Once you've nailed the brief, then start your diagnosis. The fundamentals are still relevant, and the IPA in the UK have just released a new report on mastering the art of the brief. Go and grab this great resource at ipa.co.uk.

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Mastering the Art of Marketing Briefs: Insights from IPA's Latest Report for Campaign Success

Marketing briefs are vital in the strategic planning and execution of business and marketing campaigns. They are the foundation for aligning campaign goals, strategies, and expected outcomes among all involved parties, including business, marketing, and creative teams.

A female marketer reading a business brief

An AI image of a professional woman who is engaged in reading a business brief. I created this using Alicent, ChatGPT, and Midjourney.

Marketing briefs are vital in the strategic planning and execution of business and marketing campaigns. They are the foundation for aligning campaign goals, strategies, and expected outcomes among all involved parties, including business, marketing, and creative teams.

A recent report by the IPA, in partnership with BetterBriefs and contributions from top marketing leaders like Daryl Fielding, Merry Baskin, Peter Field, Wiemer Snijders, Mark Ritson, Emma Perkins, Rosie and Faris Yakob, James Hurman, and Orlando Wood, delves deeply into this topic.

This comprehensive document, released on November 14, 2023, builds upon the global study of marketing briefs conducted by BetterBriefs. It emphasizes the importance of crafting effective briefs and how they lead to the efficient use of client time and the optimal utilization of an agency's talent and energies. The report's main aim is to foster discussions around briefs and guide towards creating better ones, acting as an extension to their previously released best practice guide on the subject.

Effective marketing briefs are essential because they:

  • Clarify Objectives: They set achievable goals aligning with the overall business strategy.
  • Enhance Communication: Briefs ensure that all team members understand the project's objectives and constraints irrespective of their role.
  • Save Time and Resources: Well-constructed briefs minimize the need for revisions and rework, leading to more efficient use of resources.
  • Facilitate Creativity: Briefs must allow creative teams to focus on innovation within defined boundaries by providing clear guidelines and expectations.
  • Measure Success: They establish benchmarks and criteria for evaluating the campaign's effectiveness.

Understanding and implementing the principles outlined in this report can be a game changer for businesses, marketing professionals, and creative teams aiming to enhance their campaign success.

I have worked with my teams to implement a documented approach to business, marketing, and creative briefs as I believe this is important to set ourselves up for success.

The full report is available for download at the IPA website, and I recommend you go and grab a copy to read.

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Harness the power of interactive SMS for customer engagement

Learn ways to harness the power of interactive customer relationships using SMS. I was one of 19 experts recently published in an expert panel on ways to improve and increase customer engagement using interactive SMS. 

An AI image of a professional woman who is engaged in reading an SMS message on her smartphone. I created this using Alicent, ChatGPT, and Midjourney.

The digital age has gifted us with numerous channels for customer engagement. While many of us have capitalised on email and social media, there's an often-underestimated tool that's a credible option to bypass overflowing inboxes: Interactive SMS. Forbes Communications Council recently curated insights from 19 communication experts on how to use interactive SMS for unparalleled customer engagement.

From innovative concepts like SMS scavenger hunts to the age-old strategy of creating a sense of urgency, these experts have delved deep into the art of SMS communication. One standout tip encourages businesses to "share time-sensitive and behind-the-scenes updates, new offers, and sneak peeks via SMS." This not only fosters exclusivity but also builds anticipation among customers.

Hungry for more innovative ways to boost your customer engagement through SMS? My contribution is the ‘cherry on top’ at number 19. Dive into the full expert panel article, "19 Innovative Ways To Use Interactive SMS To Engage Customers," and unlock a trove of actionable insights.

Read the full article on Forbes

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Mastering internal business conferences: A deep dive

Organising a seamless internal business conference is no small feat. In today's rapidly evolving business landscape, the ability to gather, inspire, and engage is more crucial than ever. But how do you curate an internal business conference that checks all logistical boxes and leaves a lasting impact?

Dive deep as we unravel insights from 11 members of the Forbes Communications Council, unveiling the challenges and, more importantly, the solutions to orchestrating a conference that truly resonates.

An AI image of a meeting space that event professionals have prepared for a business event that is about to begin. I created this using Alicent, ChatGPT, and Midjourney.

Organising a seamless internal business conference is no small feat. In today's rapidly evolving business landscape, the ability to gather, inspire, and engage is more crucial than ever. But how do you curate an internal business conference that checks all logistical boxes and leaves a lasting impact?

Dive deep as we unravel insights from 11 members of the Forbes Communications Council, unveiling the challenges and, more importantly, the solutions to orchestrating a conference that truly resonates.

Why should you read "11 big challenges facing organisers of internal business conferences"?

1. Comprehensive Insights: The article isn't just a cursory look into internal business conferences. It offers in-depth insights from expert members of the prestigious Forbes Communications Council, each bringing unique perspectives and expertise.

2. Real-World Challenges: Understanding the complexities and challenges of organising an internal business conference is essential for anyone in a managerial or organisational role. This article lays out the most pressing concerns faced by professionals in the field, making it a must-read for those looking to streamline their internal events.

3. Practical solutions: Beyond identifying problems, the article provides actionable solutions and strategies. From tackling budget constraints to ensuring active engagement, readers will find many valuable tips to make their next conference successful.

4. Evolving trends: The world of business conferences is changing, especially in a post-Covid landscape. With challenges like reigniting the spark for in-person events, staying updated on the latest trends and challenges is crucial.

5. Universally applicable knowledge: Even if you're not directly involved in organising conferences, the strategies for clear communication, active engagement, and personalised messaging are essential parts that are relevant in other types of business management and communication.

Uncover expert insights as we spotlight the primary challenges and offer solutions. Ready to elevate your next conference? Join us for an enlightening exploration - the article is available on Forbes here.

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