#43 Not your usual Cannes Lions debut

I’m bringing a taboo topic to the world’s biggest ad festival

I usually don’t share details about live projects I’m working on, so today’s post is a little different. It’s a weird one that’s had me thinking a lot about the advertising industry, and as so many of you are part of it, I want to share some thoughts. I’ll be back with my usual content next time.

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I’ve never been to the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity, but this year I’m making my debut there by hosting a workshop on one of the most controversial issues in the industry today.

Since starting my career at global ad agency TBWA in 2009, I’ve seen all the big bosses at every agency I’ve worked at go to Cannes. Considering the £4,000 ticket price, only the most senior people whose trip could be covered by the agency’s marketing budget were able to enjoy a full week of networking and partying in the Côte d'Azur. If they were lucky, they came back with one of those metallic Lions everyone hopes to win. If they were inspired, they’d do presentations for the whole agency with what they had learnt and seen in all the talks and conferences. If they were good, they came back with new client leads, and if they were very good, with deals nearly closed.

And one thing was for certain: they all came back with the most fun and exciting stories set in the most ridiculous places, with the weirdest company, often involving sipping on rosé or something stronger, sneaking into parties, bumping into celebrities, and sleeping three hours a day, max. You know what they never came back talking about? Hard, uncomfortable truths about our business.

I’m going to Cannes because I’m hosting a workshop on a topic that nobody wants to publicly talk about: fossil fuel advertising. Specifically, what it would look like for the advertising industry to phase out its work with fossil fuel clients over the next five years. In the context of the festival, this feels very counter-cultural, and that’s exactly why the industry needs it and why it’s in the festival’s official programme, not as a satellite event.

While there aren’t exact figures on how much fossil fuel clients spend on advertising globally (some guess it’s less than 0.1% of their revenue, still billions), we know that they invest at least £4.2 billion annually globally in sports sponsorships. Thanks to Clean Creatives’ F-List, we know that in 2024 there were 1010 fossil fuel contracts held by 590 ad and PR agencies. These 590 agencies are our key audience for the workshop: they’re the ones who, in the next few years, should start planning to transition their revenue to more sustainable clients. Many of them will be at Cannes. Will they show up, though? I’m not sure.

This workshop isn’t just a one-off, it’s part of a larger project that I’ve been working on since last year for which I’m doing a ton of research for, and I’ll be able to share more about it in the coming months. And very importantly, I’m not doing this session alone: I’m lucky to be hosting it with Lisa Merrick-Lawless from Purpose Disruptors and Lucy Von Sturmer from Creatives for Climate, who have been fantastic partners and collaborators so far, bringing so many ideas and energy into this issue. Special mention to Jonathan Wise, (also from PD) and Duncan Meisel from Clean Creatives, who were both part of the original lineup but won’t be able to join us anymore. This is honestly such a dream team.

of course the festival gives you some shiny assets for marketing purposes

What does it mean to talk about phasing out fossil fuel advertising at Cannes?

The contradiction of hosting this at such a high-carbon festival is not lost on me, but isn’t that exactly why somebody needs to call attention to it? From conversations with industry leaders, I know the issue isn’t top of mind. Many are scared for their jobs and can’t speak publicly (or be seen engaging with the topic). Agencies (specially those with HQ in the US) are increasingly worried about legal action, so I get it. Also, the fossil fuel industry behaves in nasty ways, so I’m taking precautions.

But getting this conversation into the official Cannes programmes matters. Not just because it has a global audience, but because it’s a barometer for the priorities of the advertising and creative industry. It also mainstreams the idea, shows that it’s not a fringe conversation, and it helps build momentum. Our session is called “Real Talk - How Advertising Can Phase Out Fossil Fuels”, quite a punchy title that I didn’t think would get the green light. At first, I suggested a broader sustainability session that would include fossil fuel advertising, but I’m so grateful to the festival’s organising team who encouraged us to develop this session with a specific focus on the transition, not watering it down. That’s leadership.

It’s so weird to have the advertising industry as my core audience for this project. Whenever I’m working on a new brief, researching and learning about the audience, and thinking about that strategic angle for them, is the fun bit. Now for this project, I really know this audience, like, deeply. I used to work at JWT London when Shell was a client, and even though I didn’t work on it, I saw the internal dynamics in the agency, I saw the briefs, I listened in when the revenue was reported back to the agency, I knew about the long-term contracts and relationships underpinning the work. So I know the audience and I know the angle: revenue. That’s why this project is focused on that and on activating levers of change at the senior level where decisions are made.

Had to dig through my very old files to find this Shell brief I came across when working at JWT. Dont get me wrong, I LOVED my time at JWT. It was one of my best professional experiences.

Fossil fuel advertising is starting to make less and less sense business-wise, and the longer the creative industry is in service of it, the worse it’s going to get for our business as well. I’m excited to see how the conversation lands and how attendees will engage with it, even if only a few come.

The ad industry has built a reputation on being bold, attuned to culture, and disruptive when it comes to ideas. You know what would be incredibly bold and courageous? For some, or many, or even all! of those 590 agencies to let those fossil fuels contracts expire, and to not need to renew them because they’ve replaced that revenue with other, better business.

I’m looking forward to a week of expanding my creative horizons at Cannes Lions. The programme is sensational, there are so many talks I want to attend, and we’re designing a very fun workshop for those who turn up on the day. I’ve included the details below for anyone attending, and do reach out if you are and are interested in coming or meeting in person there. Wish me luck, and I’ll be sharing some pics as notes on the Substack app.

Cheers,

Florencia

If you’re at Cannes Lions, join me, Lisa Merrick-Lawless and Lucy von Sturmer for “Real Talk - How Advertising Can Phase Out Fossil Fuels” on Thursday 19th at 12pm or 4.30pm (yes, we’re running it twice on the same day, and there’s no need to sign up, just come in)