For almost 30 years, Adweek has been honoring the best and brightest in the world of marketing. But what does it take to be considered a “Brand Genius”?

That’s the question we asked six of this year’s honorees at the Brand Genius luncheon, which was held at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity on June 20.

“I wish I could say there was some grand plan that got me here,” said Andréa Mallard, global chief marketing and communications officer at Pinterest, “but I can’t.”

One common trait among honorees is the use of creativity in their brands’ campaigns.