Mitchell’s presentation will explore AI and the quantification of Black creativity. She hopes it encourages brands to take more risks.
“We feel like brands are really nervous about offending,” she told Adweek. “And sometimes [they] make horrible missteps. But you want to do more than ‘not offend.’ You want to connect. [Our presentation touches on] not making some horrible mistake that will damage your brand, and then also [ensuring] you are resonating with the group that you want to speak to, and then also make money.”
Mitchell’s mentor, newly appointed Levi’s CMO Kenny Mitchell (no relation), will be on hand supporting her and all of the Future Leaders. It’s an experience he called “amazing” for building important relationships.
“There are many people that I’ve actually met during my many adventures in Cannes that have become business partners, co-workers [and] collaborators,” the former Snap CMO told Adweek, citing other benefits such as learning from leaders in the industry and taking those learnings back to their organizations to “better the work that you’re doing.”
The Black at Cannes Experience
Both DeVard and Kenny Mitchell acknowledge that in recent years, strides have been made to make Cannes a more inclusive experience, with activations such as Inkwell Beach, started by Cannes Can: Diversity Collective founder Adrianne Smith, and organizations such as Black at Cannes, founded by Peter Ukhurebor and Rich Dennis’ Group Black, which hosted a concert with Nas and a party with DJ D-Nice last year with plans to host similar events this year.
“Last year felt palpably different from years past attending as a person of color,” said Mitchell. “I think—for the first time—it felt like a bit of a critical mass of Black and brown folks, and hopefully we can continue to contribute to that.”
“Lizzo is performing at MediaLink Beach. Spike Lee will be there. Spike is getting a first-time award. BECA is having a one-on-one conversation with Spike that we’re excited about. Michael Johnson, the Olympian, will be there. [Author and National Youth Poet Laureate] Amanda Gorman will be there. So there is representation in ways that make us all proud. So, it has changed.”
She credits Smith for doing an “amazing job” of championing the DEI conversation abroad and strengthening the Black presence at Cannes in the seven years since launching CC: DC to address the lack of diversity in the advertising and marketing industry.