For the first time in my 14 years in a row attending Cannes Lions, I spent most of the first half of the festival in the bowels of the Martinez, sitting in conference rooms, some without any windows. But it was pure joy because we had the good fortune of having to prepare for Titanium, Glass and Innovation Lions presentations. The involvement, care and focus this required made it one of the highlights of my week. Ideas shape differently, relationships and bonding between clients and agency get stronger and campaigns suddenly have a second life. It was great. All of us, together, focused on the work.
 
When I finally abandoned those beige-carpeted rooms, I found a different picture. Here are my thoughts on the 2024 Cannes Lions.

Calendar obligations took over

We were busy this year. No one seemed to have time for anything as if an evil AI update had taken over our calendars to steer us away from the most important thing: seeing and talking about the creative work.
 
This is our own doing. As the festival has grown to include more activations, more marketers, tech platforms, media giants and social media creators, it can’t force us to go downstairs in the Palais and walk around to see the work. We have to impose it on ourselves, against our crazy ambitions to meet every possible client, shine in three different panels at the same time and give free hugs to everyone.

And it is a must. Going to the Palais and experiencing people’s reactions to the work in real life reminds us of the impact of our creativity and our efforts. Observing our clients’ excitement (or plain jealousy) over great ideas is the validation we need to keep pushing. Missing that because we are running from meeting to meeting is a shame.

So, first takeaway: We need to make more room to collectively experience the amazing work while we are here.

The only other moments to do so are the Galas. McCann Worldgroup had the collective experience to see the Golds and Grand Prix in the Award Galas, introduced by the booming voice of media personality Juan Señor, the Lions’ resident emcee.

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We missed laughing

Second takeaway: Humor is back in all forms from quirky to weird to dark.  Four of the biggest winners (Grand Prix) were truly funny campaigns: “The Last Barf Bag” for Dramamine; Specsavers’ “The Misheard Version” with Rick Astley, CeraVe’s “Michael Cerave” and Weber Shandwick’s “Edible Mascot” campaign for Pop Tarts. Also, the adorable “Marina Prieto,” without being strictly humorous, combines a Spanish little town sensibility with social media ambitions.
 
Those winners show that comedy and a light-hearted tone of voice can be transformative for a brand. Specsavers has a history of great comedy, but they were able to channel that into a new demographic for those with hearing loss. CeraVe, not in a category that typically stands out during the Super Bowl, nevertheless became the talk of the (advertising) game. Kellanova’s Pop-Tarts reached an entirely new audience by injecting dark humor to toaster pastries and giving the world something truly meme-able.

And that’s just the funny stuff. Other big winners, like what we did for Mastercard with “Room for Everyone” and Xbox’s “Everyday Tactician” as well as W+K’s Titanium Grand Prix winner, the Doordash Super Bowl campaign that averted viewers’ attention away from the game itself and onto all of the ads, were ideas that inspired an array of emotions. Empathy, triumph, even greed!
 
In the end, these executions make a point that you can extend to the festival: When we laugh, when our barriers are brought down by an unexpected twist or a surprising human connection, we are more able to feel.

This is the exact reason we come to Cannes: we want to feel, in real life, what it’s like to belong to this industry, to be on the winning side and celebrate, to be on the not-winning side and recharge ourselves with envy as the fuel, to be amazed about what people who do the same job as us are capable of achieving and question ourselves.

Feeling is what separates us from, yes, machines. At least for now.

So, (final takeaway) it is on us to keep coming here. Let’s continue our day-to-day jobs to connect with those emotions through the only thing that justifies the existence of Cannes or any other festival: The work we love.

Microsoft chief brand officer Kathleen Hall is stepping down after 16 years with the business, continuing an era of flux for the tech giant’s marketing team as it lays the foundations for a “new era of artificial intelligence.”

In a LinkedIn post, Hall—who also served as corporate vice president of brand, advertising and research—said she would relocate from Redmond, Wash., to her home state of New York to take some time off before her “next adventure.”

Hall is credited with launching Windows 7.8 and 10 and Microsoft’s Surface and Cloud products. She was also the executive behind the brand’s first national Super Bowl ad, holiday campaigns and its National Football League and National Basketball Association partnerships.

Microsoft chief marketing officer Takeshi Numoto confirmed the news in a memo seen by ADWEEK, outlining other changes to the marketing department. These include:

• Xbox CMO Jerret West is also departing to join Roblox. The console’s current vp of integrated marketing, Kirsten Ward, will now lead a newly unified gaming marketing team.

• Global creative, advertising, branding and operations teams will be bundled under the leadership of consumer CMO Yusuf Mehdi. Mehdi will work closely with Stephanie Ferguson, who oversees Microsoft’s centralized global sales and marketing engine.

• As Microsoft gears up for a cookieless landscape, Numoto hired Google exec Bryson Gordon as a corporate vp to lead its global media, partnerships and agency management efforts.

• The brand has “realigned” its events, studios and communities team: 26-year veteran Vivian Eickhoff will lead event production and studios, while Alyssa Schutter will join from Amazon Studios to lead event creative experiences.

U.K. CMO Bonnie Pelosi was also recently promoted to EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) CMO.

So what’s going on at Microsoft?

Numoto took over the CMO job after Chris Capossela left the post in October 2023, following a 32-year run.

At the time, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said the company was gearing up for a “new era of AI.”

Microsoft has been pouring investment into generative AI to power its growth. In January 2023, the company invested $13 billion in AI startup OpenAI, home to hit product ChatGPT. It has also been spending big on its cloud division, integrating AI across its software and services via its Copilot chatbot.

In April 2024, the company’s heavy bets paid off when it beat Wall Street expectations, increasing its quarterly revenues by 17% year-over-year to $61.86 billion.

On the latest changes, Numoto told staff: “[These] will help us continue to lead the AI platform shift. Heading into fiscal year 2025, we will rally around Copilot, Copilot+ PC, and the Copilot Stack as the AI platform framework that will catalyze the reinvention of our offerings across our broad portfolio and reinvigorate the Microsoft brand.”

Microsoft reclaimed the top spot as the world’s most valuable company by market capital at the start of 2024, overtaking technology rival Apple.

The former chief marketing and communications officer of General Electric, Linda Boff, has a new gig: CEO of global creative services agency Said Differently.

Boff’s move is the latest instance of a top marketer climbing the corporate ladder to chief executive at a time when CMOs are tasked with taking on more responsibilities in a changing marketplace.

Other examples include Starbucks promoting its global CMO, Brady Brewer, to CEO of its international business and former Taco Bell chief brand officer Sean Tresvant moving into the chief executive role at the quick service chain.

“Coming from the CMO role, I know what marketers need to win and how to help brands through significant transformations,” Boff told ADWEEK via email about how her past experience will benefit her in the new position. “Sitting on the client’s side of the table for so many years has allowed me to speak their language and identify the opportunities and the pain points.”

In tandem with Boff’s new role, Said Differently also announced it had merged with the tech firm Brainvire, which has more than 1,000 employees in offices around the world.

In April, Said Differently named creative leader and advertising industry veteran Josh Combs as its first chief marketing officer.

The Washington, D.C.-based agency, which debuted in 2020 and assembles teams of freelancers around the globe to work on specific client projects, was one of ADWEEK’s top three Fastest Growing Agencies in 2023.

“As someone who’s had the privilege of working with many great agencies, I know that talent is the only real differentiator,” Boff posted on LinkedIn. “With a fully remote workforce, Said Differently is fast and flexible—two of my favorite things—which enhances, rather than sacrifices, creative excellence.”

If you’re finding it tough to keep up with the UTA and Michael Kassan’s mud-slinging, don’t worry we’ve got you covered.

If you haven’t already read ADWEEK’s cover story interview with Kassan, then you might not know that he’s been quietly plotting his next move: 3C Ventures.

Kassan has claimed the consulting firm has already signed 10 clients. And the firm is prepared to leverage Kassan’s vast connections while pushing beyond the services he installed at MediaLink.

In this episode of Yeah, That’s Probably an Ad, ADWEEK brand editor Rebecca Stewart sits down with editor-in-chief Ryan Joe to discuss what he and Kassan spoke about, what 3CV’s debut means for the industry and why his departure from MediaLink has captured Ad Land’s attention.

Stream the new episode below, listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, or find it on Spotify.

Four key takeaways

3CV will go where MediaLink did not.

Kassan shared with Joe that one of the differences between 3CV and his work with MediaLink is that he could now go into areas like Merchant Banking where he was not allowed to go with MediaLink. The outcome of how successfully Kassan will be able to meet his lofty aspirations for 3CV is yet to be determined.

But 3CV’s right to exist as a MediaLink competitor will be questioned in an arbitration hearing.

After Ascential purchased MediaLink in 2017, it was sold to United Talent Agency in 2021. Kassan’s business practices and handling of company funds have led to today’s public legal dispute. There will be an arbitration over whether Kassan’s employment was terminated for cause by UTA over allegedly misappropriating at least $2.3 million, or if Kassan quit.

This also marks a new chapter for UTA-owned MediaLink.

Joe confirms this will be a big test for the advisory firm and whether the power of MediaLink is Michael Kassan and his connections.

The public’s interest in the Kassan Versus UTA story shows the power of a personality-driven narrative.

Stewart and Joe draw comparisons between the story of Michael Kassan and that of WPP founder Martin Sorrell, who left under a cloud of misconduct allegations and accusations of misusing company assets. The situations lead to a lot of speculation, scandal and media interest, but traditionally the industry is fueled by these larger-than-life figures at the top who look to leave lasting legacies behind.

Dentsu Creative’s U.S. CEO Abbey Klaassen and Phil Gaughran, who leads global business strategy for Dentsu Creative and Dentsu Americas, are expanding their roles in the interest of creating a cohesive global brand.

They aim to grow Dentsu Creative’s international creative products and offerings and attract more business, amid a recent winning streak that includes the Lowe’s and T-Mobile creative accounts.

Klaassen will retain her current role, while also assuming a global brand president title. Gaughran will take on a new title, as president of Dentsu’s global creative product, growth and strategy. Klaassen’s role involves fostering relationships with an increasingly global client roster. She is also building a consistent standard and plans to showcase that a more streamlined, globally scaled agency can still connect with target audiences at a local level.

The leaders will closely collaborate with Yasu Sasaki, the holding company’s global chief creative officer and creative practice lead, and both will undertake increasingly global purviews. In their expanded roles, both executives will work together to streamline global branding and scale service offerings and strategies that historically varied based on geographic market.

Gaughran will oversee business growth and product offerings, and also lead the holding company’s branding and positioning. He plans to scale data, tech and AI adoption across Dentsu Creative by deepening the agency’s integration with its production company, Tag Worldwide, which it acquired last summer.

After consolidating the holding company’s creative agencies in 2022 to create Dentsu Creative, the company went through a series of leadership changes and strategic pivots. Klaassen assumed the chief executive role last November, replacing the agency’s former CEO Paul Fogaca.

Now moving “beyond” its transformation in the U.S., Dentsu Creative’s leaders told ADWEEK they’re turning their attention to international markets with an aim to create consistent experiences for Dentsu clients around the world. Dentsu Creative’s recent big-budget wins in the U.S. market follow a period of change that saw agency brands including McGarryBowen and 360i absorbed by the overarching Dentsu Creative brand.

The recent wins suggest the holding company’s new approach is gleaning some results, and its leaders are keen on driving more.

“Marketing organizations aren’t necessarily growing, which means they need more simple agency relationships. They don’t have time to manage 12 different partners,” Klaassen said of the previous consolidation, and the agency’s single P&L structure.

Building a cohesive, globally scaled Dentsu Creative

Recently, Dentsu Creative unveiled its new “Transformative Creativity” tagline. The messaging refers to Dentsu Creative’s 2022 launch, and how combining creative agencies led to greater market impact.

“The transformational part is not just stopping at the brief as it is, but fundamentally looking to solve business problems through myriad means, using end-to-end creativity,” Gaughran said.

For years, he championed the holding company’s One Dentsu vision, having previously led strategy at McGarryBowen. Eventually, he began working on corporate strategy initiatives that allowed him to play a key role in planning Dentsu Creative’s consolidation. He ensured the consolidated agency’s capabilities could meet its clients’ needs and that its work met a quality standard.

“When we see our creative practice now, that’s encompassing Dentsu Creative as a brand, Tag as our scaled production partner that we’ve been integrating over the last year, and then the bringing together of Dentsu Japan into the creative fold as well. It’s the embodiment of all three,” Gaughran told ADWEEK.

Creating an architecture for global integration will be a key part of Gaughran’s new role—an effort the leaders hope will spur further new business growth.

“When we say growth, we’re talking about really new logo growth, primarily … making sure that we meet the need for increasingly global clients that we’re adding into the family, and making sure that we’re consistent around the world,” he said.

Being able to retire on your terms is a luxury in this business, but Allen Bosworth, co-founder and president of EP+Co, is managing to do so after over 40 years.

“It is an opportunity for me to go do some things that I love,” Bosworth told ADWEEK, adding that he will be retiring from the industry but will be teaching at his alma mater, the University of North Carolina.

The IPG agency has revealed its leadership succession plan following Bosworth’s departure, naming Kat Shafer the new president of the agency, a role she will assume on Sept. 1. Shafer will take over leadership from Bosworth, who has been with the agency since he helped found it 36 years ago.

After serving for the last eight years as EP+Co’s president, Bosworth is set to retire at the end of 2024. Following the transition, Shafer will report directly to Alex Leikikh, IPG executive vice president of Interpublic Group.

“It’s time for Kat and the rest of the leadership team. We have an incredibly experienced leadership team. Kat and this team have been with us anywhere from 10 to 20 years. It’s a true opportunity for them to continue the path that they’ve been on,” said Bosworth.

An easy transition due to long-term employees

Shafer has been with the agency for nearly 20 years, serving most recently as chief client officer and chief growth officer. During her time at EP+Co, she has with the acquisition, growth and retention of numerous clients, including the Verizon account, which she led for nine years. Over the past two years, Shafer has helped EP+Co achieve 100% client retention and solid organic growth with clients including John Deere, Michelin, General Mills brands, Planet Oat, The UPS Store and others. 

As Shafer transitions into her new role, she looks to bring a higher profile to the agency while keeping on the same successful trajectory Bosworth helped guide.

“We often hear from our clients what a hidden gem we are. Our ultimate goal is we don’t want to be a hidden gem anymore,” Shafer told ADWEEK.

Shafer stated that the long tenure of its executive leadership team—14-and-a-half years with Bosworth’s tenure excluded—provides consistency to its clients. She will work with CCO John Cornette, chief strategy officer Chris Plating and others to work towards the agency’s mission, which is “creativity that builds belief,” while elevating the creative product and “remaining obsessive about growth.”

Employee tenure comes down to the culture, which they describe as entrepreneurial and supportive.

“It is a very entrepreneurial place, and people feel that they can truly make an impact,” said Shafer, using herself as an example. She started as a junior account executive and now she’s nearly at her 20^th anniversary because she felt all along she could make an impact.

She praised Bosworth for setting up the culture as one that cares, for its employees, its clients, its way of conducting business and how it interacts with the communities it’s in—Greenville, S.C. and New York—with the southern culture leading the way.

“The big, hairy, audacious goal that we’ve set for ourselves…is to be a place people crave to work at and a place people crave to work with,” said Bosworth.

Advice to the next generation

Bosworth acknowledges that the industry is rapidly changing and that EP+Co has done its best to meet those changes head-on.

The agency has made big investments of money, belief and time in AI and other technologies. Two years ago, the agency wrote its code of ethics around AI to keep a human element to the technology.

“I think humanity is the key to this. Yes, we’re going to do things faster. Yes, we’re going to do things more efficiently. But while we’re doing that, I believe that the digital pendulum is going to continue to swing,” said Bosworth, adding that the human, analog element is going to swing the other way to balance things out.

His advice to Shafer and the industry is to bet on both because the integration of humanity with technology is what is going to drive this business.

After his four decades in the industry, Bosworth looks forward to his passion for teaching young people. He has served as the president of the board of advisers for the University of North Carolina’s Hussman School of Journalism and Media for the past several years and has enjoyed teaching many of the school’s advertising and marketing classes, which he will continue.

“One of the sayings we have at EP+Co is, “always be humble enough to be a student, and always be generous enough to be a teacher,” said Bosworth, who is looking forward to continuing to serve others.

At the agency, he would always ask people: Did you try your hardest? And did you do it in the best interest of others?

“If you can say that in your heart, then you are leading a worthy life. And what I hope to do is I hope to continue to lead a worthy life in the service of others,” concluded Bosworth.

Pepsi chief marketing officer Todd Kaplan is stepping down after 17 years with the business.

The marketer confirmed that he was leaving to “pursue an opportunity outside of the company” in a LinkedIn post.

“This was not an easy decision for me because PepsiCo has been like a family to me for almost two decades,” he wrote, saying that he was off to “learn a completely new business” and apply his talents in “entirely different ways.”

ADWEEK reached out to PepsiCo to confirm how it will fill the now vacant marketing position at its flagship brand, but the company had yet to reply at the time of writing.

The move comes amid a time of change for PepsiCo, which owns brands including Doritos, Walkers and Quaker. In May, vice president of sports, entertainment and gaming Kalen Thornton left to join Pizza Hut as global chief brand officer. Elsewhere, senior vp and CMO of energy drinks Fabiola Torres left to join Gap as global CMO.

The company also recently hired former Kraft Heinz Continental Europe CMO Paula Marconi as CMO in Europe to “strengthen” its presence across the region.

This week, Pepsi lost its crown as American’s second favorite soda (after Coca-Cola). As per data from Beverage Digest, Coke claimed 19% of the market in 2023 and Dr Pepper claimed 8.3%, narrowly edging Pepsi out of its long-held runner-up position. In the most recent financial quarter, sales volume in Pepsi’s beverage unit fell 5%.

A tall legacy

Kaplan held many roles at PepsiCo, including senior positions in its sports marketing, Mountain Dew and water teams.

In 2022, he took on the Pepsi CMO role with responsibility for creative, brand strategy, product innovation and commercial execution across its eponymous brand, diet and sugar-free variations, as well as others including sparkling water drink Bubly.

Core to his strategy was putting Pepsi back into the cultural zeitgeist. This included rebooting the Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show platform, which featured artists including Jennifer Lopez and Shakira, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem and The Weeknd, before Apple swooped in to secure the National Football League rights.

He also oversaw a series of NFT (nonfungible token) releases called “Pepsi Mic Drop” to further the beverage giant’s longstanding association with the music industry and led Pepsi and its sister brands in experiments with live virtual events on metaverse platforms.

When he first took on the role, Kaplan told ADWEEK he wanted to bring a challenger mindset to the legacy brand, leaning into its rivalry with Coke to distinguish itself.

“Being a challenger brand comes down to truly knowing who you are, where your brand stands in the world and what it believes in. This holds true with how your brand shows up within your internal organization’s culture,” he said.

In 2023, Kaplan spearheaded Pepsi’s first brand refesh in 17 years, designed to celebrate its 125th birthday.

In this episode of Yeah, That’s Probably an Ad, presented by Ally, community editor Luz Corona sits down with Andrea Brimmer, chief marketing and PR officer at Ally Financial.

They discuss Ally’s transformative 50/50 pledge to invest equally in men’s and women’s sports media, the challenges and successes along the way, and how this initiative is driving real business impact.

This is the first part of a three-episode sports marketing series presented by Ally. Listen to the full episode here, on Spotify or Apple Podcasts to hear Brimmer’s insights on being a pioneer in sports marketing equity and creating real change.

5 Key Takeaways

Ask for forgiveness, not permission

Ally’s 50/50 pledge to invest equally in men’s and women’s sports media was conceived spontaneously to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Title IX. Without getting prior approval, Brimmer announced it live, surprising even Ally’s CEO. The bold move resonated deeply across the company.

Involve partners in the brand’s mission

A major hurdle was the sheer lack of available, high quality women’s sports media to purchase to fulfill the pledge. Networks often treated it as an undervalued add-on. Ally worked closely with partners like Disney/ESPN to move women’s content into more desirable time slots.

Be better, do better

Two years into the pledge, Ally is seeing immense brand upside: record positive sentiment (+96%), soaring brand value (+32% YoY) and unmatched awareness and trust growth in the finance sector. A majority (65%) of its new customers are women.

Support the brand ambassadors

Ally carefully vets partners to ensure they align with its commitment to equity, even turning down deals. When the National Women’s Soccer League faced controversies, Ally reaffirmed its support for the players association. Strong relationships are built through authenticity.

Remember the reason

Brimmer shared the legacy she hopes to leave in her mission to drive equity in media: so that no little girl feels she is not worthy of prime time. Looking ahead, Ally will focus on driving systemic change with media partners, supporting emerging women’s media platforms and putting money directly into athletes’ pockets through programs like Team Ally.