Tuesday
June 23rd
CMOs in the Spotlight
This talk started by being centered around the idea of a “legacy brand”, and balancing that legacy and heritage with the need to act quickly in this ever changing market. One way that all the CMOs agreed was a good way to maintain your legacy brand status is to make sure you have products in multiple different markets, and to align them consistently with your brand’s values. It then segued into the idea of not chasing trends, but instead having a healthy self awareness of your brand and the perception consumers have of it as well. It closed with the value of long term brand loyalty by building yourself up in someone’s mind to create a consistent image. I really enjoyed this talk because I liked how these huge famous brands, that really don’t have much in common, were all grouped based on how large they are globally. It was very interesting to hear how these professionals feel about carrying the burden of continuing the legacy of these huge companies.
Kraft Heinz, L’Oreal, McDonald’s
Meeting Davis Roe
One of my favorite parts of the festival was how casual it felt between the celebrities and high level executives, versus the average festival attendee. At Sports Beach, while waiting for Shaq to start speaking I saw one of my favorite influencers Davis Roe! (on Tik Tok @divaadaviss) She was so genuine and personable, and eager to engage in a conversation with me and my friends.
Shaquille O’Neal (NBA Pro), Lina Polimeni (SVP and CMO at Eli Lilly and Co), TJ Adeshola (Moderator- Operating Parter at Arctos Sports)
More Than a Moment: How Eli Lilly and Company and Shaq Built a Partnership That Lasts
This talk was probably one of the most casual talks because of Shaq’s personality. He was very comical, often adding in jokes to make the audience laugh, which helped to make me feel more engaged. One of my favorite quotes was when Shaq said that he was sweating so much in his tight jeans. It was relatable, funny, and helped to lower the divide between the speakers and the audience. He was also very humble, talking about how he too is a normal person and isn’t invincible like he once thought. He gave all the credit to Eli Lilly, and talked about backing companies and sponsorships that matter, instead of the ones that will pay the most. Shaq said that authenticity is the most important thing when deciding who to partner with because thats how you keep the trust of your followers. All in all, this talk was definitely memorable and very engaging, but it wasn’t exactly as informational as some of the other talks I attended.
Colin Jost (Moderator- SNL Co Host), Lindsey Vonn (Olympic skier), Karen Kovacs (President of Advertising at NBC)
Built from the Back: How the Greatest Comebacks in Sports Become the Greatest Brand Stories
Also at Sports Beach, I saw Colin Jost moderate a talk with Olympic gold medalist Lindsey Vonn. Admittedly, I came to this talk to see Colin Jost moderate because I think he is hilarious, and he is also very devoted to his wife which I admire. During the panel, Colin was very funny, casually making fun of himself and the panel members to make the audience laugh. What I didn’t expect though was to be so moved by Lindsey Vonn’s story. As an Olympic gold medalist and FIS World Cup champion, Lindsey has been in the spotlight for female skiers for a while. Following a short retirement due to chronic knee and joint pain, Vonn decided to re-enter the skiing world after seeing Serena Wilson continue to play while receiving backlash. She said that the main reason she was holding out on coming back was because she was afraid of what people online would say, but after seeing someone she thought no one would critique recieve hate as well, she realized she was only hurting herself by not coming back. I thought this part was especially interesting because I would not have expected the biggest challenge in coming back to be the mental pressures she felt, but rather the fear of injuring herself again. During the entire talk I actually sat in the front row, and once I waved and Colin interrupted the talk to ask if I had any questions which was super cool. Since I was in the front row, after the talk I ran up to the front to talk to Colin. The conversation was probably less than a minute, however I got a picture with him and was the only one who got to have a post-talk conversation, so I would definitely say that mission was accomplished.
Amanda Baldwin (OLPLEX CEO), Jonny Bauer (Founder of Fundamental Co), Jenna Lyons (Executicve Creative Director)
OLAPLEX: Business Transformation, Not Just Brand Transformation
This talk was unexpectedly very interesting! It was all about Olaplex, a haircare and product company. They started by talking about how originally, they were extremely successful in the hair repair market. However, the box of just repairing hair is not only what helped them grow, but also kept them stuck and unable to continue to grow as a business. They quickly reached an unexpected decrease in sales and market share, as the market became more and more saturated. So, they decided to go back to the drawing board with their brand strategy in mind. The brand strategies aren’t just applied to a business after all the decisions are made, but are actually used to help to filter the decisions. Using this idea, Olpalex decided to rebrand themselves as not only a hair repair company, but an overall hair health company. During the talk, they spoke about how it was possible due to the health and beauty industries merging into one industry over time. They talked about how beauty has become a physical representation of how you’re feeling inside. It was overall very insightful because it explained the thought process behind the transition of one of the most famous hair product brands. Before, I would have assumed they decided to expand their product lines to generate even more revenue, not try and gain revenue that they lost due to decreased sales and market share.
Meryl Blau (UMiami Professor and Mindpower Coach), Mia Rafowitz (Creative Director at DROGA5)
G.R.I.T. or Get Out: The Untaught Craft of Creative Endurance
One of the best talks was given by our wonderful advisor Meryl!! This was her first time speaking at the festival, after attending as an audience member for the last decade, so our entire class came to support her! Meryl and Mia spoke about the importance of having GRIT (G- Groundwork, R- Resilience, I- Intensity, T- Temper) in the workforce in any creative job. They focused a lot on the idea of groundwork being the most important part of this process because your groundwork consists of morals and ideas that helps you stay true to what you believe in throughout your career. Without the groundwork, many people stay at companies or jobs that don’t fit their personality types because they haven’t done the background work to help build the core of what is important to you. While touching on intensity, they spoke about how even the smallest victories can help build your confidence and make you bold enough to take bolder shots and test your capabilities. One of my favorite takeaways was the idea of writing down all your ideas, especially if you know they are bad, because while you are working, those worse ideas take up space in your subconscious mind and limit the amount of usable ideas you can generate. All in all, Meryl and Mia’s talk was captivating, interesting, and different from anything else I heard at the festival. I am so thankful that I got to see Meryl speak for the first time, and hope that Cannes continues to recognize her and her great ideas!
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