Each year, the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity brings together leaders in advertising, communications and media to showcase award-winning work, advance global conversations and inspire new avenues for creativity. Alongside seasoned CMOs, rising stars of the industry are also making their mark.
This year, OMD USA sponsored the first-ever Bold Impact Award as part of National CineMedia’s (NCM) US Young Lions competition, and tapped the Ad Council to help ground the competition in purpose and impact. OMD is currently supporting the Ad Council’s Overdose Crisis Initiative, and extended their campaign commitment into this Young Lions opportunity by creating a brief about youth fentanyl awareness and naloxone education. Two young professionals who submitted winning responses to this brief, Chloe Bayhack and Victoria Rocha, earned the opportunity to attend Cannes Lions. We spoke to Chloe and Victoria about their experience at the festival, their most memorable moments, and their insights on the future of purpose-driven work from the Gen-Z perspective.
Sophie Ascheim: Did the process of working on the Bold Impact brief confirm, challenge or expand the way you think about the marketing industry’s responsibility to create a positive impact, and your generation’s role within it?
Victoria Rocha: Absolutely. The Bold Impact brief pushed me to rethink the influence of pop culture on its audiences in a much deeper way. Our challenge focused on addressing the fentanyl overdose crisis, which is claiming the lives of so many young people. When we uncovered the insight that teens are exposed to drug references dozens of times a day, often without realizing it, it fundamentally shifted my perspective. This brief changed how I think about media consumption and its power, and it’s reshaped the way I’ll approach any creative challenge moving forward.
Chloe Bayhack: The Bold Impact brief confirmed how I see the marketing industry’s responsibility in making a positive impact. Our idea was to use Spotify as a platform to reach Gen Z, and educate them about Naloxone. It’s a lot to ask a consumer to change their behavior; instead, we showed up where they already were. Studies show they’re opening the Spotify app three to eight times daily. Young people have to be in the room for these kinds of marketing decisions. It’s the only way.
SA: What’s one moment from Cannes Lions that stuck with you this year?
VR: As someone with roots in Brazil, one of the most meaningful moments for me this year was the festival honoring Brazil as Country of the Year, a first-of-its-kind recognition. The award celebrated the country’s creativity not just as a powerful economic force for brands, but also as a catalyst for social impact in a nation where inequality is starkly visible. The tribute also honored the late Washington Olivetto, a legendary figure in Brazilian advertising whose visionary work helped put our creative industry on the global map. His legacy continues to inspire countless others, myself included, to strive for the greatest forms of creativity.
CB: I’ve been to Cannes a few times, but I’ve never sat in on Glass Lion presentations. Now, I’ll never miss them again. Most memorably, I saw Liz Taylor from Ogilvy and Marcela Melero from Unilever make a case for Dove, and its 20-year campaign for Real Beauty. The entire room was in tears, leaping up from their seats in applause. It was a masterclass in storytelling, showcasing Dove as a pioneer in purpose-driven work. When they finished, I knew there was no world where they’d lose.
SA: Of the award-winning work displayed in the Palais, what inspired you most—and what made it successful from a purpose or impact standpoint?
VR: Of all the work showcased at the festival, the piece that resonated with me most was also the Dove Real Beauty campaign, one I already knew well. This year, I had the privilege of watching Ogilvy Global CCO Liz Taylor and Dove’s Marcela Melero present 20 years of “Real Beauty” to the Glass Lion jury. They shared the campaign’s origin story and how it became a proof point that purpose-driven platforms can drive both cultural impact and commercial success. Its power came from a simple truth—it spoke directly to millions of women who had been told for years that beauty meant perfection. Dove challenged that narrative by celebrating real women as they are. And in doing so, it redefined the beauty industry and the role of the brand in culture.
CB: One of my favorite campaigns this year (and most awarded) came out of Publicis Conseil in Paris. The client was AXA, an insurance company. Their policies promise relocation to those whose homes become uninhabitable due to fire and flood. This campaign added three crucial words to that clause: “and domestic violence.” They’re calling this an “insurance revolution,” completely changing the way people consider and choose insurance companies, especially because one in five women experience domestic violence globally. People forget that this kind of work, too, is advertising.
SA: Finally, what advice would you give to future Young Lions attending the festival?
VR: Something I heard from several attendees this year genuinely surprised me. Many, both young creatives and seasoned industry veterans, admitted they weren’t attending the daily award shows or even the presentations inside the Palais.
In my view, understanding and knowing great work is the first step toward becoming a great creative. So if you ever have the opportunity to attend Cannes, don’t waste it. Go to the Palais. Head to the basement and read every entry. Watch the Innovation, Titanium, and Glass Lion presentations. Attend the award ceremonies at the end of each day. Those moments will stay with you, and will inspire the kind of work you’ll make in the future.
Yes, enjoy the beaches along the Croisette, but remember: it’s creativity that brings us to Cannes. So take the time to honor it while you’re there.
CB: I agree. The real magic of the festival takes place inside the Palais, in the smaller auditoriums. The Titanium presentations are unmissable. You’ll see top CMOs, agency leads, scientists, Olympians, and more make cases for your favorite work. Then, they’re questioned by a jury.
At risk of sounding cliché, these presentations remind me why I fell in love with advertising; it’s an act of rebellion. An effort to change the world through art, stories, and really, really, really big ideas. It’s unfaltering optimism at its best.
Photo credits: Chloe Bayhack and Victoria Rocha