Weber Shandwick Celebrates the Power of Creativity, Earns PR and Media Lions in Cannes
In the seventh year since the Public Relations category was introduced at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, Weber Shandwick returned to the Palais to celebrate breakthrough work and lead important dialogues around gender equality, visual influence and the impact that creativity has on business, people and communities around the world.
Weber Shandwick was awarded two Bronze Lions in partnership with its clients for creative work at this year’s Festival, which for 62 years has been the world’s benchmark for excellence in creative communications.
The firm earned a Bronze PR Lion for its work on The Breathe Right Belmont campaign with GSK Breathe Right Nasal Strips, in partnership with PHD, Golin and Grey. Weber Shandwick and Prime were also honored with a Bronze Lion in Media for the Scandic To Go campaign for Scandic Hotels.
Weber Shandwick and Prime have now won a combined 25 Cannes Lions since 2009.
Copywriter Angela Mears and Digital Associate Margaux Pepper also earned Honorable Mention for Team USA and Weber Shandwick in the second annual Young Lions PR competition, which gives young talent an opportunity to showcase their skills and creativity and compete against peers on a global scale.
Three Weber Shandwick and Prime leaders served on awards juries this year, including Jan Dirk Kemming, chief creative officer in Europe, and Karin Schollin, key account manager and partner, Prime, who both served on the PR Lions jury. Weber Shandwick President Gail Heimann also served as a jury member of the inaugural Glass Lions competition, which celebrates work that breaks through gender bias and stereotypes.
Elevating Important Conversations on La Croisette
Weber Shandwick and UN Women’s #HeForShe movement hosted a salon at Le Grand Hotel in Cannes focused on gender equality. The session, entitled “XX=XY,” asked panelists and attendees to imagine what a gender-equal future looks like in the year 2030 and incited a conversation around the role we all play in getting there.
The conversation was moderated by Weber Shandwick President Gail Heimann and featured Elizabeth Nyamayaro, senior advisor to under secretary-general and executive director, UN Women; Keith Weed, chief marketing and communications officer, Unilever; and Adrian Grenier, actor, producer and social activist.
Heimann also presented at Interpublic Group’s fifth annual Women’s Leadership Network Breakfast, in addition to joining Weber Shandwick Chief Digital Officer Chris Perry to host a conversation on visual influence during the Young Marketers Academy on “The Fate of Words in an Era of Images.”
Weber Shandwick CEO Andy Polansky sat down with PRWeek Editor-in-Chief Steve Barrett to discuss the elevated role that PR has played at the Festival in recent years (click here to watch the video in full).
Additionally, Weber Shandwick Chairman Jack Leslie spoke on managing corporate reputation at the Cannes Start-Up Academy, a new program at this year’s Festival that aims to create a bridge between start-ups, the creative industry and brands in order to bring innovative new products and services to market.
Pushing Boundaries at Lions Health
For the second year in a row, Weber Shandwick had a presence on the main stage during the Lions Health Festival, which celebrates and recognizes life-changing creativity in the healthcare and pharma communication industry.
The session, entitled “Sex Toys & MS: Pharma & The New Social Frontier,” explored how pharma companies can bring authenticity to their digital strategies and also how pushing the boundaries can lead to breakthrough creative and ultimately bring engagement to new heights. The presentation featured Stacey Bernstein, director of U.S. Digital Health, Weber Shandwick, and Jeordan Legon, global head of digital and social media, Novartis.
Weber Shandwick was also shortlisted in the Young Lions Health Award competition. Senior Account Executive Rachael Susaneck and Senior Account Manager Gabriella Moloney were recognized for their work on UNICEF and Unilever’s Project Blueprint campaign.
The 2015 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity brought together powerful creative minds from around the world to recognize convention-defying work that inspires. Weber Shandwick was proud to showcase our great work, drive important and interesting conversations and join with clients and peers in a celebration of creativity.