Developed in-house, Thank You Creativity is intended as a love letter to imagination and craft, and a reminder of their purpose and power.
“We make the case for creativity because we know that it’s a force for business, for change and for good. But we can do more,” says Lions Festivals CEO, Philip Thomas. “It’s our mission not just to champion creativity, but to remind people of its magic and join us in being grateful for the difference it makes.”
The integrated campaign features multiple print executions and a series of short films.
The print work, to be rolled out across industry media from today, features a cross-section of communications professionals who were asked to sum up why they’re thankful to creativity. Their words are coupled with pared-back black and white portraiture, designed to let the heartfelt (and sometimes humorous) responses shine through. The first in a three-part film series, also out today, explores the creative journey; tracing the influences and sources of inspiration that put people on a creative path, and reminding us to keep following it.
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Cannes Lions intends to support the campaign with its own “thank you” to creativity: a new, dedicated site where inspirational seminars and award-winning case studies are freely available to the public for the first time. The site will also host a podcast series revisiting classic campaigns, with commentary provided by the people behind them and those they’ve influenced, as well as a series of “creative exercises” – thought-starting activities contributed by the industry, for the industry. thankyoucreativity.com is to be a permanent resource for them, built to help encourage and enable creativity outside of the annual Festival week.
“Not everyone can attend, and only a select few will win a Lion, but the inspiration and learnings from Cannes Lions are so often shared by those who experience them first-hand that the benefits trickle down. We want to amplify that process and galvanise creatives the world over,” says Thomas.
Further Thank You Creativity initiatives will be unveiled in the coming months and reach a peak during this year’s Festival, where activities will be dedicated to bringing delegates together with the global creative community for a shared experience.
The 63rd International Festival of Creativity takes place 18 – 25 June 2016.