Cannes Lions 2023: What’s in store this week?

It’s Day Two at the Cannes Lions 2023 Festival of Creativity, and the team is already munching their way through a veritable buffet of insights and inspiration. With such a vast array of brands and experiences on offer, our eyes might be bigger than our stomachs… but no way is that stopping us from devouring every moment. 

We’ve watched the president of Mattel open up about the evolution of Barbie as a force for body positivity. We’ve seen the CMO of e.l.f. Beauty discuss the importance of failure. We’ve spent quality time with trailblazer brands like Shiseido, Snapchat and Dove. And we’re lucky enough to be cabana neighbours (loving it) with Meta where, to no one’s surprise, the tech giant’s team is putting on a series of spectacular shows about new frontiers of technology.

At MG Empower, our modus operandi has always been to bridge the gap between brands and communities through co-creation, in all its forms. Never has that felt more real than right now. Having touched down in Cannes over the weekend to put the finishing touches on our beach-side co-creation zone, we are currently all guns blazing on delivering two of the festival’s most highly-anticipated panels. 

We told you we’d be releasing the details at some point, and that moment has arrived! 

Read on to find out what’s in store for the week at the MG Empower cabana, as we bring together speakers from the likes of Ad Age, Dove, Pinterest and Costa Brazil (including the brand’s founder and ex-creative director of Calvin Klein, Francisco Costa), as well as some of our very own MG Talents, Brett and Scott Staniland, to spill the blazing hot tea on all things ‘co-creation’. 

June 20th, 4pm: Evolving relationships: what’s next for brands and creators?

The title of this panel says it all. As the role of organic content creation in brand growth grows bigger, better and more nuanced, we’re bringing together an incredible set of brand leaders, influencers and activists to discuss the future of influencer marketing. 

• Francisco Costa is the Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Costa Brazil. Having spent time in the spotlight as well as behind-the-scenes of two of the world’s most influential fashion and lifestyle brands, Francisco knows the industry inside and out. He’ll be bringing his wealth of knowledge and charisma to the table. 
• Matthew Siberry is the Head of Home and Partnerships at Pinterest. Matthew truly has his finger on the pulse of content creation – better than anyone, he knows what’s trending, what’s not, and why. 

• Brett and Scott Staniland are Creators, Sustainability Advocates, and MG Talents. Brett is infamous for being the first Love Islander to turn down the fast fashion wardrobe, and has since gone on to do campaigns for the Love Island x eBay collaboration – carving a content niche that he shares with his twin brother as they continue to conquer the world of sustainable fashion and beyond. 
• Andrea Cortes is the Senior Innovation Manager at MG Empower. She’s spearheaded some of the most creative and innovative movements within MG Empower, up to and including our most recent offering: a platform for affiliate marketing where creators are more empowered than ever to understand the products they’re selling. 

Together, our speakers represent more than a century of experience in the brand and co-creation spaces. With a former creative director of Calvin Klein, a current Pinterest guru, two exciting names in the talent industry and an innovation manager in the mix, we can’t wait to see how this conversation unfolds.

More details here!

June 21st, 11.30am: Ad Age x MG Empower: Why co-creation is the future of marketing strategies.

Before social media, marketing was a one-sided conversation and brands were in control. Today, the lines are blurred. So join us tomorrow to deep dive into those blurred lines with Ad Age and MG Empower, with speakers from Costa Brazil, Dove and us! We’re also very lucky to have Ad Age’s very own editor, John Dioso, moderating.

• Francisco Costa needs no introduction, so we’ll just reiterate that he’s a legend – and will be here to delve even deeper into co-creation as the future of marketing strategy. Expect anecdotes from the Calvin Klein days, and unparalleled insight into how Costa Brazil uses co-creation to build the brand. 

• Firdaous El Honsali is the Global VP of External Communications and Sustainability at Dove. She’s representing Dove, one of the world’s biggest names in beauty, which has pioneered body positivity and several other important movements over the years. Her contributions are not to be missed. 

• Maira Genovese is the President and Founder of MG Empower. She has single-handedly changed the influencer marketing game – she’s reframed the narrative from one that used to be very brand-first to one that empowers creators, brands and consumers all at once in order to drive real impact for everyone. No one knows the subject of this panel better than Maira. 
• John Dioso is the Editor of Ad Age Studio 30, the creative content arm of the industry’s favourite publication, Ad Age. Before that, he was Managing Editor of Cosmopolitan, Rolling Stone and Us Weekly. With a heritage like his, he’ll be putting his editorial spin on the conversation as moderator, ensuring no question is left unanswered. 

In hybrid and multichannel spaces, communities lead the next big moment and influence consumer behavior, while creators remain the bridge for brands to access those audiences. In such a complex world, co-creative tactics are connecting the pillars of this ecosystem and shifting the way we think of it, leading to more effective campaigns, ROI and long-lasting impact. 

And that’s just the beginning of the story. Join us to uncover the rest! More details here.

Experience the spirit of co-creativity

MG Empower is proud to bring the spirit of co-creativity to the forefront at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity. Through our transformative panels and immersive cabana experience, we aim to inspire marketers, decision-makers, and visionaries alike to embrace the power of collaboration. 

Together, we can redefine marketing strategies, forge meaningful relationships, and unleash the untapped potential that co-creation holds. Come with us on this journey towards a future where brands and communities thrive as one – click here for the full agenda!