Philip Thomas from Cannes Lions: Lack of diversity affects the industry

Philip Thomas, CEO at Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival opened a series of deliberative talks about the industry previously from the ceremony night of the U.S.H. Idea Awards 2016, held in Miami on Wednesday 12th. He noted the need for agencies to intensify diversity, which he considers has not enough presence in the industry. He added that what is essential is to expand women inclusion in leadership positions. “Lack of diversity affects the industry.” His talk focused on highlighting the importance on creativity and its proven effectiveness in the business. “Creativity has a direct link with leading to success” he said. As an example, he showed the advertising of the brands Armour and Samsung, which results in substantial profits. For Thomas, another relevant concept is the trust earned during the agency-client relationship. “According to statistics, agencies with more than ten years of relationship with a client, double the opportunity of winning Cannes Lions.”