• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, 7 hours ago

CANNES, France -- At a time when many big brands and agencies are grappling with shifting tolerance in diversity marketing -- in the U.S., if not elsewhere -- the Lions Festival of Creativity opened here today with a discussion about the importance of neurodiversity, not just in the creative process of the advertising business, but also as a massive consumer marketing force.

“If you think about it, 53% of Gen Z identify as neurodivergent," Havas Creative and Health Networks Global CEO Donna Murphy said during the neurodivergent panel discussion, adding: "If marketers are not communicating with them and driving their business, they’re going to lose out on $12 trillion of buying power.”

The panel, which also featured Havas client Merck KGaA Chief Belonging and Inclusion Officer Renee Connolly and British recording artist Lola Young -- who identifies as a neurodivergent creative -- began with Young reading an inspiring poem she wrote in the car ride she took to the Cannes presentation this morning (see below).

Young's poem draws on the same issues as "Messy," a hit song she wrote in her bedroom in 2023 (see at bottom), which has become an inspiration for many alienated Gen Zers struggling to fit in with neurodiversity issues.

Meanwhile, the two marketing pros on the panel -- Merck's Connelly and Havas' Murphy -- spoke about how they've been overhauling their own organizations not just to tap into the neurodiverse marketplace, but to expand their own cultural diversity, originality and creativity to grow their business.

In fact, the Cannes session follows by only three months Havas launch of what likely is the ad industry's first Neurodiversity Center of Excellence.

Havas' Murphy gave a real world example of how the agency initiative led to both insights and an execution that helped one of its clients' brands: Reckitt's Vanish laundry detergent, which can prolong the life of clothing that young autistic girls frequently use to "self-regulate" themselves.

The Havas team produced a video documentary following one such woman "on her journey during the day with her hoodie."

Within one hour of debuting on TikTok, Murphy said the video generated 24 million views and contributed to a 17% lift in the Vanish brand's awareness.