The most challenging thing about being in Cannes for 10 days is that I won't have any proof - by way of a nice tan - that I've been in this glamorous beachside resort! Instead, I'll probably be locked in a dark room, hardly getting use of my sunglasses to enjoy that glorious Cannes sunshine! In all seriousness though, I'm really looking forward to my tenure as a Cannes Lions judge as it'll give me the opportunity to view and assess media across the globe and better understand what's going on in the vast world of media. I wish I …

CANNES, FRANCE -- Google is the top brand poised to succeed in the future, according to IPG Mediabrands' inaugural D100 report in partnership with Jonah Berger, Associate Professor, The Wharton School at The University of Pennsylvania and New York Times best-selling author of Contagious: Why Things Catch On. The report - released during the Cannes Lions here - queried global consumers about which brands are well-rounded in both traditional metrics and newer influences across social media. The report then measured these findings through four key dimensions: How agilely brands adjust to changing market conditions; Responsiveness to which brands listen and …

CANNES, FRANCE -- In what could well be called a "Lean Agency" approach to ad industry innovation, Hakuhodo Worldwide CCO Masaru Kitakaze made a case for the "beta agency" during a keynote today at the Lions Festival of Creativity here. "Beta is sample software that users can try before the final versions come out," Kitakaze explained, adding, "I think this beta concept in Silicon Valley is applicable in creative team-building." Noting that Japan's Hakuhodo is a 120-year-old global ad agency organization, with more than 10,000 employees worldwide, Kitakaze said it, like any big, old organization suffers from "big company sickness." …

CANNES, FRANCE -- While many say drones are just the latest gimmick to awe and impress the ad industry, a group of Lions presenters-- Elisha Greenwell, creative strategy director, Mofilm, John Ratcliffe, CEO, Mofilm South Africa and Ferdinand Wolf, manager, Studios, Europe, DJI--feel these devices are fundamentally changing the way advertising is created. They came together during the International Festival of Creativity here to discuss how drones and technology are revolutionizing the advertising industry.

CANNES, FRANCE -- Ogilvy won for the "Breathless Choir" campaign on behalf of Philips, while FCB Inferno was awarded the top prize for its work on behalf of Pearson's global "Project Literacy" effort. Special Awards were also announced, including the Grand Prix for Good which went to "Manboobs" by Argentinian agency DAVID Buenos Aires for MACMA, focused on breast cancer awareness.

CANNES, FRANCE -- Advertising has the power to effect change both good and bad. Unfortunately, there are far too many ads that objectify women in today's media. Beer ads show only breasts. Shoe ads feature naked models. "We Googled [the term] objectification of women. What came up? Advertising," says Madonna Badger, founder, chief creative officer, Badger and Winters, during the "Sex, Lies and Advertising" session at the Lions International Festival of Creativity here.