Cannes Lions has changed its 2019 jury guidelines, urging judges to check ads for damaging stereotypes and inequalities.
The new guidelines ask jury members to consider whether the work represents deep-rooted stereotypical portrayals of gender, age, race, ethnicity, disability or other biases.
The update was introduced following Cannes Lions partnership with the Unstereotype Alliance – an initiative chaired by UN Women in tandem with Unilever, P&G and other global brands that are working to eliminate damaging stereotypes from creative works.
Cannes Lions chairman Philip Thomas said: “The Lions our Juries award each year act as a benchmark for the global creative community, and it is more important than ever for our industry to showcase and champion inclusive, empowering, forward-thinking ideas.”
Thomas added that consumers are demanding more from brands and businesses in terms of diversity and equality, and said the guidelines rethink will help make sure Cannes Lions work is “admired not only for its creative brilliance but for its reflection of the world as a place of equality and tolerance.”
The refreshed criteria forms part of Cannes Lions’ ongoing efforts to support a more diverse and inclusive industry.
At B&T, we believe initiatives like this can shape and influence culture. That’s one of the reasons we created Changing the Ratio, Australia’s diversity and inclusion conference for the advertising industry. Check out the 2019 schedule today.
