LIONS Announces First-Ever Decoded Broadcast

LIONS has announced the first LIONS Decoded, a one-day broadcast of live and on-demand content and insights, deconstructing the highest-ranked creative work in the world. Featuring behind-the-scenes interviews with world-leading creators, Decoded takes place on 17 September 2021, 3pm BST (that’s 12am AEST on 18 September).

The new-look Lions Creativity Report will also launch at Decoded and official global rankings will be revealed live throughout the day, setting the global benchmark for creative excellence, including: highest-ranking city and location; agency by region; top-performing Creative Director, Art Director and Copywriter of the Festival; and the Creative Brand of the Festival by sector, including Media & Entertainment, Healthcare, and Food & Drink.

Exclusive interviews with legendary industry speakers will uncover what it takes to rank highest in the world, highlights include: Nisha Ganatra, Film Director/Producer, Transparent, and director of Grand Prix Lion-winning “#wombstories”.

Formidable Global Chief Creative Officer, Susan Credle, will discuss FCB’s rise to become Cannes Lions’ Network of the Year 2021; and Sergio Gordilho, Chief Creative Officer, will dissect the success behind Africa DDB securing the Cannes Lions’ no.1 ranked LATAM Agency 2021 spot.

An interview with Cannes Lions’ no.1 ranked Director of the Festival will follow the live announcement.

Decoded has been created for LIONS Members and it’s designed to help the global Membership community to learn and be inspired, ending with an interactive evening ‘Meet Up’, bringing people together in real-time. Throughout the day, Members will be tuning in from across the globe, from Tokyo to São Paulo, to see 10 multi-Lion-winning ideas deconstructed and brought to life, alongside official streaming partner, YouTube.

The global talent behind the work will share the strategies and processes for success in a series of Behind the Scenes films to uncover what it truly takes to win a Lion, including:

• “Can’t Touch This” for Cheetos by Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, presented by Rachel Ferdinando, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, Frito-Lay North America;
• R/GA USA’s  “Superb Owl” for Reddit, presented by Ellie Bamford, Senior Vice President, Global Head of Media and Connections, R/GA; “Naming the Invisible by Digital Birth Registration” with Hamza Amjad, Senior Creative Director, Telenor Pakistan and team;
• 72andSunny’s  “Swipe Night” for Tinder, presented by Kate Morrison, Director of Production & Reilly Baker, Senior Writer, 72andSunny, alongside Paul Boukadakis, VP of Special Initiatives, Tinder.

Official Music Partner, Universal Music alongside associate partner, Elias Music, will present a session entitled “Audio Branding”, uncovering the importance of audio identity in engaging audiences through sound-activated devices like Siri and Alexa.

Trends and insights from the Lions Creativity Report will be shared throughout LIONS Decoded, providing the global community with a definitive set of rankings that set the bar for the industry. This year, the report has been extended with more themes, insights and interviews and will be available to download for all LIONS Members and subscribers to The Work.

Simon Cook, Managing Director, LIONS, said: “We designed LIONS Decoded as essential learning for our community and to show what it takes to create world-class creative and effective work, going behind the scenes to deconstruct Lion-wining creativity.”

Susie Walker, VP, Insight & Awards, LIONS, added: “Being ranked in the Lions Creativity Report is a monumental achievement and this is the first time we have revealed the rankings live, alongside the stories and insights behind the work. If you’re in the business of creativity, hearing directly from the creative minds behind Lion-winning success is inspiring and can support a step-change in creative excellence.”

Gaelle Comte, SVP, Membership, LIONS, commented: “We want to ensure our global LIONS Membership community not only has access to a year-round events series, but also a toolbox of actionable insights and tools to support personal and creative development across the year.”