Ahead of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, timeTo Chair Pippa Glucklich outlines how they've partnered with Cannes Lions to produce new guidance to help adland Celebrate Safely and drive change together.
The Festival of Cannes is nearly here. Whilst it’s an exciting time when we come together as a global industry community to celebrate the best of creativity, sexual harassment in our industry remains an issue.
That’s why a brilliant new partnership between timeTo and the Cannes Lions Festival will enable you to give your teams the guidance and support they need to enjoy Cannes safely.
The partnership aims to unite everyone attending and participating in the festival to collectively address sexual harassment, and indeed any form of harassment, that sadly still exists within our industry. The emphasis for the partnership is on wellbeing and the importance of promoting a culture of respect and accountability, so that everybody can benefit from the best of Cannes without worry.
Please get involved with and support this initiative so that we can all drive change together. There are three key actions we’d urge you to take.
Share the partnership’s key asset, Celebrating Safely, with all of your staff. It’s a comprehensive guide, created together with our team here at industry charity NABS and adland comms experts Wildstorm PR, that aims to foster a supportive and respectful environment.
Celebrating Safely empowers people to speak up about sexual harassment, thanks to detailed information for those who may experience or witness sexual harassment. The guide is split into three distinct sections tailored to employers, employees and delegates, with each section offering a specific focus for that audience with guidance for before, during and after the festival.
A broad range of topics is included, from the legal definition of sexual harassment to information and resources for leaders to help them educate their staff. Crucially, the guide also offers guidance on behaving respectfully towards other delegates, in a bid for people to stop and reflect on the impact of their behaviour on others.
Supporting bystanders, who have witnessed sexual harassment is key here. They may find it difficult to report, perhaps because they’re unsure of the process or are afraid to speak up during or after the incident. The guide offers crucial help here, at timeTo, we know that we need to empower bystanders to call out and end any unacceptable behaviour.
The campaign will be front-of-mind throughout Cannes thanks to a number of activations. Delegates starting their journey to France at Heathrow or Gatwick will see the campaign assets, created by ad agency Lucky Generals, on Digital OOH screens, with space generously donated by JCDecaux. In Cannes, campaign messages will be displayed outside the Palais and timeTo branded water bottles will be handed out to delegates during the festival.
Tell your teams about the inaugural WACL Empower Cafe, hosted by WACL all week throughout the festival. This inclusive hub, women-centred but inclusive of all genders, will hold inspiring and informative talks as well as facilitate networking. It’s also a safe space where people can get a physical copy of Celebrating Safely, and a space where anyone affected by sexual harassment can get support. The guide can also be picked up at the Palais and all official festival information points throughout the week, so please encourage your staff to collect one, or to download a digital copy via the QR code.
Because this is ongoing work for all businesses, please send your teams on our bespoke timeTo training post-Cannes. It’s an unparalleled chance for people to discuss and get essential guidance on sexual harassment, what it is and isn’t and how to tackle it all delivered by experts in a safe space. To date over 8,000 industry people have undergone the training and attendees have told us that they’ve felt empowered to ask difficult questions, and to have discussions that educate and change minds positively, together. The work on this is ongoing, so please do sign up your teams after Cannes.
Please also remember that the team on the NABS Advice Line have been trained to offer support and guidance on next steps for those who have experienced or witnessed harassment.
We’re delighted to have the IPA’s support for this important industry initiative, alongside ISBA and timeTo’s founding partners the Advertising Association, NABS and WACL. It’s incumbent upon all of us to come together to make sure that everybody can celebrate safely at work and at every industry event, not just this year, but into the future too.
Your influence can help to create environments in which sexual harassment is unacceptable. Where those who call out sexual harassment are supported, not chastised. So please, read Celebrating Safely today, and ask your staff to do the same. Let’s end sexual harassment together.
Find out more about Celebrating Safely at Cannes
Pippa Glucklich is Chief Executive of Electric Glue and Chair of TimeTo. Please note this timeTo X Cannes Guide is for guidance only and should not be used as a substitute for specific legal advice.
The opinions expressed here are those of the authors and were submitted in accordance with the IPA terms and conditions regarding the uploading and contribution of content to the IPA newsletters, IPA website, or other IPA media, and should not be interpreted as representing the opinion of the IPA.