{"id":147226,"date":"2025-06-16T11:28:53","date_gmt":"2025-06-16T09:28:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thecuriousbrain.com\/?p=147226"},"modified":"2025-06-16T11:28:54","modified_gmt":"2025-06-16T09:28:54","slug":"when-the-lion-faces-the-mirror","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thecuriousbrain.com\/?p=147226","title":{"rendered":"When the Lion Faces the Mirror"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"920\" height=\"983\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thecuriousbrain.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/png-transparent-lion-cannes-advertising-festival-2018-creativity-logo-cannes-lions-international-festival-of-creativity.png?resize=920%2C983&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-147228\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thecuriousbrain.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/png-transparent-lion-cannes-advertising-festival-2018-creativity-logo-cannes-lions-international-festival-of-creativity.png?w=920&amp;ssl=1 920w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thecuriousbrain.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/png-transparent-lion-cannes-advertising-festival-2018-creativity-logo-cannes-lions-international-festival-of-creativity.png?resize=768%2C821&amp;ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 920px) 100vw, 920px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"> <em>What Are We Rewarding?<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Every June, the high priests of creativity descend on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.canneslions.com\/\">Cannes<\/a><br \/>to baptize consumerism in gold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We wear the right linen.<br \/>Whisper the right buzzwords.<br \/>Applaud campaigns that make the world <em>feel<\/em> better<br \/>\u2014while keeping the system exactly as it is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>But maybe the question isn\u2019t what wins.<br \/>Maybe it\u2019s <em>why<\/em> we\u2019re still awarding anything that worships the market above all.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"> <em>Capitalism Makes a Poor Muse<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>We\u2019ve mistaken reach for relevance.<br \/>Profit for purpose.<br \/>Cleverness for conscience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Advertising was never neutral\u2014<br \/>But now we award its best lies,<br \/>its cleanest distractions,<br \/>its highest-performing manipulations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>If the work doesn\u2019t question the system\u2014<br \/>It upholds it.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>And we celebrate that?<br \/>We dress it in titanium?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"> <em>Glass is the Only Lion That Breaks the Spell<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"352\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thecuriousbrain.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Cannes-2024_Glass-Lion.jpg.webp?resize=300%2C352&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-147227\" style=\"width:703px;height:auto\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.canneslions.com\/awards\/lions\/glass-the-lion-for-change\"><strong>Glass Lion<\/strong> doesn\u2019t care about ROI.<br \/><\/a>It asks: Who was empowered?<br \/>What inequality was challenged?<br \/>Did this leave behind justice\u2014not just impressions?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And here\u2019s what\u2019s radical:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The work doesn\u2019t have to sell.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It has to <strong>liberate<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It has to leave behind <strong>proof of dignity restored.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s not capitalism.<br \/>That\u2019s <strong>creative resistance<\/strong>, its the only award that really matters in a post pandemic world full of wars, volatility, and injustice! This one  should be the one you always aim for as an agency!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"> <em>Everything Else Is Complicity in Couture<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s tell the truth:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Most <a href=\"https:\/\/www.canneslions.com\/\">Cannes Lions<\/a> go to work that pleases the system.<br \/>They flatter the world as it is.<br \/>They use rebellion as branding\u2014but stay loyal to power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We give Gold to campaigns that simulate empathy<br \/>without ever shifting structures, without even changing culture, without even changing the world better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>They don\u2019t challenge capitalism.<br \/>They accessorize it.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><em>Time to Flip the Script<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>What if Cannes wasn\u2019t built around categories that serve the market\u2014<br \/>but around ones that dismantle its harm?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What if  we would expand the notion of  Glass into <strong>every category<\/strong>\u2014not as a side dish, but the main course.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Because a Lion that doesn\u2019t protect the people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>It\u2019s just a logo with teeth.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"> <em>An Award Show or an Autopsy?<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Cannes faces a choice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It can continue to be an arena for marketing\u2019s most exquisite distractions\u2014<br \/>or it can become a stage for work that actually moves us forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But that means one thing:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><strong>Decenter capitalism.<\/strong><br \/>Center <strong>impact<\/strong>.<br \/>Make awards serve <strong>justice<\/strong>, not just sales.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Not all creativity deserves applause.<br \/>Not all lions deserve gold.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Until every award is held to the standard of the Glass,<br \/>we\u2019re just clapping for the architects of decline of our future! <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><strong>If your creativity feeds the system and not the people\u2014<br \/>you don\u2019t deserve a Lion.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What Are We Rewarding? Every June, the high priests of creativity descend on Cannesto baptize consumerism in gold. We wear the right linen.Whisper the right buzzwords.Applaud campaigns that make the world feel better\u2014while keeping the system exactly as it is. But maybe the question isn\u2019t what wins.Maybe it\u2019s why we\u2019re still awarding anything that worships [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3],"tags":[99,776,534],"class_list":["post-147226","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ads","tag-advertising","tag-cannes","tag-creativity"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":121301,"url":"https:\/\/thecuriousbrain.com\/?p=121301","url_meta":{"origin":147226,"position":0},"title":"The impossible trinity of creativity","author":"thebrainbehind","date":"17\/07\/2014","format":false,"excerpt":"via Ilovecharts The impossible trinity of creativity was originally published on The Curious Brain","rel":"","context":"In &quot;all other stuff&quot;","block_context":{"text":"all other stuff","link":"https:\/\/thecuriousbrain.com\/?cat=1"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/66.media.tumblr.com\/2ec8f490474195eba12ea4237099ed12\/tumblr_n8r8045TnO1qa0uujo1_1280.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/66.media.tumblr.com\/2ec8f490474195eba12ea4237099ed12\/tumblr_n8r8045TnO1qa0uujo1_1280.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/66.media.tumblr.com\/2ec8f490474195eba12ea4237099ed12\/tumblr_n8r8045TnO1qa0uujo1_1280.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":39320,"url":"https:\/\/thecuriousbrain.com\/?p=39320","url_meta":{"origin":147226,"position":1},"title":"Facebook: Creativity at Scale #CannesLions \/ #OgilvyCannes","author":"thebrainbehind","date":"20\/06\/2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Facebook: Creativity at Scale #CannesLions \/ #OgilvyCannes from Ogilvy & Mather Insights into the #CanneLions panel - Facebook: Creativity at Scale #OgilvyCannes by @jbell99","rel":"","context":"In &quot;PPT\/ cool decks&quot;","block_context":{"text":"PPT\/ cool decks","link":"https:\/\/thecuriousbrain.com\/?cat=221"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":135469,"url":"https:\/\/thecuriousbrain.com\/?p=135469","url_meta":{"origin":147226,"position":2},"title":"&#8220;Jootsing&#8221;: The Key to Creativity","author":"thebrainbehind","date":"06\/01\/2021","format":false,"excerpt":"via","rel":"","context":"In &quot;all other stuff&quot;","block_context":{"text":"all other stuff","link":"https:\/\/thecuriousbrain.com\/?cat=1"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thecuriousbrain.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Screenshot-2021-01-06-at-19.09.58.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thecuriousbrain.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Screenshot-2021-01-06-at-19.09.58.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thecuriousbrain.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Screenshot-2021-01-06-at-19.09.58.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thecuriousbrain.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Screenshot-2021-01-06-at-19.09.58.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":138758,"url":"https:\/\/thecuriousbrain.com\/?p=138758","url_meta":{"origin":147226,"position":3},"title":"12 Rules for Creativity","author":"thebrainbehind","date":"22\/06\/2021","format":false,"excerpt":"via","rel":"","context":"In &quot;all other stuff&quot;","block_context":{"text":"all other stuff","link":"https:\/\/thecuriousbrain.com\/?cat=1"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thecuriousbrain.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Screenshot-2021-06-22-at-17.34.52.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thecuriousbrain.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Screenshot-2021-06-22-at-17.34.52.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thecuriousbrain.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Screenshot-2021-06-22-at-17.34.52.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thecuriousbrain.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Screenshot-2021-06-22-at-17.34.52.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":139506,"url":"https:\/\/thecuriousbrain.com\/?p=139506","url_meta":{"origin":147226,"position":4},"title":"Genius or Madness? The Psychology of Creativity","author":"thebrainbehind","date":"16\/09\/2021","format":false,"excerpt":"https:\/\/youtu.be\/Nje--J7fsfw","rel":"","context":"In &quot;PPT\/ cool decks&quot;","block_context":{"text":"PPT\/ cool decks","link":"https:\/\/thecuriousbrain.com\/?cat=221"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thecuriousbrain.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/exploring-the-psychology-of-crea.jpg?fit=480%2C360&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":121562,"url":"https:\/\/thecuriousbrain.com\/?p=121562","url_meta":{"origin":147226,"position":5},"title":"ways to engage in creativity","author":"thebrainbehind","date":"25\/06\/2014","format":false,"excerpt":"by fueledbycoffee ways to engage in creativity was originally published on The Curious Brain","rel":"","context":"In &quot;all other stuff&quot;","block_context":{"text":"all other stuff","link":"https:\/\/thecuriousbrain.com\/?cat=1"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/66.media.tumblr.com\/a5c53924092f78cafde0fc79bff54566\/tumblr_n1baheUSpO1qb5vt3o1_r1_1280.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/66.media.tumblr.com\/a5c53924092f78cafde0fc79bff54566\/tumblr_n1baheUSpO1qb5vt3o1_r1_1280.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/66.media.tumblr.com\/a5c53924092f78cafde0fc79bff54566\/tumblr_n1baheUSpO1qb5vt3o1_r1_1280.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thecuriousbrain.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/147226","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thecuriousbrain.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thecuriousbrain.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thecuriousbrain.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thecuriousbrain.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=147226"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thecuriousbrain.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/147226\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":147229,"href":"https:\/\/thecuriousbrain.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/147226\/revisions\/147229"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thecuriousbrain.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=147226"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thecuriousbrain.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=147226"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thecuriousbrain.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=147226"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}