Here's a list of names you're sure to recognize, though you'll also recognize they have one notable thing in common:
Sir John Hegarty
Dan Wieden
Lee Clow
Joe Pytka
Bob Greenberg
Marcello Serpa
David Droga
Piyush Pandey and Prasoon Pandey
Jeff Goodby and Rich Silverstein
Those famed ad luminaries are the only recipients of the Cannes Lions lifetime achievement award, The Lion of St. Mark. And yep, they're all men.
That's going to change in 2020, when the festival (which, sadly, will be virtual this year) adds Mary Wells Lawrence to this storied list.
As my colleague Kathryn Lundstrom details in her article about the news today, Wells Lawrence is one of advertising's most celebrated female pioneers.
She was the first woman to found, own and run a major agency (Wells Rich Greene), and when it went public, she was the first female CEO of an NYSE-traded company.
She's also credited with enduring lines like “I love New York” and jingles such as Alka-Seltzer’s “Plop plop, fizz fizz.”
The honor marks a noteworthy shift for Cannes Lions, which so far has honored leaders who are either still somewhat new to retirement or, honestly, nowhere close to retirement (David Droga received the award when he was just 49 years old).
By including Wells Lawrence, now 92 years old, the festival not only finally acknowledges a woman alongside her (younger) peers, but also hints that it might take a longview with future iterations of The Lion of St. Mark rather than focusing on recent names that already get plenty of praise and attention.
Congratulations to Mary Wells Lawrence and to the many women who have already followed her example and will also follow her in being honored for lifetimes of achievement.
David Griner
Creative and Innovation Editor, Adweek
David.Griner@Adweek.com
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