Cannes Lions grows and will become the centerpiece of a mega businessBoth Cannes Lions and Effie Worldwide posted this image on their social media paytm phone number data yesterday: under the Lions brand umbrella now appear Contagious, Cannes Lions, Warc, Acuity Pricing and Effie.
By Jorge Raúl Martínez Moschini
Chairman of Adlatina Group
The participation of Elon Musk, one of the most powerful businessmen in the world, made Cannes Lions headlines in the economics pages of the main global media and the focus of attention for a public that had not previously taken it into account.
Meanwhile, and practically in parallel, Informa (specialized in festivals) announcedthe purchase of Ascential(owner of the event) for approximately 1.6 billion dollars, with the firm intention of transforming it into a much larger business.
When the echoes of the shocking transaction were still resonating, with effects on the London Stock Exchange, a couple of weeks later the circle was finally closed when Ascential announcedthe agreement with Effie Worldwideto unite the Lions Awards with the Effies.
“The union of Lions and Effie is a powerful testament to the fact that marketing effectiveness and creativity are inextricably linked,” said Philip Thomas, CEO of Ascential. “Every enlightened business knows that creative and effective marketing drives growth. This landmark partnership will complement the insights and intelligence on marketing and creative effectiveness that Lions already offers through Warc, The Work and Contagious, and will provide marketing leaders around the world with the data and evidence they need to champion creative marketing that matters. Meanwhile, the creation of The Effie Lions Foundation will educate and inspire our industry, and expand the opportunities available to everyone to build a career in creativity and marketing.”
