Cindy Gallop Reflects on a Decade of Glass Lions
What a difference a decade makes. Ten years ago, Cindy Gallop headed up the inaugural Glass Lion, the unique Cannes Lions award which ‘implicitly or explicitly addresses issues of gender inequality or prejudice, through the conscious representation of gender in advertising’. Now, in 2024, Cindy is back to lead the jury.
As Cindy takes in the full sweep of the past 10 years, past winners alongside this year’s crop of entries, she sees real progress in the work.
“First of all, I’m just very gratified by the vast spectrum of work and it’s obviously from all around the world,” she says. “And secondly, I think the difference I’ve observed from 10 years ago is there’s so much more willingness to ‘go there’ in terms of identifying fundamental societal issues and, in the context of both brands and NGOs (because obviously the Glass Lion is open to both), the determination and commitment to addressing those issues... You know, there are so many problems in the world today that militate against equality and inclusiveness that it’s very heartening because there are so many people and businesses and organisations tackling them with a real desire to drive change. That’s what I find very encouraging.”
Despite having judged the Glass Lions before, Cindy’s not interested in dredging up insights and advice from her prior stint in the jury room. So much has changed in the work and the world.
“Honestly, that’s not relevant because that was 10 years ago,” says Cindy. “The world has moved on in all sorts of ways. So I wouldn’t presume that 10-year-old observations had any relevance when judging in 2024. And I think that’s quite an important statement to make because, quite frankly, our industry is way too fond of 10, 20, 30-year-old observations. We are in 2024.”
One thing that has changed significantly since Cindy’s first whirl on the Cannes Glass Lions carousel is the addition of a live judging element. Similar to the Titanium Lion, shortlisted entrants will get the chance to expand upon their entries and submit themselves to a grilling from the jury. “I think that’s a fantastic upgrade of how we judge the shortlist, which I’m very much looking forward to,” says Cindy.
One of the other big changes, which has been introduced for this year’s Cannes Lions is the new humour sub category, which is threaded throughout everything from Direct to Design. But does humour really have a role to play in tackling gender inequality and injustice? Cindy reckons so.
“I think, just as humour has always played a huge part in our industry generally, in terms of persuasion, it plays a very important part in anything that is setting out to drive change. The use of humour can be an enormously powerful tool in breaking down people’s defences and getting them to your message. That is [just as] true this year as it’s ever been and it’s as true when you want to drive change as it is in any of the products and brands that we sell for our clients.”
When it comes to a category like the Glass Lion or the Sustainable Development Goals Lion, there’s enormous scope for big ideas that make real meaningful change. However, on the flip side, there are still many brands that seek to exploit serious social issues for selfish gain, coming from a place of insincerity. For Cindy, sussing out that intention is a core criterion.
“It’s very easy to see that difference, and that is absolutely one of the fundamental judging criteria,” says Cindy. “In my jury briefing call, I absolutely laid that out. We are looking at where the work has come from and where it is going. And what I mean by ‘where the work is coming from’ is - has it come from a place of authenticity and integrity? And in terms of ‘where it’s going’ - what impact does it have? How effective is it?”
Looking at this year’s entries and the past winners, Cindy explains that with those brands that deliver against this, one can look at a particular brand’s own ‘sphere of operation’ and can immediately see why it has a responsibility to do what it’s doing.
Outside of the judging, the other thing that Cindy is really looking forward to is her keynote speech in the Palais on Friday June 21st at 4pm. ‘How to Change Advertising for the Better, Fast’. It promises ‘radical insights for accelerating change to drive a more innovative, more lucrative and much happier industry’, including a discussion of why the female lens is key to the future of ad tech.
This focus on reinventing the culture of the industry is a topic that’s been occupying Cindy for years. As much as she’s been pleased to see progress in the work within the Glass Lion category, the cultural change has been much slower to materialise more broadly. That’s largely due, she says, to ‘insecure men’ creating barriers to this much needed transformation.
Cindy reflects on that very first Glass Lion award presentation. As other categories were awarded, she recalls sitting through man after man ascending the steps to the stage to pick up their prizes. “I was so incensed, I rewrote my speech in my head as I watched. And so, when I spoke from the stage… I basically said to the audience, ‘as you see who we’ve awarded Glass Lions to this year, its first year, I want you to take a long, hard look at your agency, at your holding company, at your creative department, at your team and ask yourself: would we award ourselves the Glass Lion?’” she says. “And 10 years on, that is still absolutely the issue.”
In her initial call with this year’s jury, Cindy says jurors were keenly aware of the great power (and, therefore, great responsibility) they will wield in the choices they make and the signals they send out. “A number of jurors talked about the responsibility they feel in awarding work that really sends a message to our industry about how our industry should be changing itself,” she says. “10 years on, sadly, that remains very much a needed standard for driving change within the industry itself, as much as in the work we do for our clients.”
Photo credit: Dorie Hagler
