Bonjour à tous!

J’espère que tout le monde va bien et que tout va bien…I’ll stop there before I embarrass myself with my woefully limited French 😊.

It’s that time again when Cannes is firmly upon us and sun, europop and hopefully a dollop of world-class creativity lie just ahead.

Alongside all the usual madness, surprises and reunions, it’s always wonderful to take a moment to celebrate the best and most inspiring work from around the world, and most importantly (for those of us lucky enough to attend), a chance to see each other in one place.

As always, there will be many theories written about and trends analysed in the lead up to, during and after Cannes.

They all have merit in their own right and of course, everyone is entitled to their opinions on what’s new and where the industry is going, both good and bad.

But as complicated and complex as our landscape and world becomes, I think we still fundamentally understand what makes work great – work that makes people care about something in some small or big way, and ideas that actually live in the real world, and have some form of impact on real people and the lives that we live.

As I’ve sat and watched hours of the best of the DDB family from around the world, I think at our best we understand the most important of all these debates – that ultimately heart, emotion and feeling are still the most important ingredients and where the magic ultimately lies.

So hats off to you all!

For all your phenomenal talent, hard graft and unwavering passion.

And also to our wonderful clients, for their incredible trust and partnership, without which we couldn’t do what we do in the pursuit of making brands grow and matter to people for all the right reasons.

This is an incredible family to be part of and I use family intentionally, because the best families celebrate and encourage individuality whilst being connected by a set of common values and beliefs.

From Africa to Paris, Adam and Eve, Sydney, Nord, Dubai, Mudra, Chicago, DM9, Berlin, Hong Kong, Alma, Warsaw, and everyone else around the world (so sorry I couldn’t mention you all!), I feel very lucky to be part of such a generous, diverse and big-hearted group of people.

Good luck at Cannes!!

Much love,

Chaka