Cannes Lions 2017: It was important for the Fearless Girl to be powerful, but not antagonistic, say creators

Tali Gumbiner, Senior Copywriter, McCann NY and Lizzie Wilson, Senior Art Director, McCann NY, who conceptualised the ‘Fearless Girl’, talk about the campaign that has taken the world by storm, winning four Grand Prix awards at the Cannes Lions

e4m by Srabana Lahiri
Published: Jun 27, 2017 7:31 AM  | 5 min read


Two young women and a fearless little bronze girl took the 64th Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity by storm, winning award after award and sealing their place in the history of the festival at Cannes. ‘Fearless Girl’, a bronze sculpture of a little Latina girl placed right opposite the raging bull on Wall Street in Manhattan, New York, is the brainwork of Tali Gumbiner and Lizzie Wilson from McCann New York. They worked on a brief by investment firm State Street Global Advisors to create an advertisement for an index fund comprising gender-diverse companies with a higher percentage of women among their senior leadership, and also to encourage more companies to appoint women in leadership positions.


At Cannes, the Titanium Grand Prix for ‘Fearless Girl’ on the last day of the festival capped a week that also saw it win PR, Outdoor and Glass Lions Grand Prix awards. ‘Fearless Girl’ becomes one of only two campaigns to ever win four Grand Prix awards at Cannes, the other being Harvey Nichols’ ‘Sorry, I Spent It on Myself’ in 2014. The most highly honoured campaign of the festivals remains 2013’s ‘Dumb Ways to Die’ by McCann Melbourne, which won five Grand Prix awards.


‘Fearless Girl’ was applauded for being both timely and permanent. “That is not an ad. That is beyond anything we’ve ever done,” said Titanium Lions jury president Tham Khai Meng, worldwide CCO of Ogilvy & Mather, calling the work disruptive and irreverent’. “We may not be here anymore one day, but that thing, that icon, will stay there forever,” Khai added.





We caught up with Tali Gumbiner and Lizzie Wilson beside the red carpet at the Palais des festivals after an award ceremony, to talk about their iconic work. Here are edited excerpts from the conversation:




Tell us how the idea of the Fearless Girl took shape and became a statue for the campaign. Did you model her on anybody you know?


We knew we had to disrupt the financial districts idea of leadership and power—the charging bull being the most salient icon of that.


Once we landed on him, we started discussing the right symbol as a companion piece, to establish women's place in the financial district. From there, the girl was born—she was modelled after a number of girls, so she would have a more ubiquitous look and be more widely relatable.




Tell us a little about the qualities of the Fearless Girl, and what attributes you wanted her to have.  


Every detail was considered to express our message of fearlessness— the tilt of her chin, her stance. It was important that she be powerful, but not antagonistic.




What was the advertiser’s feedback? Is this the first version that you presented or were there other versions too? 


The client always knew there was something there. In collaboration with them, Eric Silver and Rob Reilly, we landed on the girl.




Did you expect Fearless Girl to win so big - four Grand Prix awards in four categories? 


No way! So exciting and unpredictable! No one could expect that.




Tell us some stories from the making of the campaign.


Given that we didn't have a statue until the day of the launch, Tali, being the shortest member on the team, became the stand-in Fearless Girl for any prep photographs, decks, base measurements, etc.




Where does the Fearless Girl go from here? 


Hopefully nowhere! Fingers crossed she's staying right where she is for good.




What are some of the other projects that you are working on? 


This year, we did some really exciting work and had a lot of great opportunities at McCann and a team that truly advocates and builds upon interesting ideas: Godiva's The Box that Keeps Giving, the Cutest Cause for Tommee Tippee, the Most Wonderful Ornament and Hippo for the United States Postal Service. 


WHO ARE TALI GUMBINER AND LIZZIE WILSON?




TaliGumbiner, originally from Los Angeles, has spent the last decade migrating east, with a pit stop at the University of Michigan. She stumbled upon her career in advertising one fateful New Year’s Eve five years ago, whilst sitting in the trunk of a Subaru hatchback. Currently, she is a writer at McCann, where she’s had the opportunity to work on projects such as Godiva’s Box That Keeps Giving, The US Postal Services’ The Most Wonderful Ornament, and, most recently, Fearless Girl. She is also attempting to get her MFA from NYU somewhere in the weeds.




Lizzie Wilson, a proud native of Athens, Georgia, originally ventured from the south to get her BFA in photography from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Like most great things, her career in advertising began with an extensive Google search. For the past three years, Wilson has worked as an art director at McCann, where she’s been a part of projects such as Godiva’s Box That Keeps Giving, TommeeTippee’s The Cutest Cause and, most recently, Fearless Girl.


TaliGumbiner and Lizzie Wilson have been ‘happily married’ at McCann for the past year-and-a-half! Their partnership is founded on the principles of being kind, doing good, and making something interesting along the way. While they come from very different backgrounds, they’ve managed to find a common ground through their bleeding hearts and love of superfluous dog videos.

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E4M Our strategy is to target younger audiences through Sports: Rajiv Dubey, Dabur

The Head of Media at Dabur India spoke exclusively to exchange4media on the World Cup, associating with Indian Idol, the company’s digital spending and much more

e4m by e4m Staff
Published: Oct 27, 2023 6:15 PM  | 1 min read
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With quirky campaigns, memes and moment marketing, timed with the ongoing World Cup and particularly the India-Pakistan matches, Dabur India has got considerable consumer attention for its popular brands – Red Paste, Cool King Hair Oil, Chyawanprash, Dabur Vita and the recently launched Bae Fresh Gel toothpaste.

The 140-year-old company is going big on key sporting events, World Television Premiere (WTP) movies and reality shows. It is now gearing up to become the title sponsor of popular talent show ‘Indian Idol’ on Sony TV for the first time, shared Rajiv Dubey, who leads the media strategy at Dabur.

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Swapan Seth's new book 'COOL' is out

The book is a reflection of the author's 'eclectic taste across categories'

e4m by e4m Staff
Published: Oct 27, 2023 6:07 PM  | 1 min read
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Advertising professional and art collector Swapan Seth has announced the launch of his new book COOL. The book is described as "a ready reckoner to the hip and the happening, of the known and the very unknown."

The book is a reflection of the author's "eclectic taste across categories: from boltholes to exotic hideaways."

COOL has been published by Simon & Schuster India and is available on Amazon.

Seth is an ad veteran with a long and illustrious career in the industry. He became the youngest-ever Creative Director at Clarion at age 24. He was VP at 26 at Trikaya Grey. Two years later, he started his agency Equus.

He writes for publications such as The Economic Times, Hindustan Times and India Today. This is his second book and he has previously published THIS IS ALL I HAVE TO SAY.

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Disney Star signs 9 sponsors for Asia Cup PAK

Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up come on board

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 26, 2023 11:48 AM  | 1 min read
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e4m Staff Disney Star has signed nine broadcast and digital streaming sponsors for the upcoming Asia Cup.

Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up have come on board for the upcoming tournament.
As reported earlier by exchange4media, Disney Star has sought Rs 26 crore for the co-presenting sponsorship on TV and Rs 30 crore for Disney+ Hotstar.

According to industry sources, the associate sponsorship on Star Sports has been priced at Rs 19.66 crore, whereas for the ‘powered by’ sponsorship on Disney+ Hotstar, the broadcaster is seeking Rs 18 crore.

As per the information available with exchange4media, Disney+ Hotstar has three sponsorship tiers-- co-presenting (Rs 30 crore), powered by (Rs 18 crore) and associate sponsorship (Rs 12 crore). The broadcaster is offering an estimated reach of 120-140 million for co-presenting sponsors, 90-100 million for powered by and 60-70 million for associate sponsorship.

A spot buy for 10 seconds has been priced at Rs 25 lakh for the India vs Pakistan matches, while for the non-India matches, the ad rate for 10 second is Rs 2.3 lakh. The India matches plus the final for ODIs has been priced at Rs 17 lakh per 10 seconds.

Asia Cup is scheduled to be held from 30 August, 2023, to September 17, 2023.

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Sorted 360 wins creative & social media mandate of Reliance Mall

The agency will manage offline and online campaigns for Reliance Mall

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 26, 2023 10:54 AM  | 1 min read
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Sorted 360, an integrated creative and social media agency, has won the mandate to providing brand solutions for Reliance Malls across India.

“Sorted 360 is set to enhance Reliance Malls' market presence with their unparalleled creative prowess and strategic thinking,” read a press release.

“Sorted 360's commitment to pushing the boundaries of creative communication aligns perfectly with Reliance Malls' ethos. With a pan-India presence spanning across 19 cities and growing, Reliance Malls has consistently captivated customers by offering an array of Reliance brands and third-party fashion & lifestyle brands. The mall has established an unparalleled connection with its patrons through superior quality, a remarkable value proposition, and an unmatched shopping experience,” it read further.

"We are thrilled to welcome Sorted 360 as our trusted partner in advancing our brand presence across the nation," said the Head of Marketing at Relaice Malls. "Their proven expertise in retail, shopping center management, and innovative creative strategies make them the perfect fit for our vision."

"Partnering with Reliance Malls is a testament to our commitment to shaping extraordinary brand experiences," remarked Prerana Anatharam, Co-founder of Sorted 360. "We are excited to leverage our strategic and creative acumen to further elevate Reliance Malls as the epitome of convenience, choice, and excellence."

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KlugKlug onboards Hemang Mehta as Country Manager for Indias

Mehta was most recently Head of Agency Relationships at Network 18 Media & Investments

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 24, 2023 3:35 PM  | 1 min read
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KlugKlug has appointed Hemang Mehta as its Country Manager for India.

Mehta will play a pivotal role in driving KlugKlug's growth and expansion within the Indian market and be responsible for Sales & GTM Strategy

Prior to that, he has also represented organisations like Exponential (now VDX.tv), India Today Digital and Rediff.com. His expertise spans various domains including digital media sales, mobile marketing, media planning, and buying, social media marketing, and more.

Hemang Mehta expressed his enthusiasm about joining KlugKlug, saying, "I am thrilled to be a part of KlugKlug, a forward-thinking platform that is reshaping the influencer marketing landscape. As much as I look forward to collaborating with the exuberant team at KlugKlug, I am super excited to interact with the brands to deliver powerful data-backed Influencer solutions that will guarantee business outcomes."

Commenting on the appointment, Kalyan Kumar, Co-Founder and CEO of KlugKlug, stated, "We are excited to welcome Hemang Mehta to our team as the Country Manager for India. His extensive experience in digital media sales and marketing will be instrumental in driving our efforts to provide influencer marketing solutions to our clients. We believe Hemang's leadership will be key in scaling our operations and expanding our reach within the Indian market."

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