As the first-ever global CCO at Edelman, Judy leads a team of creatives and planners globally. Before joining Edelman, she was at Leo Burnett where she served as CCO for North America and CEO for Canada. Judy has been recognised at many awards shows globally and is known as the driving force behind the Emmy, Titanium Lion and Black Pen-winning campaign ‘Always #LikeAGirl’. Judy ranked as the #1 CCO in the world in Advertising Age's Awards Report 2015 and in 2019 was named on Gold House's A100 List of most influential Asians in culture.
Judy is looking forward to the return of Cannes Lions in person; the talks, meeting old friends and - most importantly - leading the judging as jury president for the PR Lions. While Judy believes it’s “easy to drive buzz by doing something outrageous or latching onto culture,” what she says makes a Grand Prix-worthy PR campaign, is storytelling and “action that drives impact.” Speaking to LBB’s Ben Conway, Judy talks through her jury room preparations, the criteria for a successful PR campaign and the “dark arts” of creating buzz for the sake of it.
Judy> Bringing a sweater and snacks. It’s usually cold in the judging rooms and days are long.
Judy> For me, a good jury president sets the bar high for the work and moderates the discussion by creating a safe space for conversation.
Judy> With the constant and overwhelming amount of content on so many more platforms, earned [media] is more important than ever. PR is an exciting and growing category because all the best work earns attention. I think across the industry, ‘impact’ is what we’re all looking for beyond impressions and views. And in PR, does it drive earned, what is the effect on the brand/company, and does it create action that drives impact?
Judy> Judging virtually doesn’t allow for the depth of conversation that happens in person, the fluidity of conversations and sharing ideas when you’re sitting across from one another. I think the work we curate in person is more thoughtful and nuanced.
Judy> The best ideas still come from innovative and surprising problem-solving. What makes a great PR campaign is storytelling and, as mentioned in a previous question, whether it drives earned, what the effect is on the brand/company, and if it creates action that drives impact.
Judy> It’s easy to drive buzz by doing something outrageous or latching onto culture, but what does it do for your brand/company long term. I once heard a jury member call it the ‘dark arts’ – getting a quick PR hit by doing something outrageous, but it has no relevance and doesn’t say anything about the brand/company. The pitfall in my mind is buzz for buzz's sake, not building reputation or sentiment.
Judy> [Last year’s PR Lions Grand Prix winner] ‘The Bread Exam’ is the perfect example of work that plays on the subtleties of a particular culture. There’s so much we can all learn from other cultures and communities. It's important that we take the time to explore and discuss the diversity of thinking and solutions that are culturally significant.
Judy> Craft has an intangible influence in terms of impact on the world. During this year's judging, we will discuss and debate all aspects of the campaign – from how something is designed to how the quality of execution influences whether it is viewed, shared and engaged with.
Judy> The big talking points will be what we’re all talking about lately: the future - how new technologies, platforms and payment systems will impact the business. And how that intersects with geopolitics, the economy, diversity and people’s need and expectations.
I’m looking forward to seeing the best from around the world and refuelling my creativity with that optimism.