Draftfcb's 2011 Cannes Lion Seminar

Jonah Lehrer, best-selling author of “How We Decide,” to share the stage with Draftfcb’s Laurence Boschetto and Matthew Willcox

Draftfcb will present its annual seminar at the 2011 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity on Monday, June 20, at 12.30pm (CEST) at the Debussy Theatre in the Palais des Festivals. “Exploring the Science of Creativity” delves into understanding how creativity works -- demonstrating how the tension between science and art can offer unexpected creative solutions that inspire consumers to act.

Laurence Boschetto, worldwide CEO and president of Draftfcb, will introduce Jonah Lehrer, best-selling author and journalist, and Matthew Willcox, executive director of the Institute of Decision Making and director of strategic planning at Draftfcb San Francisco.

“Creativity is worth billions to businesses. Yet we tend to shy away from understanding how creativity works and how we can make it better, as if inquiring too deeply into its black box may render it less effective,” said Laurence Boschetto. “Our aim is to take some of the mystery out of creativity without removing the magic, while exploring the importance of art to science and science to art.”

Draftfcb’s guest presenter, Lehrer, 27, has been hailed as “something of a popular science prodigy,” by The New York Times, as well as a man of “considerable talents.” He is the best-selling author of “How We Decide” and the soon to-be-published “The Science of Creativity.” A graduate of Columbia University with a degree in neuroscience, he studied at Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar where he received his Masters Degree in 20th century literature and philosophy. Lehrer is also a contributing editor at Wired Magazine and National Public Radio's Radio Lab. He has written for The New Yorker, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal.

Willcox is a driving force behind Draftfcb’s Institute of Decision Making, launched in 2010. The institute was formed with the aim of applying emerging fields such as behavioural economics and neuroscience to marketing communications.

Lehrer’s expertise in the field of decision-making functions of the human brain complements Draftfcb’s Institute of Decision Making as well as its innovative 6.5 Seconds That MatterSM operating system, which recognises the brief period of time marketers have to capture consumers’ attention through creative executions that inspire them to act. This approach was born out of understanding the power of using science to inspire more effective creativity.

About Draftfcb
With its foundation based upon the equal principles of creativity and accountability, Draftfcb is the first global, fully integrated marketing communications agency to operate against a single P&L with one unified management team and no silos. The agency is driven by a singular focus on consumer behavior as expressed by its proprietary 6.5 Seconds That MatterSM operating system, which recognizes the brief period of time marketers have to capture consumers’ attention through creative executions that inspire them to act. The Draftfcb network spans 161 offices in 96 countries and employs more than 9,200 people.