This Lucky Generals campaign calls out harassment in advertising ahead of Cannes

Ahead of one of the industry’s biggest weeks of the year, media agency Lucky Generals has released a campaign attempting to tackle the issue of sexual harassment in advertising.

It lands just as pretty much anyone who’s anyone in ad-land is gearing themselves up for an extended jolly under the sun on the French Riviera at the 66th instalment of Cannes Lions. Sorry, we mean “preparing themselves to participate in an internationally-renowned festival of creativity,” of course.

An “industry task force set up to report on and combat sexual harassment,” timeTO are dedicated to enacting real change within the advertising industry. It first teamed up with the media agency – whose previous clients include the likes of Budweiser, Under Armour, and Amazon – before Christmas party season last year.

The original work has now been joined by a new, Cannes-specific short film which highlights the unwanted attention that many delegates may find themselves subject to during the festival.

Cannes Lions are on board with the campaign, offering up prime digital signage real estate throughout the event’s duration. Industry insiders Campaign states that attendees will be proffered timeTo branded sun cream during their time at the festival, and that the anti-harassment messaging will be plastered over billboards at French airports.

Campaign quotes Lucky Generals’ founding partner Helen Calcraft as saying: “This is an industry spotlight moment for us to efficiently and effectively resurface debate post-launch, raise further awareness and directly impact behaviour. We need everyone to consider where they draw the line at Cannes."