3 takeaways from Cannes Lions any PR or marketing pro can apply

Winners and presentations from Cannes Lions continue to make headlines as brand managers continue to sift through lessons learned.

Here are three insights from the festival that any communicator can implement, regardless of organization’s size, budget or industry:

1. Diversity and inclusion efforts aren’t engagement or sales tricks.

There’s no shortage of diversity lessons from missteps: Following backlash, Dolce & Gabbana, Prada and other fashion designers were forced to pull ads and merchandise that many called racist. Ancestry apologized following an ad that social media users said romanticized slavery.

On the opposite spectrum, Nike stoked debate and garnered applause for its campaign featuring Colin Kaepernick.