Mumbai: The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity has announced that it will honour Susan Credle with the Lion of St Mark, the festival’s prestigious lifetime achievement award, recognising her outstanding contribution to the global advertising industry.
Credle, currently Interpublic Global Creative Advisor, will receive the honour during the festival scheduled to take place from June 22 to June 26 in Cannes, France. The award celebrates a career spanning more than four decades, which began with an internship at BBDO in New York.
Announcing the honour, Simon Cook, CEO of LIONS, said, “Susan Credle is a trailblazer and a creative force. Throughout her career she has consistently built cultures where creativity thrives, producing iconic work while shaping the values, standards and conditions for success. Cannes Lions has had the privilege of witnessing Susan’s brilliance many times. She has served on our Juries eight times, three of those as Jury President, including Titanium, and her influence on the work itself is undeniable. She understands deeply that creativity is more than a driver of progress; it is an economic multiplier. Beyond the iconic campaigns, Susan has been a generous mentor to leaders, peers and generations of creatives, and a tireless advocate for inclusion and the next wave of talent. Her contribution to the industry is significant, passionate and generous, and we are honoured to recognise Susan with the Lion of St Mark. We look forward to celebrating her extraordinary legacy in Cannes.”
Over the years, Credle has led award-winning campaigns across several global brands. In 1996, she and her art director partner Steve Rutter launched the iconic ensemble of M&M’s characters, a campaign that helped propel her rise within the advertising industry. She has also guided notable campaigns such as Allstate’s Mayhem, Secret Deodorant’s Mean Stinks anti-bullying initiative, and McDonald’s’s Happy Meal literacy campaigns.
Reflecting on the honour, Susan Credle said, “When I walked into the lobby of BBDO on Madison Avenue in the summer of 1985, I saw a poster celebrating Pepsi’s Cannes Lions Grand Prix-winning ‘Archaeology’, directed by Joe Pytka. The Jury that honored that work set the bar for what great advertising could be. It was provocative and beautifully crafted and showed real respect for the audience. More importantly, it launched something much bigger – the ‘Choice of a New Generation’ platform that took the Cola Wars to another level. That Cannes Lions Award taught me something I’ve carried with me ever since: the best ideas don’t just succeed in the moment – they strive to be NVRFNSHD.”
Throughout her career, Credle has held leadership roles across some of the industry’s most influential agencies, including BBDO, Leo Burnett and FCB. During her tenure as Global Chief Creative Officer at FCB, the agency’s North America operations were named Cannes Lions North America Agency of the Year for six consecutive years, while the network was recognised as Global Network of the Year at Cannes Lions in 2020/21. The network was also ranked the No.1 Creative Agency for Effectiveness in the 2023 WARC Effective 100.
Credle will receive the Lion of St Mark award at this year’s festival and will also appear on stage for the Lion of St Mark seminar on June 22, where she is expected to share insights from her extensive career in creative leadership and advertising.
