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After winning gold in a national public relations competition, a 25-year-old Windsor-born woman is flying to the south of France to represent Canada in one of the world’s most prestigious advertising contests.
It was a public awareness campaign for dementia that landed St. Joseph’s Catholic High School graduate Reagan Sullivan and her teammate a spot in the Cannes Young Lions competition next week.
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The duo will now compete against 230 teams representing countries around the world.
“Cannes is known in our industry as the Super Bowl of advertising,” Sullivan told the Star on Wednesday.
“The who’s who is there. There’s CEOs of agencies that we could only dream to work for one day, as well as celebrities. So, to be among the best creative talent in the world, we’re really in awe, and we’re ready to soak up that global perspective.”
Sullivan, who now lives and works for an advertising company called No Fixed Address in Toronto, will compete next week with her teammate, 29-year-old Cara von Ende.
On Monday, June 16, each team will receive a brief and have just 24 hours to develop and pitch a campaign to a panel of judges.
Sullivan said she is ready for the task.
“We’ve really been training and we’re hoping to sharpen our skills,” she said.
“It’s not going to be a brief in the Canadian market. So, we’re really going to have to open our minds.”
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During the Canada Young Lions competition in March, the assignment was to create a campaign for the Baycrest Foundation, a Canadian organization that fundraises for dementia research and care.
Within 24 hours, the team pitched a campaign called The Fading City, in which iconic Toronto landmarks — such as the Toronto sign in Nathan Phillips Square — would gradually disappear, prompting media and public attention.
Eventually, the Baycrest Foundation would reveal it was behind the campaign, which was a metaphor for the subtle, often unnoticed onset of dementia.
“We pulled an all-nighter,” said Sullivan.
“We were really passionate about our idea. Especially my partner, who has a close relative in her family who experiences dementia. Once we found out what the nonprofit was, we just felt really passionate. It was a big task, but we really enjoyed it.”
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When she learned that their campaign had won out over 397 teams competing from across the country, Sullivan said she experienced “complete disbelief.
“There is such a pool of incredible creative talent in Canada, so we knew that we were up against some really tough competition,” she said.
“So to initially have found out that we were shortlisted was such an honour. Then to have found out that not only were we shortlisted, but we won, I couldn’t believe it. I was just really proud of myself and my partner, but also to be now representing Canada on the global stage.”
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Although the campaign was not actually used, Sullivan said the competition’s sponsor, The Globe and Mail, shared the pitches with Baycrest Foundation.
Sullivan studied business at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo before moving to Toronto the start her career in advertising.
Sullivan said she’s also excited for the Cannes International Festival of Creativity from June 16 to 20.
The lineup features keynote speakers, including actor Reese Witherspoon, Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon, social media influencer Alix Earle, tennis champion Serena Williams, and more.
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