The 2023 Young Lions Canadian competition announces Top 5 marketers and media teams

The Globe and Mail, the Official Festival Representative in Canada for the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, has announced the Top 5 teams for the 2023 Canadian Young Lions Competition in the Marketers and Media categories.

Modeled after the Cannes Global Young Lions Competition, entrants received a brief and had to complete the challenge for their respective category within a 24-hour or 48-hour period.

Each year the competition jury chairs select a non-profit organization as the subject of the competition briefs. This year, there were two charities:

Competitors in the Media category were given 24 hours so create a media strategy, addressing the challenge of: how to build the Nature Conservancy of Canada community (goal 500,000 by 2030) among a younger demographic. Marketers were given 24 hours to develop a big, innovative idea and written submission that creates awareness of the collective reconciliation journey and opportunities to “Do Something” to move reconciliation forward through tangible reconciliACTIONs offered by the Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund, that also link with your brand business objectives.

The semi-finalists in the Marketers category are:

  • AMAZON DO SOMETHING DAY
    • Shweta Choudhury, Global Product Marketing Manager, Amazon
    • Alex Levy, Marketing Partnerships Manager, NBA Canada
  • THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND
    • Christie Stelling, Brand Manager, Twisted Tea & Truly Hard Seltzer, Moosehead Breweries
    • Sarah Smith, Creative Manager, Moosehead Breweries
  • THE PURPLE LEGACY
    • Mike Miura, Manager, Commercial Marketing Strategy, MLSE
    • Ryan Grippo, Associate, Strategy, MLSE
  • FOOD FOR THOUGHT
    • Abigail Rigonan, National Marketing Specialist, McCafé & Breakfast, McDonald’s Canada
    • Jordyn Posluns, National Marketing Consultant, McCafé & Breakfast, McDonald’s Canada
  • KNOW YOUR BUDS
    • Maci Levy, Brand Manager, Labatt Breweries of Canada
    • Rochelle Singer, Brand Manager, Michelob Ultra, Labatt Breweries of Canada

The semi-finalists in the Media category are:

  • THE E.T. PASS – A BIODEGRADABLE TRANSIT PASSCARD
    • Camille Recto, Media Buyer, Hearts & Science
    • Ramya sri Sethu, Programmatic Analyst, Hearts & Science
  • MY NATURE MOMENTS
    • Béa Beaini, Assistant Media Designer, Cossette Media
    • Gabriel Lafond, Media Designer, Cossette Media
  • CONSENT TO CONSERVE
    • Thierry Lessard, Head of data and technology, Cartier
    • Olivier Houle, Media Strategy Supervisor, Cartier
  • DO YOU HAVE THE WILLPOWER
    • Dustin Wilson, Associate Director of Strategy, OMD Canada
    • Kunal Jain, Paid Social Supervisor, OMD Canada
  • #CONSERVETHELOVE
    • Geneviève Amyotte-Graveline, Media Coordinator, Media Experts
    • Geneviève Dansereau, Media Planner, Media Experts

The Marketers and Media Top 5 teams will virtually participate in the live judging stage of the competition taking place on Tuesday, April 11th, where our revered panel of judges will determine the top-3 placing teams. Those placing teams will be revealed on April 26th, at the CMDC’s Annual Canadian Media Summit at the W Hotel in Toronto.