CANNES DAY 3: The Art of Standing Out: Pablo Rochat, Sir John Hegarty & E.L.F Beauty
June 24, 2026
AI Summary
5 min readAhead of a packed day of interviews at the Cannes Lions festival, Colin and Samir opened by noting that Meta had just launched its latest smart glasses with a single Kylie Jenner Instagram post. “There are few true billboards left in this world,” Samir said, “and Kylie Jenner is one of those billboards.” The observation set the episode’s throughline: in an ocean of content, standing out requires something more than volume or celebrity. Across three conversations—with creative director Pablo Rochat, advertising legend Sir John Hegarty, and Elf Beauty president Kory Marchisotto—the same principles kept surfacing: honesty, surprise, and a willingness to be where no one expects you.
The craft of the unexpected
Pablo Rochat thinks in contrasts. His notebook is filled with simple visual ideas—AirPods designed to land like dice when dropped, leaf blowers treated as concert musicians—that twist the familiar into something surprising. For a Nike running shoe campaign, he started with the obvious: people run. Then he asked what an unexpected treadmill might look like. The answer was a concrete mixer, with an actor running on its rotating drum. The ad worked because it took one step from reality rather than ten.
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What you'll learn
- 1 (01:16) **Episode Introduction & Cannes Context** - Colin and Samir welcome viewers to day three of their daily show from the Lington Lounge at Cannes Lions, previewing guests including Pablo Rochat, Sir John Hegarty, and the president of E.L.F. Beauty.
- 2 (05:43) **Pablo Rochat: The Process of Standing Out** - Pablo Rochat, a director and creator, joins to discuss his approach to making ads that people actually want to watch in a crowded feed.
- 3 (10:29) **Case Study: Nike & Gucci Campaigns** - Pablo breaks down the creative thinking behind two of his major campaigns.
- 4 (15:14) **Pablo’s Advertising Rules & Notebook** - Pablo shares his three rules for good advertising and gives a peek into his sketchbook.
- 5 (21:20) **Sir John Hegarty: The Legend of Advertising** - Colin and Samir welcome Sir John Hegarty, creator of iconic campaigns for Levi's and Audi.
- 6 (26:22) **Stalking vs. Seducing the Audience** - Sir John discusses the shift from scarcity to infinite ad space and how brands should behave.
- 7 (34:49) **The Power of the Outsider & AI** - Sir John argues that the best creative people are outsiders who can look in, using David Hockney's view of California swimming pools as an example.
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Show Notes
We are live from the LinkedIn Lounge for Day 3 of Cannes Lions. Today, we sit down with creative director Pablo Rochat, industry legend Sir John Hegarty, and e.l.f. Beauty President Kory Marchisotto to discuss the shifting dynamics of storytelling. Discover why the best brands act like entertainment studios, how to manage community feedback during high-risk campaigns, and the ultimate rule of effective advertising: tell the truth.
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