BBDO’s chairperson and chief creative officer, Josy Paul is jury president for the Sustainable Development Goals category at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

Ahead of the festival, he chats with us about Lions, how it has helped him gain global recognition, why BBDO wins by being ‘uncool’ compared to the start-ups in advertising, and a lot more...

“I’m looking forward to a brutally honest and compassionate debate with the jury,” he said about his role as jury president for the SDG Lions. This year, he’s not just looking at the brilliance of an idea, but whether it’s genuinely good for the world.

“I want to examine intent, impact and imagination with equal weight. It’s not just about the idea but the impact as well," Paul remarked.

He hopes the winning work doesn’t just shine in creativity but shifts minds and systems. Paul shared, “I always go to Cannes with an open mind. Great work is a great humbler. It makes me a student, not a guru—it makes me the ‘shuru’.”

He also reflects on the honour of hearing from exceptional fellow jurors. He plans to share his learnings on the final day of the event—blending personal reflection with professional insight.

When asked about BBDO’s track record at Cannes, particularly beyond successes like #ShareTheLoad and Touch The Pickle, he replied, “You don’t play tennis with your eyes on the scoreboard. You play because you love the game.”

He emphasised that the intent behind BBDO’s campaigns is always belief-led, not brief-led. Campaigns like Ariel’s Share the Load, Whisper’s Touch the Pickle, and work for Gillette, Mirinda and WhatsApp weren’t created to win - they were designed to spark conversations. “Some pieces rise and rise again. Some work quietly, like seeds beneath the soil,” he adds, noting that BBDO has won more Glass Lions at Cannes than any other Indian agency.

This year, BBDO has submitted four entries - for Ariel, WhatsApp, Candid, and Tata Ultra Marathon. He said, “As an agency, we call ourselves an ashram and we want to work in a way both brands and the community prosper.”

Do awards still matter in an era where multiple platforms offer recognition? His answer is clear: “They matter because they help the ecosystem. They make clients and the agency ecosystem feel good.”

For him, Cannes is a torchlight. Paul remarked, “If there was no Cannes, I don’t think our work for Whisper, Ariel or Mirinda would have received international attention. Awards are a highlighter for the world to take notice.”

On the topic of talent exits, with prominent names like Rajdeepak Das, Hemant Shringy and Ritu Sharda moving on, he said, “We just don’t create creative directors and ECDs… we create chief creative officers.”

He sees such departures as growth, not loss. Paul added, “When a student leaves a college, no one ever says the student has been lost. We are creating ambassadors.”

When asked about today’s emerging talent, he said, “It’s about talent plus enthusiasm. The childlike excitement gives me and them important energy.”

Despite perceptions that traditional agencies may not attract young talent, he disagrees.

“They come not just looking for a job, but for meaning and purpose," he noted.

BBDO’s outreach in colleges and festivals has kept the agency close to where creativity is blooming. He said, “They carry a piece of us with them. They are our ambassadors.”

Touching on being a ‘retro’ agency in a world obsessed with the new, he quips, “This place is retro, but so retro that it brings work that gets the truth of today’s world. We want to be where the future is shaped."

For him, it’s not about chasing the flash but owning the fundamentals that endure.

Even with newer project-based models and the influx of AI, his approach remains measured. “If it is big enough, then why not?” he said about project work. On AI, he noted that Omnicom has equipped them with tools, especially for creative and strategic functions.

Ultimately, he views exits like those of Suraja Kishore and Hemant Shringy as proud transitions. “They are building the BBDO brand now by going somewhere else.”

Read the full chat with Paul in our June issue. Click here to buy it!