May, 2026.- In the 2026 advertising landscape, the line between an ad and content we actually choose to watch has become definitive. For Chris Beresford-Hill, Worldwide CCO of BBDO Worldwide, the premise is simple: if you have to argue that something is entertaining, it probably isn’t. Leading the Entertainment Lions jury, Chris seeks to reward work that competes directly with the shows, events, and hobbies that occupy our free time. But his vision goes beyond festivals; under his leadership, BBDO has evolved its iconic mantra toward an ambitious “Do BIG Things.” This shift reflects a clear stance: creativity should not be a downstream asset delivery but a strategic tool placed at the start of the process to solve real business problems, transforming any surface into a space for ideas that move culture.
In this exclusive interview with Roastbrief, Beresford-Hill breaks down how media fragmentation demands bigger ideas, not smaller ones, and why in the age of AI, “taste” and the human brain are the ultimate filters separating the forgettable from the iconic. Recalling milestones like “Michael CeraVe,” Chris reflects on the difficulty of making ambitious work look easy and Cannes’ responsibility to reward what actually works in the marketplace. Discover why being “useful” remains the best advice for the next generation and how BBDO is shaping a future where commercial impact and narrative excellence are one and the same indivisible force.
1. The President of Entertainment Role
The Entertainment Lions reward work that doesn’t feel like advertising, it competes with real entertainment. Shows on your watchlist, things on your weekend calendar, stuff you actually choose to spend time with. For us, if it has to be argued as entertaining, it probably isn’t. That’s what makes this so fun, the bar is high, but it’s also very clear.
2. BBDO’s Creative Philosophy
About a year ago we moved on from “The work. The work. The work.” to “Do BIG Things.” We’ll always obsess over what we make, that doesn’t change, but the message needed to. Creativity has drifted downstream into asset delivery, and that’s not the game we want to play. We want to be further upstream, using creativity to solve real business problems. The output can be anything, campaign, product, show, whatever it needs to be.
3. The Global CCO Lens
We’re not overly formal about it. The real answer is we try to have the best creative leaders in the world, people who already know what great looks like because they’ve made it. So we don’t spend a ton of time defining standards, we focus more on where we’re headed together, which is ideas that solve business problems and actually make an impact, not just win awards (though we fully expect our best work to always win awards).
4. The State of Big Idea Creativity
I don’t think there are small channels, just small ideas. Any surface can hold a big idea, that’s what makes them so powerful. When you start thinking small, the work disappears – small spaces tending to get functional messages. In a fragmented world, you actually need big ideas more, not less.
5. AI and Creative Leadership
If anything, taste becomes more important. There’s going to be a lot of stuff out there, fast, cheap, kind of forgettable. Work that has a real human brain behind it, a point of view, that’s the stuff that’s going to stand out and connect.
6. Cannes Lions at a Crossroads
The most valuable thing Cannes can do is reward work that actually does something, solves a real business problem or genuinely moves culture. Not work that’s designed to win awards. When the industry’s biggest stage celebrates the real stuff, the Lions mean more, and the whole business gets healthier. I hope if we award correctly we not only preserve the value of the trophies now but for anyone who has won one in the past.
7. Mentoring the Next Generation
The advice is always the same. Be useful. Ask how you can help, overdeliver, then ask what else. Do that consistently and you become someone people rely on. You get better, and you start getting the best opportunities.
8. The Work You’re Proudest Of
I’m a little over talking about it, but Michael CeraVe is still one of my favorites. The idea came really fast, but making it was anything but easy. Small team, big ambition, a lot of friction along the way. A LOT. In the end it became more than a campaign, it was entertainment, it was a very fun prank. And like most things worth doing, it was pretty hard… but I hope it looked easy.
