The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity is set to honor advertising veteran Jacques Seguela with the prestigious Lion of St Mark award. Seguela, former co-vice chairman/chief creative officer, Havas SA, had a brief stint as a Doctor of Pharmacy and a journalist, and went on to establish the Roux Seguela with Bernard Roux. He was the creative mind behind hundreds of successful campaigns.
Seguela produced the landmark work with ‘Produits Libres’ for Carrefour and for Citroen, he sent a Citroen AX hurtling down the Great Wall of China, and was the first advertiser to dare name a Citroen after Picasso. He also led campaigns of former French President Francois Mitterrand, creating the famous 1981 slogan ‘Le Force Tranquille’, which brought advertising into the history of France. Seguela repeated it seven years later with ‘Generation Mitterrand’.
Philip Thomas, chairman of LIONS, said Jacques Seguela turned 90 years of age this year, and still comes into the office every single day to work on campaigns for his clients. “The word is overused, but Jacques is an icon. He is bold, passionate, and creative – and all with a tremendous sense of warmth and humor,” he said. “He’s been to Cannes Lions more than 50 times, his first visit being to the Venice edition in 1975, where he was a member of the Jury and won his first Lion for Aeroports de Paris. His stories and experiences are captivating. As an industry we are delighted that he made the career change from pharmacy to advertising because we have all benefitted from his creativity as a result.”
Seguela said he has witnessed the industry evolve with every decade. “But one thing has never changed: advertising is, has been, and always will be about having an idea. I have had the great honor of working my whole life not to sell products, but to make brands eternal and I love it,” the veteran shared. “I am incredibly moved to be recognized with this iconic award and I share it with all my fellow creatives who stand behind their ideas, choose optimism and give brands the only thing that will keep them alive – soul.”
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