Samsung Works to Accelerate the Global Goals at Cannes Lions 2022

Samsung Electronics demonstrates how brands can leverage their collective reach to empower young people and take concrete action to foster a better, more sustainable world.

Every year, the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity brings together countless brands and marketing industry leaders to collaborate in shaping the next wave of creativity. At the same time, with less than eight years left, the United Nations has reported that the world is not on track to meet the Global Goals by 2030. Last week, Samsung Electronics and three Generation17 Young Leaders attended Cannes Lions to bring attention to the role brands can play in helping to progress a more sustainable future for all. Generation17 is a partnership from Samsung and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to magnify the voices, stories and ingenuity of young leaders helping achieve the Global Goals.

Benjamin Braun, Chief Marketing Officer of Samsung Europe, and Generation17 Young Leaders Kristian Kampmann (Denmark), Nadine Khaouli (Lebanon) and Tafara Makaza (Zimbabwe) participated in a series of activities throughout the week, highlighting how technology and creativity can empower the global community, including young changemakers, to make an impact.

Generation17 Young Leaders (Kristian, Nadine and Tafara)

Samsung partnered with Project Everyone and Karmarama (part of Accenture Song) to host a panel discussion on how brands can transform talk into action, with a specific focus on uplifting the younger generation and leveraging technology to mobilize communities for the Global Goals.

Calling on businesses to facilitate positive change, Gail Gallie, Co-Founder of Project Everyone, asked Benjamin “as a client who is clearly dedicated to these goals and doing amazing things to achieve them,” how can Samsung “flex the client muscle to move the industry in the right direction?”

Benjamin highlighted that “55% of young people are saying that their voices are not being heard.” At Samsung he continued, “we have access to technology” and are “empowering young people by giving them the technology they need to amplify their cause.”

Main stage session held at Theatre Claude Debuusy

During the panel, Nadine emphasized Samsung and UNDP’s support in her fight to alleviate poverty and provide crisis relief resources across her home country of Lebanon. She shared “my mission is to bring dignity to every person in Lebanon. I couldn’t imagine a better pairing of brands to help me amplify my voice.”

Benjamin Braun and Nadine Khaouli

Samsung is using its scale to raise awareness around the Global Goals and empower communities to take measurable steps to create impact. In line with this, Samsung hosted the Samsung Global Goals Photobooth, an interactive experience in which festival attendees took fun photos while learning more about the Global Goals and the Samsung Global Goals App. This week also marked the start of Samsung’s work as a Business Avenger, a group of likeminded companies and organizations that are continuously seeking ways to innovate, collaborate, and drive progress towards the Goals.

When it comes to involving the younger generation in this change, Nadine underscored that “youth are no longer waiting in the backseat for equality.” In the context of Cannes Lions, Tafara said, “my call to action when I’m here is to encourage people to support organizations like us and to let you know that you can do good while doing well.” Kristian reiterated that, “Confidence is one of the most important areas for young entrepreneurs in our community and the second is support.”

Through Generation17 and the Samsung Global Goals App, Samsung is working with UNDP to provide necessary support for the Global Goals. Through these initiatives, Samsung has taken an active role in elevating the voices of the younger generation and harnessing the power of technology to make a difference. These efforts further demonstrate how brands can take tangible action to make a positive impact while empowering people all over the world to do the same.

Samsung Global Goals Photobooth

Frankie the Dino (Utahraptor and UNDP Climate Activist) visiting Samsung Global Goals Photobooth