Starcom, Microsoft to host TED@Cannes at Cannes Lions 2010

Starcom MediaVest Group (SMG) and Microsoft will host TED@Cannes, the first industry sponsored Technology, Entertainment, Design (TED) event. This invite-only event will be held at the Microsoft Pavilion from 4:30-7:30 p.m. on Monday, June 21, 2010 during festival week. This is only the second installment of the “TED@” series. The first was TED@State in 2009 sponsored by The Global Partnership Initiative, a government program launched by U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton. 

Nicholas Christakis, author of ‘Connected’, Stefan Sagmeister, iconic graphic designer and Naveen Selvadurai, Foursquare founder are among the prestigious and up-and-coming speaker ensemble. In addition, other TED@Cannes speakers include game designer Jane McGonigal and social media analyst Clay Shirky (author of Here Comes Everybody).

“Social media’s multiplier effect in our digital-enabled world provides unprecedented opportunities to create human experiences in real-time,” said Laura Desmond, Global CEO of Starcom MediaVest Group. “TED@Cannes is designed to inspire, provoke and redefine the rules that fuel our expectations on how we approach social media, leverage earned media, manage talent and respond to business challenges. We are thrilled to bring this unique content to our valued clients and industry partners.” 

Topics to be explored and debated at the session include: How do ideas spread? A study that will be presented for the first time at TED@Cannes offers startling insights; -What does it mean to be local? As the world globalizes and individuals live their lives increasingly untethered to a single space, the idea of “local” takes on new dimensions which will impact advertisers and brands in the future. Other points of discussion include;

-Is gaming merely a diversion? Alternate and virtual worlds offer critical insight into a generation that grew up in front of the console;

-Who really values ‘values’? Does it matter? For a generation hungry for meaning, companies with strong values can forge lasting brand relationships;

-What will “beauty” mean in a globalized world? As the world flattens and culture evolves, so do our ideas of beauty;

-What will media look like 10 years from now? Who will create it, own it? How will it be delivered, where will it be consumed? What trends should you pay attention to?

-What really makes us happy? New science has uncovered counterintuitive ideas about what really drives happiness. What have we learned -- and how can that shape the way we seeourselves, our companies and our customers?

“Innovation and continuously pushing the boundaries of ‘what has been done before’ are core to Microsoft’s DNA,” said Darren Huston, corporate vice president, Consumer & Online, for Microsoft. “The future beckons with new ideas and solutions that will both change and challenge how we connect with each other and how we communicate in an ecosystem that has moved from mass to communities and passive one-way exposures to one defined by active, multi-dimensional conversations. TED@Cannes is truly a unique opportunity and forum, and one that Microsoft is proud to help bring to life.” 

The program includes a fast-paced, highly-curated 1 hour 45 minute session featuring TED’s famous 18-minute talks, music, short talks, video interludes, and other surprises. The program will be moderated by TED Executive Producer, June Cohen. 

"We're thrilled to partner with Starcom MediaVest Group and Microsoft in extending TED's mission of spreading ideas,” said June Cohen, executive producer of TED Media. "For TED@Cannes, we've curated a dynamic program of provocative thinkers and doers that will illuminate the profound forces in media and technology that are quietly, aggressively shaping our world." 

The collaboration between Microsoft and Starcom MediaVest Group to bring TED to Cannes is part of a series of joint efforts between the two companies dating back to the 2009 Cannes International Advertising Festival when Microsoft and SMG’s parent company, Publicis Groupe, announced a wide-ranging strategic partnership that spans content development, performance and audience.