#WomenNotObjects, more awards, the yacht report, and news from elsewhere

Good morning, delegates!

We promise no loud noises, flashing lights, or sudden movements in today’s dispatch. This daily email from Quartz is your guide to all the news and chatter from Cannes Lions 2016.

The weather looks to be a copy of yesterday, which is to say lovely, with a high of 24°C (75°F) and a few clouds in the sky that might well be the last we see for the entire week. It’s the real thing.

Yesterday’s highlights at the festival

#WomenNotObjects. Madonna Badger received two standing ovations for her speech calling on the advertising industry to stop depicting women as sex objects. The former Calvin Klein creative director—”I’ve been objectifying women for a long time,” she acknowledged—said ads that deny female humanity end up hurting brands, not to mention people. Badger began her talk with the affecting story of a 2011 house fire that killed her parents and three children. She said it made her more empathetic and focused on “the legacy I want to leave in the name of my three girls.”

Airbnb’s CEO blasted Donald Trump. ”Increasingly we’re seeing people want to be global citizens,” Brian Chesky said. “Anyone who tries to put up barriers against culture is going to be on the wrong side of history.”

More Lions were handed out. The Grand Prix in the Direct category went to INGO for giving Sweden its own phone number. Glass was won by Mindshare for Brooke Bond tea’s advocacy on behalf of transgender Indians. In Print and Publishing, the Grand Prix went to Y&R’s “McWhopper” campaign for Burger King, which proposed a collaboration with McDonald’s. Promo and Activation went to Venables Bell for REI’s decision to stay closed on Black Friday. The Grand Prix in Radio was won by Ogilvy’s spots for KFC defending the masculinity of its customers.

“Keep your friends close. Keep your trolls closer,” said Eka Ruola of Hasan and Partners, urging brands to engage with their critics. The panel itself was a bit of a troll, promoted by a fake kindapping video by the Advertising Liberation Army and featuring the activist and artist Jani Leinonen, who told the crowd, “When I look at advertising, it’s like looking at Lehman Brothers’ annual report. It’s all fine, amazing, then it almost crashed the world.”

What everyone is talking about

Ad blocking. This is shaping up to be the topic of the festival. Some sessions take it for granted (“In this ad-blocked world of ours…”), while others are more sanguine (“Why World Class Creativity Will Obliterate Ad Blocking” was the title of a panel yesterday hosted by the Interactive Advertising Bureau). And then there’s McCann chief Harris Diamond, who said, “It’s not deadly for us, but it is deadly for the publishers.” Speaking of publishers, New York Times CEO Mark Thompson said the newspaper plans to offer an ad-free subscription to readers who pay more.

Keeping the Cannes in Cannes Lions. The festival’s CEO, Philip Thomas, said he just signed a deal to stay in the city for another decade. “Although people say, ‘Aren’t you getting too big for Cannes?’, the fact is that the film festival has more than twice as many people as we have. So the region and the city of Cannes and the area around Cannes can actually deal with a lot of people.” The agreement avoids a repeat of when Mobile World Congress decamped from Cannes to Barcelona in 2007. “We’re very happy with that,” Thomas said. “Cannes is obviously very happy with that.”

Who has the biggest yacht? Don’t pretend you weren’t wondering. With those shoeless shindigs now underway, your correspondent hit the docks and consulted public records to determine, once and for all, the company boasting the biggest boat in Port of Cannes. And the grand prix goes to… Blippar. The startup, aptly in the business of augmented reality, has chartered a 63-meter-long megayacht known as 11-11. It is docked awkwardly between newspaper rivals News Corp UK (56 meters) and the Daily Mail, which actually has two yachts (59 and 30 meters) plus a large concert stage and a rotating sign looming over the port, the maritime equivalent of a screaming front-page headline. And that’s your nautical news for now.

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News from around the world

The US Senate blocked gun control bids. Senators voted down four separate measures on strengthening background checks and preventing suspected terrorists from purchasing firearms. The voting came in the aftermath of a June 12 massacre at a Florida nightclub that left 49 people dead.

Facebook investors approved a stock shift that keeps Mark Zuckerberg in control. The move will let the founder and CEO give away his wealth without relinquishing control of the company. Zuckerberg said earlier he intends to put most of his company shares into a new philanthropy project.

Oi filed for Brazil’s biggest ever bankruptcy protection. The nation’s fourth-biggest mobile operator failed to reach an agreement with creditors amid a harsh recession and mounting competition. The filing will likely have major repercussions in Brazil, with state-owned banks among the company’s top creditors.

Donald Trump is way behind Hillary Clinton in cash. He began June with just $1.3 million, compared to her $41 million, and 70 staffers vs. Clinton’s 700. Ahead of the new report, Trump fired his campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, saying ”he did a great job.”

Matters of debate

Meritocracies are horrible places to be less than smart. Intelligence shouldn’t dictate an individual’s worth.

Young Americans are giving up on capitalism. Or, more accurately, they’re sick of the way it’s being practiced.

Elon Musk is wrong: We’re not living in a simulation. It’s not so easy to explain away the physical world.

Surprising discoveries

In an age of mass shootings, companies are selling “ballistic furniture.” Bullet-proof panels can be used in desks or tables.

Fast-food chains are ruthlessly seeking new meals to exploit. One trademarked the term “brunchfast.”

A refugee camp riot was halted by the wifi servicemen. Syrians held in Greece stopped protests to let them pass.

Our best wishes for an inspiring day at the festival. Please send any news, tips, trolls, and international maritime signal flags to me, Zach Seward, at [email protected].

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