e4m@Cannes:  ‘If agency brands aren't differentiated, they disappear’

As Cannes Lions 2025 begins, José Miguel Sokoloff, President of the Global Creative Council at MullenLowe Group and President of Team Unilever at IPG, opens up about the network’s creative standing, ambitions, and future amid industry shifts. Why has the “Agency of the Year” title eluded MullenLowe since 1996? How is the agency adapting to the fast-evolving digital landscape? And what lies ahead in the wake of the proposed Omnicom–IPG mega merger?

In this candid conversation with e4m’s Neeta Nair, Sokoloff reflects on the changing nature of Cannes, and why the agency has prioritised meaningful, client-backed work over award-focused entries. Addressing the fear of collateral damage from the merger, he reflects upon the importance of preserving agency identities.

From integration models and brand differentiation to the responsibility of shaping campaigns that matter, Sokoloff unpacks the present and future of creative work with clarity and conviction. Through it all, he remains grounded in one belief: great ideas, not size, define relevance.

Excerpts from the conversation:

Tell us, which MullenLowe entries do you think will pass the test of creativity at Cannes Lions this year?

Oh, you’re starting with the trickiest question! Cannes is hard to predict, like the future usually is. But I can probably predict the past! What I feel proudest about is that our entries are really important, they’re campaigns where clients put in a lot of money, and many of them are their biggest campaigns of the year. That, to me, is exciting. These respond to specific briefs and are central to the clients' goals. That’s what we, as an industry, have a responsibility to deliver. And if those win, I’ll proudly say, they were the ones I believed would win.

I was looking at MullenLowe’s track record over the years, it’s been a while since you won the overall Agency of the Year. Is it a shift in focus, or just a case of "we didn’t make it"?

You're right. The last time we won Agency of the Year was 1996, and that was a very different Cannes. Our network has become smaller since, so it’s more a matter of size than commitment. Yes, we’ve had some bad years, but last year we actually over-indexed. We were Agency of the Year in the Classic Track, for example. Cannes today is very different, and we don’t have the same budgets. It’s also a numbers game, and we have to admit—we don’t have the numbers.

Like you said, you managed to become the Agency of the Year in the classic track, which focuses on traditional mediums, print, outdoor, etc. Tell us, how soon before you become just as relevant in the digital space?

That’s the tricky part. The classic side of advertising still mostly awards the ‘idea’ because in print, for example, there’s very little surprise left in the medium itself. It’s really about the strength of the idea. And I’m happy with that. Now, the challenge is to keep getting better at taking those ideas beyond traditional spaces. That’s something every agency is grappling with. But if you look at our shortlists this year, we’re there in categories like Creative Data, Social, Creator, we have some very strong work there. So yes, we are making the transition, but I believe that transition is more powerful when it’s led by better ideas. I’ll take both.

These days, we hear a lot about seamless integration across agency networks. But tell us, what is it that clients truly value today? Is it a great agency and leader, or is it the entire ecosystem that brings multiple proficiencies together?

We’re all going through a crunch: cutting costs, smaller teams. Clients have fewer people in their marketing departments, so they can’t address every challenge all the time. What they value most in an agency partner now ‘be my concierge’. Be the one who finds solutions by bringing in the best talent from across the board. Seamless integration isn’t optional anymore, it’s expected. In fact, Cannes used to have an entire category for integration. That’s gone now, not because integration isn’t important, but because it’s a given. What’s really happening is that clients need us to take more weight off their shoulders. They want one point of contact: someone who coordinates, simplifies, and delivers. That’s what truly matters today.

One interesting thing Lowe Lintas is doing in India is instead of acquiring or building in-house proficiencies, they’re collaborating with specialist agencies. Is this a model MullenLowe is following globally?

India and the leadership of Subbu (Subramanyeswar S.), always brings interesting things to the table. And this is one of them. They’re not pioneering it. It's been done, but they’re doing it in a very structured way. We definitely have a lot to learn from it.

Whenever there’s a big merger or acquisition, we often hear that some agencies or teams become collateral damage. With this huge merger between Omnicom and IPG, is there any fear within the corridors of MullenLowe that parts of the agency might be impacted?

There’s fear everywhere. Even the biggest agencies involved don’t feel completely safe. So yes, as a smaller agency in the larger scheme, that concern exists. The reality is that there will be some collateral damage. But how much and in what way? No one really knows. According to me, Omnicom has always shown they care about the brands in their portfolio. And that’s important. For an industry like ours that constantly talks about the value of branding, it would be disingenuous not to protect and value our own brands.

What gives me some reassurance is what Omnicom has stated publicly that they believe in the power of agency brands. They’ve made that clear in their press releases and leadership communications. That’s the right approach, as in today’s world, brands that aren’t differentiated tend to disappear. That’s the harsh truth. But I believe the MullenLowe brand is differentiated, having a clear point of view, and uniqueness gives it staying power. So yes, there’s uncertainty, but also confidence in what we bring to the table.

Watch the full interview with José Miguel Sokoloff here: Can MullenLowe Make Magic Without Money? José Sokoloff Gets Real at Cannes Lions 2025