Kate Stanners; Keeping Curious

Twenty years ago, having just moved to Saatchi & Saatchi London from St. Luke’s – a hip, independent agency that didn’t enter awards – Cannes wasn’t even on Kate Stanners’ radar.

So, when she was invited to sit on the Cannes Lions Film jury, she politely declined, not yet realising the significance of the opportunity. Cue a horrified phone call from Saatchi’s CCO. “I asked him, ‘Why would anyone want to do that?’ And he just went, ‘Kate, it’s a privilege’.”

"There were only two women on the jury: myself and Susan Credle. So, 19 men. A very different time.”

She quickly accepted the role and soon found herself at her first-ever Cannes Lions as part of a jury led by John Hunt, the founder of South African agency Hunt Lascaris. “It was the most extraordinary experience. There were 21 judges. It was terrifying,” she recalls. “I think there were only two women on the jury: myself and Susan Credle. So, 19 men. A very different time.”

Above: Kate Stanners, Saatchi & Saatchi London’s CCO and this year's president of the Film jury in Cannes.  

In what feels like a full-circle moment for Stanners, she’s been invited back to the Cannes Film jury again this year. Only this time, she’s not just taking part, she’s leading it, as jury President.

Stanners studied graphic design in Liverpool, where her passion for Liverpool FC was born, and more crucially where a fellow student secretly submitted their portfolios for a summer placement at BBH. They both got in, so off they went to London – Stanners somewhat reluctantly, apprehensive about following in the footsteps of her father, who worked at Leo Burnett. “I never particularly understood what he did, but I knew I didn’t want to do what my parents did, in that slightly rebellious ‘I need to do my own thing’ kind of way.”

“Dave [Trott] used to say that our work had to be something that would be talked about in pubs and playgrounds.”

The placement sparked two big realisations. “One, I realised I wasn’t a great graphic designer,” she laughs. “But I also learned that I had ideas, and that the currency of advertising was problem-solving through a design and storytelling sensibility.” Perhaps advertising blood ran through her veins after all.

Her first main-stage job came when she teamed up with writer Tim Hearn at Gold Greenlees Trott in the late 80s, where Dave Trott became her first major creative director influence. “Interestingly, BBH was the sleek, cool place, and GGT was the slightly edgy, scrappier place, making very populist work,” she explains. “Dave used to say that our work had to be something that would be talked about in pubs and playgrounds.” This became a guiding principle for Stanners – to make work that captures people’s imaginations and creates conversation.

Above: A campaign for Clarks, one of Stanners' early pieces of work while at St Luke's. 

She worked at GGT for eight years, followed by a short stint at Bates Dorland. Then came the call to be part of a startup, St Luke’s, which she described as: “A collective of quite young people who set up an agency and ran it in a way that didn’t follow the usual rules.”

She was quickly asked to join Saatchi & Saatchi as CCO for the London office, then Chairwoman a couple of years later. Two decades on, she’s still there. “I haven’t moved around much, partly because I’ve always had such incredible opportunities to work with amazing people,” she adds. “Each place I’ve worked at has evolved so quickly that it’s felt like a new role every time.”

“I haven’t moved around much, partly because I’ve always had such incredible opportunities to work with amazing people.”

Although a lot has changed over those 20 years, her vision for the agency remains the same. “We have something written on our steps: ‘Nothing is impossible’. When you have a fundamental principle like that, it becomes a North Star. The circumstances around it will change, but the core idea of creating work that influences people and has impact – that never changes. That’s the genius of what the Saatchi brothers set up.”

That principle has guided the standout campaigns she’s brought to life over the past two decades, such as her work with P&G, particularly the iconic Super Bowl ads for laundry detergent Tide. “People always assume you can make exciting ads for trainers or phones, but doing cool stuff for laundry? That’s not so easy.

Above: It's a Tide Ad, from 2018, was a huge, award-winning spot that broke new ground. 

Something else she’s proud of is her work with T-Mobile, where she led a transformation of the mobile network’s brand identity. Under her leadership, they launched bold, culturally resonant initiatives from flash mobs in Liverpool Street Station [Dance] to spoof royal weddings [The T-Mobile Royal Wedding]. But it wasn’t just spectacle: the project Sea Hero Quest, a mobile game created to support dementia research, demonstrated how brand work could deliver genuine social impact.

A more recent example of that impact came in a piece of communication for Beiersdorf, owner of skincare brand Nivea, which launched its support for cancer care. “I actually went through cancer myself a couple of years ago, so it’s something that’s very close to my heart,” she shares. “That was one of the most satisfying things I’ve worked on recently. I was able to bring my own experience to the work and impart it with personal understanding.”

“[#PooFace] resonated with parents, showing them that parenting isn’t just tough - it’s funny too."

Across her career, there have been projects that taught her even more valuable lessons. One she recalls was for Pampers, which showed the faces babies make when they go to the toilet, boldly titled Poo Faces. “I had recently had my son, so I was very aware of how relatable and funny that moment is. But, for the client, it was uncomfortable - yes, they make nappies, but do we really want to talk about what goes into them?”

She pushed hard for that idea, and it was hugely successful. “It resonated with parents, showing them that parenting isn’t just tough - it’s funny too. But I also learned that when clients aren’t in that headspace, certain insights are harder for them to embrace.”

Above: T-Mobile's Dance and Royal Wedding spots. 

As a woman who’s worked her way up to a leadership role, Stanners has witnessed first-hand how the industry has evolved. Initially, she admits, she wasn’t the most vocal advocate for women in the workplace. “When I started out, I was aware that I was one of very few women in the industry, but I didn’t want to draw attention to it. I’m inherently shy. I just wanted to be good at my job,” she explains.

But over the years, her position within Saatchi & Saatchi has allowed her to become a guiding voice for gender equality. “I slowly became more vocal on the subject, and that led to simple but important changes. A lot of young women would come to see me, because I was the only one who looked like them - the only one they felt comfortable approaching.”

“When I started out, I was aware that I was one of very few women in the industry, but I didn’t want to draw attention to it. I’m inherently shy. I just wanted to be good at my job.”

One step she took was ensuring that women play a central role in the hiring process at Saatchi, which helped elevate female creatives and leaders within the company. This has seen tangible change, with women making up just over half of their staff today.

While progress has been made, she’s quick to point out that there’s still a long way to go, noting that the next frontier is ensuring voices of all minority groups are included and heard. “Our agencies still don’t fully reflect the world we live in. I don’t think you can say you’re a creative business responding to culture and society if you can’t reflect that within your own teams.”

She points to initiatives like Free the Bid, which aims to provide equal opportunities for female directors, and D&AD Shift, a night school for people who haven’t gone to college. Stanners is also keenly aware of how the issue differs in global contexts, with some countries further along than others. “In many parts of the world, it’s still extremely tough for women to get into the industry or hold leadership roles,” she adds. “Our work is by no means done.”