Sid Lee is amassing an army of global thought-leaders to bring an end to the war on drugs.
The agency has launched a global crowd-sourcing experiment around the upcoming C2-MTL conference, an annual conference dedicated to commerce and creativity that was developed by Sid Lee and Cirque du Soleil.
The “Boot Camp” initiative is challenging creative types, entrepreneurs and business leaders to raise awareness and create a global movement to end the war on drugs. The best ideas generated during the 80-day process will be shared with Richard Branson during the second annual C2-MTL conference in Montreal May 21-23.
Virgin Unite, the non-profit arm of Branson’s Virgin Group, has been calling for an end to the war on drugs through decriminalization and regulation. Richard’s son, Sam Branson, recently created a documentary movie about the war on drugs called Breaking the Taboo. The movie argues that improving current drug policies is one of the key policy challenges of our time.
Sid Lee’s associate creative director and partner Eva Van Den Bulcke will judge and curate ideas shared throughout the process.
The four-step process is currently underway, with young creatives from around the world invited to submit ideas through the Young Glory platform – a worldwide competition devoted to creative consistency – until the end of the month.
Van Den Bulcke will then select the best ideas in two categories, students and young professionals, with the two winning teams invited to present and share the ideas with Branson at C2-MTL, where the business leader is one of the featured speakers.
The second step of the process will see C2-MTL ambassadors and Sid Lee’s senior executives conduct a series of workshops with global business leaders to get their perspective.
Sid Lee’s more than 600 employees from Montreal, Toronto, New York, Amsterdam and Paris will then work to create a global movement, with the best idea shared and presented at C2-MTL.
During the conference, delegates will develop their own ideas through a series of workshops, working alongside Sid Lee representatives and winners from previous rounds. Teams will then present the best concepts on the conference’s main stage, with Branson commenting on their ideas and discussing the future of the cause.
