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ARTICLE · 01 JULY 2026

Message From Cannes: Advertising Self-Regulation Is Creativity's Greatest Protector

Lewis Silkin
Lewis Silkin
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Lewis Silkin

Lewis Silkin

Joint managing partners: Jo Farmer, Richard Miskella International offices: Dublin, Hong Kong...

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Explore how advertising self-regulation serves as a fundamental framework that enables creative freedom while maintaining industry standards and consumer trust. Discover the delicate balance between creative expression and responsible marketing practices that emerged from discussions at Cannes.

United KingdomMedia, Telecoms, IT, Entertainment
Brinsley Dresden
Brinsley Dresden
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Today (25th June) I had the pleasure and privilege of addressing the creative community in Cannes in my capacity as Global President of the Global Advertising Lawyers Alliance (GALA) at an event organized by VIA, an Amsterdam-based marketing network. It was particularly attractive for me, as it was an opportunity to board the Amsterdam Clipper, anchored in the bay of Cannes.

The subject of my brief talk was why advertising self-regulation is creativity's greatest protector. And what, you may ask, do lawyers have to say about creativity?

The advertising industry is navigating an extraordinary convergence of pressures: the rise of generative AI, evolving platform dynamics, and an unprecedented wave of new regulation across jurisdictions worldwide. In the face of all this, advertising self-regulation is not a constraint on creativity. It is creativity's greatest protector. 

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