On Neurodiversity Pride Day, Havas didn't just join the conversation around inclusion; they reframed it. Their new global campaign, Beyond the Brief, launched live at the 2025 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, was designed not to spotlight neurodivergent talent as a token effort, but to reposition it as essential to the future of the creative industry.
Helmed by Donna Murphy, Global CEO of Havas Creative and Health Networks, the campaign builds on the foundation of Neuroverse: Powered by Havas, aiming to shift how the industry identifies and cultivates creative potential radically.
"We're at a pivotal point of transformation in the creative industry, driven by the rise of AI and the welcoming of new tools and ideas," Murphy explained. "Yet there remains a clear gap. It's one that Havas believes has a clear resolve by tapping into the immense potential of neurodivergent creative talent."
The message is simple: the creative industry benefits not just from neurodivergent minds. It needs them to survive what's next.
The campaign's anchor panel, "Neurodivergent Minds: They Don't Need Advertising. Advertising Needs Them," was held on June 16 at the Palais Lumière Theatre. Moderated by The Daily's Michael Barbaro, the panel featured Murphy, Renee Connolly of Merck KGaA, and British singer-songwriter Lola Young, who brought raw honesty and authenticity to the discussion.
Young didn't mince words when describing her place in the creative world. "I'm not here to fit into anyone's idea of what 'creative' should look like," she said. "I'm here because the way my mind works is exactly why my art connects." Diagnosed with ADHD, she added that her diagnosis wasn't a limitation, but a strength. "ADHD isn't a barrier; it's the engine."
That ethos echoed throughout the campaign's presence at Cannes. Days before the launch, unbranded digital teaser displays appeared along the Croisette, posing provocative questions like, 'What if the future of creativity doesn't look like the past, and never did?' Each display featured a QR code that led to a dedicated microsite with a full agenda of neurodiversity-focused programming, including featured panels, downloadable insights, and events hosted beyond Havas.
The entire rollout sent a clear signal: this is a movement, not a moment.
It's not just anecdotes driving the need for change. A 2025 study from Understood.org and the Ad Council reveals that 69% of neurodivergent professionals believe their thinking style gives them a creative advantage, yet only 19% feel supported at work. That gap between potential and understanding is precisely what Beyond the Brief seeks to close.
The campaign also highlighted that neurodivergent people are more than just creative contributors; they're also a critical consumer demographic. A session at the Havas Café titled "The New Creative Alchemy: Neurodivergent Minds & AI as Industry Catalysts" offered a roadmap for how brands and agencies can better support neurodivergent talent and create products and campaigns that resonate with their experiences.
"With Beyond the Brief, we're looking to amplify these voices and challenge the industry to rethink the systems in place," Murphy emphasized. By debuting the initiative at the largest creative festival in the world, she made it clear that this wasn't about corporate social responsibility; it was about redesigning the very ecosystem of creativity.
Too often, neurodivergent candidates are excluded not because they lack ideas, but because the hiring systems weren't designed for them. Job descriptions use vague buzzwords. Interviewers prize eye contact and neurotypical social norms. Creative briefs lack clarity or accessibility.
Havas' campaign challenges these defaults. The microsite offers a downloadable insights report along with recommendations on everything from more inclusive hiring practices to designing sensory-friendly work environments. It's about removing the friction that has long kept brilliant, divergent thinkers outside the door.
"The campaign calls on everyone in the industry to help shape a future of creativity that's more dynamic and powerful than ever before," Murphy noted. That future requires intentional, actionable change, not just applause from the audience.
For years, the advertising industry has praised the value of thinking outside the box. But as Young and others made clear, neurodivergent creatives never saw the box in the first place. Their brains operate with different rhythms, connections, and cues, and that difference is their edge.
To ignore that is to ignore the direction innovation is already headed.
Panels like the one at Cannes Lions weren't confined to back corners or check-the-box sessions. They were mainstage moments. They asked the industry to rethink not just who gets hired but what creativity means in an era shaped by AI, global crises, and shifting audience values.
We are finally at the precipice of building a world where neurodivergent minds are not just welcomed but embraced. It's not enough to be inspired by their talent. We must adapt our systems to include them from the start.
Murphy, Young, Connolly, and the Havas team are showing what that future could look like: one where the industry stops viewing those who are neurodivergent as a challenge to manage and starts recognizing it as a competitive advantage. Because the future of creativity doesn't resemble the past; it never has.