The Italian debut of Creativity4Better (C4B), the flagship global forum of the International Advertising Association (IAA) celebrating creativity as a force for good and a driver of change, welcomed 500+ attendees from 20+ countries on October 2. Milan became an international stage for exploring the theme, Nuance in a Polarised World.

The curated program, hosted by BBC presenter and journalist, Kasia Madera, and one of Italy’s leading stand-up comedians, Francesco De Carlo, featured nine flagship sessions that received extensive international media coverage.

Speakers included renowned thought leaders and innovators such as Fredrik Haren (author, The Creativity Explorer); Isobel Sita Lumsden (Head of Global Business Marketing, Europe, TikTok); Christopher Patnoe (Head of Accessibility EMEA, Google); Daniel Lumera (naturalist and biologist); Margherita Pagani (entrepreneur, advisor, and podcast host); Sasan Saeidi (Global Client Lead, WPP); and Sandro Formica (Professor of Positive Organisations, Florida International University).

One of the most notable highlights was the debut presentation by Nic Cester, singer, songwriter, producer, and leader of the band JET, who introduced his latest project in collaboration with Sea Shepherd, Sound of Pollution. The track, deliberately layered with sonar and ship traffic sounds, recreates the disorientation experienced by whales and dolphins due to underwater noise pollution. The session concluded with an exclusive live performance for the attending audience.

Another audience favourite was the CMO Battle, where industry leaders, Ilaria Pasquinelli (CMO, Lions), Khensani Nobanda (Group Executive for Marketing & Corporate Affairs, Nedbank Group), and Paolo Lorenzoni (VP of EMEA Marketing, Tinder) each presented their top campaign picks, leaving the final decision to the audience, who crowned the winner live.

The day before the main event kicked off with two masterclasses – Fernando Machado, the former maestro CMO of Burger King, demonstrated how to turn creativity into a competitive advantage, while Pietro Grossi, internationally acclaimed author and literary talent, guided participants through advanced storytelling strategies and techniques.

Marianna Ghirlanda, CEO of BBDO Italy, president of IAA Italy, and organiser of the first Italian edition of Creativity4Better, commented, “Bringing C4B to Milan underscores our commitment to helping establish the city as an international hub of creativity, while simultaneously promoting creativity as a positive force in an increasingly polarised world.”

Creativity4Better is made possible through the support of leading partners including Accenture Song, ADC Group, Akita, BBC Studios, BBDO, Brief, Cannes Lions, Cardigan, Ciao People, Cookies, Cvent, DailyMedia, Dentsu, Dude, Economy, Engine, Excelsior Hotel Gallia Milan, Fastweb, Google, Grey, Hacking Creativity, Kühbacher, Lavazza, MontanariPR, NBCU Universal, Nielsen, Oak Seed Studio, Ogilvy, Opera Music, Peter Schmidt Group, Pinterest, Plesh, Promotion, Publitalia, Rai Pubblicità, Rosa Grand Milano, Sala Giochi, San Benedetto, Sorgenia, STS Communication, Taboola, This is Ideal, TikTok, TouchPoint, Uber, Urban Vision, VML, Yam112003, YouMark!.

The IAA has already begun planning future editions across international markets, furthering its mission to champion creativity as the most powerful driver of connection and change.