Goa Fest 2025: Creativity that dares to disrupt with Youri Guerassimov
Goafest 2025 has reached day 3 and Youri Guerassimov, CEO and CCO of Marcel (Paris), delivered a keynote that cut through industry jargon with one resounding message, bravery is not optional, it’s essential. Titled 'Creativity That Dares to Disrupt,' the session was a rallying cry for brands and creatives to reject safe formulas and instead lean into discomfort, purpose, and risk.
Guerassimov opened with a sobering truth, consumers encounter over 6,000 ads a day. “Just being seen is no longer the win. Being felt, that’s what counts,” he said. For brands to break through the noise, they must dare to challenge norms, step outside comfort zones, and even embrace tension.
“Feeling a little uncomfortable? That’s usually a good sign,” he quipped.
Referencing studies from Edelman and Accenture, Guerassimov underscored that modern consumers expect more than products, they demand values. “86% of people want brands to take a stand. And two-thirds say they’ll switch if you stay silent,” he noted. Silence, in today’s climate, can be louder than action, and far more damaging.
He cited Nike’s Colin Kaepernick campaign as a bold example of purpose-led bravery, one that sparked conversation and strengthened brand relevance. Similarly, Volvo’s decision to share safety technology with competitors wasn’t just altruistic, it was brave, strategic, and ultimately human.
Guerassimov made it clear that bravery isn’t synonymous with activism. “It can be in a product tweak, a business model, a piece of design,” he said. Take McDonald’s minimal outdoor ads, stripped to their bare essentials, they became iconic. Or Marcel’s own campaign for “Inglorious Fruits and Vegetables,” which transformed a quirky in-store promotion into a national food waste movement.
“Sometimes bravery is in the unglamorous work,” he added, referencing the behind-the-scenes efforts in legal, logistics, and retail that often go unnoticed but make all the difference.
Truly daring work, Guerassimov argued, leaves a cultural imprint. “It’s not just about what sells, it’s about what sticks. What enters the language, what shapes behaviour.” He pointed to Patagonia’s decision to donate its profits to environmental causes as an example of bravery that is deeply embedded in business DNA.
Crucially, he dismissed the notion that courage requires large budgets. “Bravery isn’t about money, it’s about belief,” he said. “It’s a mindset. A strategic tool. A superpower.”
Guerassimov closed with a line that echoed long after the session ended: “Fear is temporary. Regret is forever.” In a landscape of algorithms, metrics, and KPIs, the keynote was a call to return to the soul of advertising, where boldness, purpose, and emotional truth reign supreme.
At Goafest 2025, Youri Guerassimov reframed bravery not as risk but as strategy. For brands hoping to be remembered, not just noticed, courage isn’t a gamble. It’s the game.
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