Today, June 3, 2026, the HEC Alumni Marketing Group will present its Marketing Audacity Award (Prix de l'Audace Marketing).
Serving on the jury made me wonder: what does audacity actually mean for a marketing department? After all, "Learn to dare" (Apprendre à oser) is HEC’s motto. Aside from Robert Papin, who threw us into the sky with a parachute, my business school professors struggled to teach us how to dare, as their primary mission was to teach us business concepts. It was in the field that I truly discovered what it meant.
Yet, when a young graduate joins a company, their first instinct is rarely to shake things up. Instead, their manager asks them to follow the rules, adapt to the status quo, and follow processes to avoid mistakes. And let's be honest: few managers spontaneously congratulate a team member for a truly bold initiative.
Yet, audacity is often listed among the corporate values displayed in the reception halls of major companies—preferably in English.
This creates an interesting paradox in which marketing has a unique opportunity to thrive. After all, it is marketing's role to stand out, create differentiation, and open up new growth spaces when all players look the same—escaping the infamous "red ocean."
This is the fine line for companies: moving forward without endangering the core business, and innovating while managing risk—which is to say, avoiding wasted resources.
When a CMO presents an innovative idea, the same questions inevitably return: Have you tested it? Benchmarked it? Are you sure?
The honest answer is usually no. In this territory, a marketing team relies on conviction, experience, and intuition—a space far removed from certainty. If the initiative succeeds, everyone will claim they believed in it all along. If it fails, many will remember that it seemed strange from the very beginning.
Where do bold ideas come from?
They aren't about simply following the latest trend or copying a competitor's good idea. Instead, they lie in expanding the brand's territory of expression. They emerge when a company knows its identity well enough to explore new horizons without losing itself.
I often think back to the launch of Westfield Stories, a short film festival set in Westfield shopping centers, when I was Marketing Director for URW France. How did we come up with this seemingly surprising idea? Why would a commercial real estate group launch a short film festival when its core business is renting retail space to brands? Simply because shopping centers are spaces where people live, and human life is about experiencing and telling stories. Thus, a new territory opened up for us, where the brand came to life and found its full meaning—so much so that the team was recognized for its audacity by the industry, far beyond the real estate sector.
A step to the side. Not a leap into the void.
This is exactly what this year's Marketing Audacity Award winners are exploring: Sandfall, by offering an authentic and original historical universe; Lidl, by exploring its private label potential; PSG, by transforming into a lifestyle brand; and Renault, by carrying an icon into the future.
Today, consumers are bombarded with more messages than ever. In a saturated environment, audacity is more critical than ever. It is not about making noise or creating buzz. It forces us to question habits, certainties, and sometimes even past successes.
Looking back, the projects I am most proud of are not the ones that had the most reassuring business plans. Rather, they are the ones that caused a brief silence in the room when first presented. That unique moment when everyone realizes the idea is outside the box. Not completely. Just enough to open a new door.
So yes, today, with this Marketing Audacity Award, let's celebrate the bold. Not just those who succeed, but also those who accept the risk of trying. In a world that encourages reproducing proven recipes, audacity remains one of the last true sources of competitive advantage and value creation—as well as a source of joy and creativity in our work.
Here's to audacity!