“A question asked in the right way often points to its own answer.”  —Edward Hodnett

Some of the most important changes in history began when groups of people asked difficult questions of their elders, their rulers, and their textbooks. Questions have sparked democratic revolutions from Boston to Berlin, they have driven scientific paradigm shifts from Darwin to Einstein, and they have triggered social change from San Francisco to Soweto. These “burning questions” compel us to step back from the way we have always lived our lives, help us discover that change is needed, and point us to an answer that suddenly becomes completely obvious—and betters the world. It is time for us marketers and advertisers to ask ourselves a Burning Question that will unleash needed change in the work that we do for our customers, stakeholders, employees, and society as a whole.

It is an ambitious objective, but one that is clearly ready for the first bold action. The historic model of marketing and advertising stands on the brink of failure in many corners. Mass media is increasingly an oxymoron, as our customers shift their precious eyeballs to 500 cable channels and 50 billion YouTube videos. Product and service purchases are screened through the lens of social media, not pricey ad campaigns. And citizens of the world are calling on their governments to protect them from advertisements on their mobile screens and school buses. Simply put, our traditional marketing model is unsustainable.

On Friday, June 25 at the annual Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival in France, Jim Stengel and I will bring together the world’s largest brands and advertising agencies to reveal a Burning Question that will allow us to transform our work and our world. We plan to use this biggest, most-followed gathering of global marketers to spark a revolution—and we hope you will join us.

This revolution will be socialized. As we prepare to spark the revolution in June, we need your help to guide the discussion and plan to offer several ways for everyone to be involved. For starters, we are asking people to visit www.burningquestion.com and share what they believe is the Burning Question that will unlock change in our marketing paradigm. We will share the ideas openly, and Jim and I will draw on your input for our session. In a few weeks we will launch a contest in which we will identify a handful of fellow change agents to join us in Cannes (on our dime). And we will announce more ways to get involved before, during, and after this event. I can promise you that it is something that the Cannes Lions Festival has never seen before—and it will be meaningful and memorable whether you are in France with us or not.

This summer we’re going to set fire to the old assumptions about what marketing is and what it can be. Will you join us?