Agency All-Stars: Shayne Millington's Creative Work Has a Point of View

When Shayne Millington, CCO of McCann New York, oversaw the first Super Bowl ad for NYX Professional Makeup this year, it was perhaps inevitable that the campaign would make some noise. Starring rapper Cardi B, the L'Oréal brand’s suggestive spot made a joke about men misusing its lip gloss to enhance their private parts. It flipped the script on a “historically male-dominated event where women are often the butt of the joke,” Millington told ADWEEK at the time. The commercial ruffled some feathers, including those of the National Football League, which at the last minute signed off a truncated version without the spicy joke to run during the Big Game. Despite not airing in full, the campaign grabbed attention and started a debate about whether women’s perspectives are seen and heard equally in advertising. Whether the controversy surrounding NYX’s Super Bowl debut was McCann’s intention or not, it was typical of the work that has defined Millington’s career: culturally resonant advertising with a point of view. Millington, one of ADWEEK’s 2024 Agency All-Stars, has already made her mark since assuming creative leadership of McCann New York three years ago. The agency has scooped accolades including Agency of the Year at the 2023 Epica Awards, while she was one of three female CCOs on Cannes Lions’ 2023 Top 10 Chief Creative Officers report. As evident in Microsoft’s 2023 campaign “ADLaM,” which preserved the Pulaar language of the Fulani people of West Africa and won two Lions in Creative Effectiveness and Creative Strategy this year, Millington is often responsible for shepherding work that progresses major brands. Throughout her career, she has helped transform some of the biggest brands in the world, including Microsoft, Nike, Verizon, Target, Smirnoff, and Mastercard. Other recent creative highlights include T.J. Maxx’s new platform “Maxx What Makes You, You,” which encouraged women to embrace their individuality; and Smirnoff’s “We Do We” global campaign celebrating the spirit of togetherness. Millington was also instrumental in creating “The Pen to Right History” for The Last Prisoner Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to cannabis criminal justice reform. The campaign included an actual pen that loved ones of people affected by cannabis incarceration used to write letters to political leaders asking for justice. In June, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore took up the pen to pardon more than 175,000 convictions and called on other elected officials to do the same. When the campaign started, it shone the spotlight not on those incarcerated but on a daughter who grew up without her father because he was jailed for 22 years on cannabis charges. “We felt we could help give those people a voice,” Millington told ADWEEK. Like much of her work, The Last Prisoner Project opened up a different side to a well-worn narrative—and went on to have an impact far wider than a typical ad campaign. Millington’s career so far is proof that listening to and including diverse perspectives in creative work can raise the bar for the entire industry. Check out the full Agency All-Stars list here.

Agency All Stars

Agency All-Stars: Shayne Millington's Creative Work Has a Point of View

How she's helped transform some of the world's biggest brands

Brittaney Kiefer

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Brittaney Kiefer