Key takeaways from Cannes

Written by Ciaran Howley, Lead Strategist

Another captivating Cannes comes to an end, and after a week of being intellectually challenged and creatively fulfilled, these are the thoughts that are still spinning through our overbooked meeting rooms:

Earned wins Grand Prix: This is the first time we’re seeing earned media campaigns win marketing’s biggest awards, proving not only their boundless scope for creativity but the real-world effects in growing a business too. This is the start of a sea change, and you’ll see more claim their moment in the spotlight from here on, with Specsavers’ Misheard Lyrics campaign win being the icing on the cake for us: Never gonna give up on hearing | Tangerine (tangerinepr.com).

Women’s Sport: As well as increasing the size of the opportunity in sport, the audience  is becoming broader and more diverse. New interest from beauty and retail brands means it’s not just the same faces that have been in the space for the last few years, opening the door to more imaginative creative in areas we haven’t seen yet. Athletes are becoming more prominent in wider campaigns too.

AI – Displacer or Supporter? More publishers and ad tech providers launch more tools as Spotify builds an AI ad format for voice ads. Transparency and ethics were guiding much of the conversation, some believe we’re still in the ‘hot air hype cycle’ while others are finishing their products and bringing not only creative output tools but data-driven technology that supports business decision making. How do we use technology to enhance creative talent rather than replace them?

Creator Economy Boom: One talent agency brought three times as many creator clients this year, while media publishing houses acknowledge influencer marketing is no longer a specialist niche and are looking to bring in house and consolidate. AI has its fingerprints here too and as AI influencers proliferate - where does their audience draw the line between authenticity and usefulness?

New challenges, a little concern, but a great deal of excitement, drove the energy of this year’s event. It feels like we’re on the cusp of a big technological shift that will likely have made more of an impression by the time we regather in 2025. More on how we’re approaching that ourselves: https://www.prweek.com/article/1873171/tangerine-invests-12m-ai

We cannot wait for the journey.