What do marketers want to see in Cannes?

People and purpose over technology

Many expect AI to dominate the event but there were also strong pleas for a focus on brand purpose and creativity rather than technology as well as a more impact-centred discussion of how creativity delivers results for brands. “I would be amazed if the talk of the town in Cannes is not AI. But I think that, as leaders who are there, we also have to spend a lot of time thinking about how to skill our teams to make sure they know how to use AI and how to work in an organisation that has AI functioning in it,” said Jonathan Adashek, Chief Communications Officer, SVP, Marketing Communications at IBM.

Results, results, results

Results were another big ask. It’s all about “results, results, results” for Taide Guajardo, Chief Brand Officer Europe at P&G. “We’re in the business of driving growing brands.”

Similarly, Jane Wakely, Chief Consumer & Marketing Officer and Chief Growth Officer at PepsiCo, was looking for greater emphasis on impact. “I’m inspired at Cannes to lift the bar, to raise the bar, to punch out the ceiling and I think the one thing I would like to see us do more rigorously is to be clear about impact, to be clear on results, to be clear on what matters in terms of KPI. So I am pushing my teams to dream big, but also to be very boardroom specific on what matters in terms of KPIs.”

Creativity that inspires

But many felt that Cannes should be all about the creativity and inspiration. “It’s an opportunity to learn, to be inspired, inspiration is what I would hope and expect from Cannes,” said Marcel Marcondes, Global Chief Marketing Officer at AB InBev. “It’s a moment for you to see the best pieces of work in the world.”

WFA President and CMCO of Mastercard, Raja Rajamannar, agreed: “Be inspired by the best creativity in the world. I think when you’re going to a festival of creativity, that should be your No. 1 objective, because in a world that is increasingly democratised in terms of technology, the difference for a company will happen through marketing. Attendees should look at what’s happening creatively and be inspired by it.”

Others said it was important not be distracted. “I’ve been to Cannes many times and sometimes it’s more about the business meetings, the parties and the yachts. It’s amazing place to have a conference. I’ve spoken to some people and, I’ve been a victim of it as well, you don’t actually go and look at the creative. So, I really want to challenge the industry go spend time with creatives, spend time with what works around the world. Take inspiration from that,” said Allyson Witherspoon, Corporate VP, Global Chief Marketing Officer, at Nissan.

More humility

Finally, there was also a plea for some humility from the marketing industry as a whole. “One thing I would like to see from Cannes is a bit of humility and a bit of openness to the fact that particularly on social and on environmental issues we’re not getting it right. Because admitting that means we can get some excitement about what we could be doing better,” said Solitaire Townsend, Chief Solutionist and Co-founder at Futerra.