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Don't Sweat the Small Trends: Three Quick Things to Know from Cannes Lions 2024

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Bonjour again! As Cannes Lions continues, we’ve witnessed (and announced) exciting partnerships, creative gambits taking top awards, and a surge in conversations about how technology is redefining the advertising and creative landscape. From the narratives shared at the Palais to the electrifying energy at SPORT BEACH, here are the Three Quick Things shaping the future of our industry.

Let’s dive in,

Beth Sidhu
Chief Brand Officer, Stagwell

THE MAGIC IN THE MACHINE: Marketing thrives on the “magic” of renegade creative ideas. But with consumers spread across an ever-expanding matrix of channels, the best marketing now delivers adaptive, surround-sound brand experiences that meet consumers wherever they are. Achieving this without breaking the bank on overhead costs can be a nightmare if organizations haven’t built scalable production machines that enable the creation of thousands, if not millions, of assets underpinned by strong consumer insights. As the Lions roll in, campaigns like Pedigree’s “Adoptable”—which won the Grand Prix for Outdoor by leveraging AI to turn photos of shelter dogs near you into billboard-quality advertising—are leading the charge this week. Learn more about the interplay between “magic” and machines from Stagwell President of Global Solutions Julia Hammond in our recent webinar, “STGW: CURATED – The Next Five Years of Marketing.”
ATHLETE COLLABORATION vs. ATHLETE MANAGEMENT: “The best campaigns I’ve ever done, and had the best outcomes for brands, are the ones where we all had creative input and really collaborated,” said Manchester United Lioness goalkeeper Mary Earps at SPORT BEACH. Sponsorships are a two-way street, helping athletes build their personal brands while driving exceptional business outcomes for companies. The value of brand sponsorships, especially with the growing fandom for women’s sports, is evident in the data: on Mary Earps’ TikTok, each post is worth an average of $39K!So, how can brands unlock the true potential of sponsorships? It’s all about generating conversations, sharing values, and placing the content in the right context, while ensuring authenticity shines through in the campaign. To learn more about the future of sponsorships between athletes and brands, watch “It’s a Win-Win: Why Sponsorships Make Sense.”
DEBUNKING MARKETING’S EMERGING TECH PROBLEM: Advertising is a trend-centric industry, and for every trend, there’s a counter-trend. At our Cannes Lions keynote, Chairman and CEO Mark Penn reminded marketers about the power of nonconformist thinking when confronting emerging technology. His “Newtonian law of trends” suggests that for every consumer fad, there’s an opportunity waiting in the margins; i.e. for every metaverse, there’s a consumer craving in-person experiences; for every AI optimist, there’s a creative custodian wary of AI; for every social shopper, there’s an in-store enthusiast. These Newtonian forces can disorient companies, but they also shape opportunities. Have your strategists interrogate the “counter trends” around your core consumer insights; they might find a brewing market or a consumer set that could become a platform for growth

ALL THE ACTION, NONE OF THE SWEAT

Relive every moment from Stagwell’s SPORT BEACH at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity – without moving an inch. Stream mainstage sessions and interviews from the Content Studio on YouTube here. Keep up with the remainder of SPORT BEACH by visiting our site, or downloading the official SPORT BEACH app