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1. YOU CAN’T SPELL BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION WITHOUT CREATIVITY: The future of the CMO is always a hot topic at Cannes. Marketing leaders are tasked with driving initiatives as impactful as their C-Suite peers. Good news—CMOs’ creative problem-solving skills equip them well. Emerging from the Creative Business Transformation jury room, Michael Treff, CEO of Code and Theory, emphasizes: “Business transformation must work across most company functions, or it isn’t truly transformation.” Looking ahead, Treff says marketers will miss out if they assume AI is the only opportunity for business transformation. “There are seismic changes in human behaviors happening…and ontological questions for a lot of businesses in categories that are going through disruption. What is the meaning of a financial services institution? What is the role of institutional education? What is the future of media?” Hear more from Treff here.  
2. ATHLETES AS RENAISSANCE ENTREPRENEURS: “As an athlete, I was always being told to just play basketball,” said NBA All-Star Carmelo Anthony at Stagwell’s SPORT BEACH, discussing the challenges of breaking into the exclusive wine and spirits industry. Now, “I’m kicking the door down and saying…give us a chance, let us come in and be creative, and let’s make magic.” Athletes like Anthony are diversifying into industries such as fashion, media, and philanthropy, proving pivotal in creating new economic opportunities. “We’re not made to be one-dimensional, we’re human – we’re made to do so many things,” said LSU Tigers basketball star and rapper, Flau’jae Johnson. Athletes are not just being sponsored by brands; they’re shaping them, suggests alpine skier and Olympian Mikaela Shiffrin, who advised brands on stage that equity-based collaborations are “one of the most surefire ways to create a really authentic connection and partnership” with this new class of renaissance entrepreneurs. But don’t just chase the biggest names. Both Johnson and Mark Kirkham, CMO of Pepsi International, spoke on stage about the need for more “grassroots” partnerships, or brands partnering early with up-and-coming stars. Watch all sessions from SPORT BEACH here.
3. DEBUNKING MARKETING’S EMERGING TECH PROBLEM: “Entertainment is a reflection of culture,” says GALE Managing Director, Creative and Entertainment Lions Jury President Geoff Edwards. So as culture changes and moves, so entertainment changes and progresses, and the category evolves as well. With consumers rebelling against intrusive ads, the focus on branded entertainment at Cannes has been on the rise in recent years. “But getting entertainment right requires more than being entertaining,” Edwards reminds us. Successful entertainment finds narratives that are captivating and uniquely convey the brand’s message. And the impact of technology in this realm is profound, with each year introducing new platforms, partnerships, and ways to experience content. “When it’s done well, [entertainment] is the most powerful force on Earth. Plus, it changes every year, because the entertainment industry changes every year. Technology, film, episodic, documentary, live experiences, gaming and music make this an exciting and interesting category.” Learn more from Geoff here.

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. 

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How Spike Lee Helped Make Air Jordan One of the Coolest Sneaker Brands on Earth

The one and only Spike Lee talked about his relationship with Nike and Michael Jordan, what Denzel Washington taught him about creativity, and his biggest regret as an investor. (Hint: It involves Crocs.) Watch the clip.

Maria Sharapova on Her ‘Crazy Journey’ to Tennis and Business Success

Tennis legend Maria Sharapova spoke about what she’s learned from investing in Moncler, her relationship with fans, and her advice to athletes: “equity is ownership.” Watch the clip. 

Carmelo Anthony Will Never Play Pickleball (But He Would Invest)

Future Hall of Famer Carmelo Anthony broke down how he chooses business opportunities, the importance of travel, and how went from a wine novice to launching his own wine brand. Watch the clip. 

Alan Shearer on How Lionel Messi Could Transform Major League Soccer

Soccer star Alan Shearer talked about how money has changed the Premier League, his experience at the World Cup in Qatar, and how social media has changed being an athlete. Watch the clip. 

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1. THE AI REVOLUTION IS REAL OpenAI COO Brad Lightcap said AI tools like ChatGPT and DALL·E would lead to an “explosion of creativity” in the marketing industry. His key points: Creatives will use it to generate and enhance ideas more quickly, e.g. easy-to-create storyboards that let agencies explore lots of possibilities. Meanwhile, on the rooftop of the Carlton, Code and Theory’s co-founder and executive chairman Dan Gardner stressed that companies need to embed AI across their entire ecosystems – not just in one-off use cases. DIVE DEEPER: Mark Penn sees AR and AI as the industry’s biggest disruptors
2. YOU HAVE THE POW(AR) What’s holding back brands on AR? The perception that it’s difficult to create and activate at meaningful scale, said CPB president, North America, Maggie Malek at Hôtel Martinez. But Snap’s AR tools and companies like Stagwell’s ARound are making it easier to target passionate new customers in unique ways.
   Speaking of Snap, it teamed up with Disney to build an immersive AR exhibit at Cannes LIONS. And AR developer Niantic announced Rewarded AR, an ad platform that will allow for branded content in mixed-reality games like Pokémon GO. THE APPLE EFFECT: What Apple’s new $3,499 Vision Pro headset means for brands
3. DON’T SLEEP ON THE METAVERSE With all the attention on AI, brands may have neglected opportunities in the metaverse. At the Palais, Roblox’s Christina Wootton said that’s a huge mistake: brands (especially fashion labels) have a great opportunity to connect with Gen Z in the metaverse. Plus, she doesn’t see AI and the metaverse as in conflict, noting that brands could use generative AI to populate the metaverse with a ton of enticing content. NEW RESEARCH: NRG’s Fandex says innovation creates fans, and fans are 3.5x more likely to advocate for brands.

Beyond the Stage

Stagwell talked to C-suite marketers, sports luminaries, and other innovators at SPORT BEACH and the Palais. You’ll find fresh, insightful videos on our YouTube page from every day of Cannes LIONS. 

At SPORT BEACH, Olympian Allyson Felix talked to Evin Shutt, Global Chief Executive Officer and Partner, 72andSunny, about founding her footwear company Saysh and women’s sports.