Tiffany Guarnaccia is CEO of Kite Hill PR.
This yr’s Cannes Lions Worldwide Pageant of Creativity showcased the facility of good concepts, the will for IRL connections and really participating experiences. After being canceled for 2 years, 2023 is the yr that the Lions got here roaring again to the Croisette. Tens of hundreds of attendees from the promoting, media, advertising and communications world got here collectively to spotlight key developments, share insights and get offers finished.
A number of the key developments that have been mentioned on the convention might be pinpointed even earlier than the classes began on Monday simply by wanting up on the billboards surrounding the Palais des festivals, which featured adverts for sustainability, advertising and adtech options. Insiders estimated that 80% of attendees have been from the adtech trade this yr. Double clicking on the adtech discussions, one of many greatest speaking factors on the present shouldn’t come as a shock – AI! Executives debated the impacts of AI in efficiency advertising and programmatic promoting.
Whereas there have been a couple of occasions geared in the direction of PR professionals and alternatives to fulfill with leaders from GWPR and ICCO, media and tech manufacturers drew essentially the most consideration. Pinterest introduced extra influencers to the present with their Manifestival, which included activations that confirmed what it was wish to step into the buyer journey on the platform. Attendees might get a tattoo, attempt a meals development or make customized merchandise. It was a well-produced and interesting expertise that introduced a various vary of influencers to the present, a lot of whom have been in attendance for the primary time. Additionally they hosted a journalist meetup with MuckRack which drew some consideration and served as a welcomed pause in jam-packed schedules.
Stagwell’s vertical strategy was effectively acquired. Their “Sports activities Seashore” with Axios had a few of the finest attended classes general. It was an excellent instance of the facility of aligning to objective and keenness. Athletes and stars graced their stage, together with a session with Spike Lee who was named as Cannes Lions’ first Artistic Maker of the 12 months. The Stagwell workforce tapped into passions however introduced it again to the enterprise at hand together with the touting of their advertising cloud options that features a PR tech layer.
CEOs at an intimate Kite Hill PR-hosted roundtable shared that the convention served as a possibility to debate broader developments however was reminder about why we have been all there – to showcase our ardour for the work and the good concepts that energy campaigns.
The fantastic thing about Cannes is that it isn’t one occasion however many who give attendees the prospect to attach in a wide range of settings conducive to candid conversations and real connections. All in all, the attendance was up. The thrill was tangible. Let’s see if Cannes Lions 2024 roars as loudly.
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