It's that time of year again. The Croisette has emptied, LinkedIn is overflowing with Cannes hot takes, and everyone's got the future of creativity on their minds.
So naturally, here's ours.
This year felt different in a few ways. Some progression, some pondering the same concerns the industry voiced last year, but most importantly, there were some genuinely ingenious brand experiences.
Before getting into the festival itself, we’d be doing our own team a disservice if we didn't give them a proper shout-out.
While the rest of us wandered between beach clubs discussing the future of marketing over overpriced iced coffees, our Bearded Kitten crew were putting in the hours inside the Carlton Hotel, navigating sweltering heat, logistical curveballs and some very long days. The activation looked incredible, and while we won’t say much more than that, credit where it's due. They absolutely smashed it.
It's a wrap for the Kittens in Cannes!
Right. Cannes.
A little less tat, a little more conversation
As Elvis once said. Sort of.
Much like last year, one of the biggest shifts we noticed was the continued move away from endless branded giveaways.
Don't get me wrong, there’s still enough tote bags floating around to open a small department store, but brands seem to have realised that people appreciate hands-on demos or activities much more.
Whether it was AI, creative tools or new platform features, brands seemed much happier showing people what their products could actually do rather than bribing them with socks. A small shift, but a welcome one.
The topics felt meaningful, the experiences purposeful, and thankfully, no EasyJet heavy baggage fee on the way home.
Experiential IS the festival... Why is it overshadowed?
Cannes Lions has been an advertising festival for the best part of two decades; that’s no secret. BUT, much of the media landscape has transformed from digital to experiential. Not only that, the festival itself is built on brand activations now.
Cannes without brand activations is like Glastonbury without music. The beaches, the hotels, the Croisette… They're packed with brands investing thousands into experiences that become some of the most talked-about icons of the entire week.
YET, they still don’t quite get the praise they deserve when it comes to the awards. Don't get us wrong, there were encouraging signs. More judges from the live experience industry, and certainly more chatter about experiential. But when the shortlist for the Brand Experience & Activation category certainly fell… short… of recognition for the physical.
Agencies rallied behind Shelley Elkins’ open letter last year, with many sharing their own views. Fast forward twelve months, and we’re not entirely convinced we’ve moved as far forward as we hoped.
We’re not saying digital doesn’t deserve its flowers; it absolutely does. But when some of the most ambitious creative work happening anywhere in marketing is taking place IRL, shouldn't that be reflected a little more heavily?
Cannes activations: Our Croisette highlights
It’s Tuesday. You’ve seen many o’ Cannes round-ups by now, and this won’t be your last. But if our industry needs championing, best believe we’re going to do it!
Here’s a few that stood out.
Creative Cabana, Canva
Canva relocated to a new spot on the Croisette this year, but with a classic activation: the Creative Cabana. Quite possibly one of the buzziest and busiest spots throughout the week, but it wasn’t hard to see why.
With a curated workshop programme, postcard stations, gelato and mist fans (MVP’s for this), the queue was non-stop from sunrise to sunset. And beyond. More importantly, everything fed nicely into Canva's mission of making design accessible, with every interaction reinforcing the product rather than distracting from it, which is easier said than done at Cannes.
Canva’s Creative Cabana in Cannes… try saying that 5 times.
Photo courtesy of Canva.
Manifestival, Pinterest
Manifestival returned and, once again, became one of the festival's standout spaces.
In the same vein as its hit Coachella activation, “Less URL. More IRL.” phone stickers were handed out to guests on arrival, in a bid to keep them off their screens and fully present.
The tattoo parlour made a welcome return (we didn’t dare), the Pinterest Patisserie levelled up once again, and a new collaboration with Adobe allowed visitors to build moodboards from objects they'd scanned around the space before turning them into beautifully printed journals.
As ever, Pinterest proved that inspiration doesn't have to stay online.
Photo courtesy of Pinterest.
Community Deli, Reddit
Activation with a deli? Colour me influenced.
Reddit once again avoided doing the obvious, turning its activation into the Reddit Community Deli, inspired by the platform’s exploding obsession with deli culture. Relatable.
Visitors wandered between shelves packed with community references, scanned artwork to jump directly into subreddits, built sandwiches inspired by their interests and explored how Reddit conversations influence consumer decision-making before committing to the purchase.
It really did feel like Reddit IRL. Quirky, self-aware and full of little details that rewarded curiosity
Also, 10/10 sandwiches.
Photo courtesy of Reddit.
Yahoo Explorer’s Society, Yahoo
Agency: Amplify
Yahoo's most visionary Cannes outing yet?
Thanks to the Yahoo Explorers Society, Martinez Beach became a nautical playground inspired by Jacques Cousteau. The experience was built around the launch of Yahoo Scout and its new AI-powered search experience. (Lots of AI this year, FYI)
Leaning into an expedition theme could quickly become gimmicky, but every part of the activation was considered and balanced impeccably, from The Loading Bar to The Engine Room. The giant travelling purple submarine certainly helped.
Throughout the week, there were product demos, talks, workshops, wellness sessions and a Tiësto headline set. A particularly lovely touch came at the end, when guests left with a single flower as a reminder to "give people their flowers."
A simple idea (on paper), but a memorable one.
Photo courtesy of Yahoo.
Until next year...
Every year people ask whether Cannes is changing. We think it is. Slowly.
Would we still like to see live experiences receive greater recognition from the festival itself? Absolutely. Whether the awards catch up or not, Cannes is what agencies and brands make it. And as far as live experiences go, they seem harder to top with every passing year.
Anyway, that's enough Cannes reflection for now.
Wait… did we make it through this without any rosé anecdotes?!
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