Vivendi Announced as Lions Entertainment Main Sponsor

Lions Entertainment, the specialist two-day event dedicated to the future of the entertainment industry, on June 21-22 as part of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, has today announced Vivendi as its main sponsor.

Vivendi - and its principal businesses - Universal Music Group (UMG), Canal+ Group, Gameloft, Vivendi Village and Dailymotion – will showcase how content and talent can contribute value to the branded communications community through their involvement.

Lions Entertainment was launched in 2016 in response to the convergence of the entertainment industry and brands. Vivendi, the global content and media group, works across the media and entertainment value chain, from talent discovery to the creation, production and distribution of audio-visual content and increases its involvement at this year’s Cannes Lions. Lucien Boyer, Chief Marketing Officer of Vivendi, will make a keynote speech on how brands can collaborate in the creative process from an early stage, and explain the new opportunities for multiplatform storytelling; together with Sir William Sargent, Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder of Framestore, who will talk about his company’s partnership with Studiocanal on the successful feature film Paddington.

Sir Lucian Grainge, Universal Music Group Chairman & CEO, has been announced as the Cannes Lions Media Person of the Year, the first music executive honoured with the award; and Olivier Robert-Murphy, Global Head of New Business for Universal Music Group, is the President of the Lions Entertainment Music jury. The global music company will also be represented on stage, with stars including Ellie Goulding, Nick Jonas and Lang Lang.

Dailymotion will unveil its brand-new platform and user experience, focused on premium content, at this year’s Cannes Lions and a press conference will be led by Maxime Saada, Chairman and CEO of Dailymotion and also Chief Executive Officer of Canal+ Group.

Vivendi will also host a Cabana next to the Palais in Cannes, where visitors will be able to discover and experience the rich entertainment and brand solutions offered in particular by Universal Music & Brands, Canal Brand Factory, Gameloft Advertising, Vivendi Village and the new Dailymotion.

Lucien Boyer, Chief Marketing Officer of Vivendi, said, “Content and entertainment marketing has become a strategically important way for brands to reconnect with consumers through storytelling and engaging experiences. This is why Vivendi has renewed its partnership with Lions Entertainment for a second year - to showcase how content and talent can provide impactful solutions and insights to marketers, reaching out to a global audience.”

Louise Benson, Festival Director of Lions Entertainment, said, “Lions Entertainment is playing a vital role in bridging the relationship between brands and the entertainment industry. It’s the event where attendees will discover how entertainment is funded, distributed and consumed in today’s world – and the role entertainment talent can play. We’re delighted to partner with Vivendi to provide this year’s delegates with a world class content programme.”

The full Lions Entertainment programme is announced. Session highlights include:

How can a brand become a respected entertainment producer? Karin Timpone, Global Marketing Officer at Marriott International, will lead a discussion on how musical partnerships can bolster customer loyalty

Will a brand ever win a BAFTA? BAFTA award-winning director Daniel Mulloy will share why he used the medium of film to engage and move an audience (with an exclusive screening of 'Home', the BAFTA award-winning short film on the refugee crisis).

How can tech and entertainment re-invent old consumption models? Chris Tung, Chief Marketing Officer at Alibaba, will talk about how they seamlessly intertwined technology and entertainment to create a worldwide cultural phenomenon and the potential this offers for other brands.

Can you build a brand using content? Mattel's Chief Content Officer, Catherine Balsam-Schwaber, will explain why the custodians of Barbie have always believed in the incredible power of content to build brands.

What is the untapped potential of music and brand partnerships? Big Machine Label Group's Scott Borchetta will explain how today’s hottest artists are collaborating with big brands to build equity.