Cannes and the Rise of Experiential: A CEO’s Reflection

Photography by Sean Ebsworth Barnes

Companies Can’t Win on Visibility Alone

As the CEO of Jack Morton, a global experiential agency that has long championed the power of experience to build brands, I’ve seen first hand the growing recognition of experiential marketing as a strategic, result-driven discipline. But never has that truth felt more pronounced than at this year’s Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

I just returned from Cannes, and what struck me most wasn’t just the grandeur of the venue or the brilliance of the ideas—it was how seamlessly experience is now woven into the way brands show up, connect, and do business. If Cannes is a barometer for where creativity, innovation, and commerce intersect, then experiential has officially moved from the side-lines to centre stage.

A Singular Audience in a Singular Place

What makes Cannes so potent isn’t just its prestige, it’s the people who attend and the context in which they gather. The audience at Cannes is like no other: global CEOs, CMOs, CTOs, visionary creatives, pioneering tech leaders, and media powerhouses all converge in one place. But unlike other conferences or summits, the very nature of Cannes means that those who attend are there with intention.

First, it’s not easy to get to the South of France. There are no convenient day trips. Most attendees are there for 4–7 days, and that commitment fosters a unique level of focus. These are not people half-listening while toggling between meetings or emails—they’ve carved out time, and that makes all the difference. There’s a shared mindset of presence.

Second, being out of your home time zone becomes an unlikely advantage. With colleagues, clients, and teams largely still operating many hours away, pockets of unscheduled time appear in the day. The result? Serendipitous conversations, spontaneous meetings, and an openness to connection that is often impossible in our fast-paced work lives.

And third, let’s not overlook the power of place. The South of France remains one of the world’s most beautiful destinations. The weather is warm, the cuisine is outstanding, and the scenery inspires. It creates an environment that encourages not just creativity but authentic human interaction.

Experiential as the New Business Channel

At this year’s festival, experiential wasn’t just a creative category, it was the cultural currency of business itself. The spaces that drove conversation and connection were designed experiences, not conference booths.

Consider Meta Beach, where immersive storytelling met networking under the sun. Or TikTok Gardens at the Carleton, which effortlessly merged culture and commerce. DoorDash Ad’s bold, beautiful space on La Croisette delivered brand storytelling with both precision and elegance. These were more than branded environments; they were manifestations of the cultures these brands fuel and are fuelled by.

Every meeting, every content session, every glass of rosé shared under a branded cabana—these weren’t just social moments. They were transactions of trust, story, and possibility. The ROI wasn’t just in impressions or footfall. It was in relationships built, ideas sparked, and deals seeded. This is how brands win today: not by broadcasting, but by belonging.

This is why you can’t start out designing an experience with a footprint or a format. You have to start with people. The most powerful connections happen when brands meet audiences through shared passions, values, and experiences.

The Future Is Personal, and Experiential Is the Engine

What we’re seeing at Cannes, and beyond, is that brands no longer win on visibility alone. In a world oversaturated with digital impressions, people crave real, human, one-to-one moments. Experiential marketing creates those moments. It invites people not just to observe a brand, but to participate in its culture.

That’s our belief. We don’t produce events—we manifest culture. We architect experiences that give people something deeper than a moment. We give them a sense of identity, of belonging. And now, more than ever, that belonging is what turns audiences into advocates, customers into communities.

We’ve always believed that experiences are the most powerful form of marketing. They are remembered, shared, and repeated. And now, they are becoming the currency of business development itself. As partnerships become more complex and collaborative, the trust required to build them must be earned face to face, moment by moment.

Cannes has made one thing clear: Experiential isn’t just having a moment, it’s defining the future. Not because it’s flashy, but because it works. It builds relationships, drives results, and creates the kind of emotional impact that experiential was built for.

A Call to Creative Leaders

If you’re a brand leader, a marketer, a creative visionary, think about how your next big conversation will take place. Will it be a video call? An email thread? Or could it be an experience that makes your brand’s message impossible to ignore and unforgettable to the people who matter most?

Cannes is a celebration of creativity, yes. But it’s also a glimpse into the future of marketing. And that future is undeniably live, intentional, and deeply experiential.