Reading the Sand: Cannes Beach as an Industry Barometer

Cannes has always mirrored the state of our industry - its energy, its priorities, its shifting power centres. But if you really want to track the evolution of advertising, don’t just look at the Palais. Watch the beach.

Over the years, the beachfront has transformed from a quiet haven for productions into a high-stakes battleground for attention. Each wave of innovation - from the rise of media planning to the dominance of platforms, and now the surge of AI - has left a visible imprint on the sand.

As categories expanded - Media, Radio, Cyber, Mobile, Creative Commerce - new players arrived to stake their claim. From the days of rosé-fuelled production lunches to immersive brand takeovers and mega events, the beach evolved from a backdrop to a statement. Today, MarTech dashboards, platform showcases, and emerging tech demos and presentations dominate the shore, often outshining the work itself.

This isn’t nostalgia - it’s a pattern. Cannes beach reflects not just what’s happening now, but what’s coming next. Whoever commands attention here is already shaping tomorrow’s advertising landscape.

And yet, amid the flux, one spot remains refreshingly unchanged.

LBB Beach: The Creative Constant

For over a decade, LBB & Friends Beach has offered something rare: a place without velvet ropes or branded noise. Just open conversation, creative exchange, and real human connection.

Panels that don’t preach. Drinks that don’t require a wristband. A space where production and creativity meet - not to compete, but to collaborate.

Here's to you to Matt and the LBB team for building a space that doesn’t just track industry trends, but quietly anchors them. A place that reminds us: for all the tech and transformation, this industry still runs on people, ideas, and shared moments on the beach, the LBB beach.