High Five: Trends to Look Out for at Cannes
THE FIFTH is headed to Cannes this year. Beyond the inevitable rosé, panels, yacht outings and broken French, we are spotting several standout trends that will dominate the conversations at advertising executive lunches this summer...
TikTok Takes Cannes by Storm
TikTok has taken over the French riviera these past two weeks. As an official partner of the Cannes Film Festival, TikTok renewed its short film competition held alongside the prized Palm d’Or. In addition, TikTok peppered the Palais, cafes and beaches with evocative French billboards that read “This is not a film, it’s a TikTok video." With an upcoming takeover of a Palais hotel rooftop, a cohort of executive attendees, and creator & marketer workshop and panels all week long, TikTok will be the hot media brand to look for on the beaches of the marketing festival as well.
Creator Marketing Replaces 'Influencer Marketing'
The marketing industry’s fastest-growing vertical is overdue for a rebrand. Influencer marketing came to prominence in the 2010's when most advertisers and agencies were just developing their social strategies. 'Influencer' was a term synonymous with a generic media buy, treating social creators like - and bucketing them with - larger media buys. No more. Slowly but surely, the industry is adopting the term ‘creator’, which highlights a more complete picture of the creativity, community and reach these talented individuals can bring to a brand’s campaign. It’s far deeper than eyeballs and impressions. Look for this trend to fully emerge at Cannes when big ad execs, brands, and media heads start to fully appreciate the power and influence social creators bring to the table.
Gaming Gets Its Day in the Cannes Sun
The newest award category at Cannes Creativity Festival is the Entertainment Lion for Gaming. These Lions include the likes of Branded Content for Gaming, Gaming-led Brand Experience, Community, Partnerships, and Innovations in Gaming. Advertising in gaming has only grown since with several high profile executives from major gaming brands like activation, Twitch, and more expected to attend. Look out for some big Lion wins from video game inspired creativity as well as panel topics centred around gaming communities to thrive at the Festival.
Social-Creative and AI Take Centre Stage
Did you really think I could avoid including the mention of AI in this list? Social, digital and AI in creativity are taking centre stage as prime topics for this year's festival programming. A preliminary scan of the Cannes programming reveals that these three topics and their place in creativity will be focal points of conversation for the festival. These include conversations about brand and creator collaborations, AI’s effects on creative output, and using new technologies to connect with consumers. The themes from Cannes will continue to inform global advertising for the second half of 2023.
L’été Chaud
Bring out the rosé wine coolers, it’s going to be hotter than a young-adult French noir film this summer. Record temperatures have caused many a celebrity to sweat during the film festival. The heatwave that swept through Europe hit Cannes just in time for last year’s Lions and 2023 is on track to be another scorcher. It’s as if the climate is changing... Bring plenty of sunscreen and a portable fan as temperatures threaten to reach the high 80°s in June.
