Creators Will Take Over the Croisette, and CMOs’ Schedules, at Cannes Lions

When ad-tech’s glossy flotilla of super yachts took over the harbor at Cannes Lions in 2015, beaches were abuzz with chatter about the ad tech vendors dominating France’s annual festival of creativity.

In 2023, it’s creators’ turn to plant their flag in the sand.

By Influencer Hub estimates, the creator economy is currently valued at more than $104 billion and is projected to grow to more than $200 billion by 2026. With this in mind, several industry insiders told Adweek that CMOs are gearing up to hob nob with a new school of content makers and influencers at Cannes Lions.

Following official stage appearances last year from celebrity creator multi-hyphenates like Issa Rae, Paris Hilton and Ryan Reynolds, a lineup of creators are getting top billing on the main festival line-up for 2023.

Palais speakers include Alexandra Cooper, podcaster and host of pop-culture podcast “Call Her Daddy” and “The Good Place” actress, podcaster, activist and influencer Jameela Jamil. Whalar’s chief creative officer, Ashley Rudder, will also hold her own on the Palais stage for the first time, pitching the creator commerce platform to marketers. (For the second year, Adweek is partnering with Whalar for our programming stage along the Croisette, adjacent to Meta’s activation.)

Top billing, and hob nobbing, at Cannes

Platforms and influencer agencies have prominent beach spots and rented villas at the festival, hosting fringe programming, press meetings and exclusive parties.

• Google is hosting multiple events under the YouTube banner, which will “bring together top partners, brands and creators.”
• At Spotify Beach, the platform will host YouTuber and podcaster Emma Chamberlain and Alex Cooper, host of podcast “Call Her Daddy.”
• Amazon is hosting chats with actress, musical artist and producer Keke Palmer and creator Joseph Wilson.
• Meta is bringing content creators Rod Thrill and Sasha Pallar to its beach to talk about measuring ROI in the nascent space. At the time of writing, Twitter’s — which is facing its own business challenges as advertisers continue to pull spend — had yet to confirm if it would be sending execs to Cannes this year.
• TikTok’s programming at the Carlton Hotel garden will be largely focused on the future of creavitiy, with “Frosé Soirées” planned each evening to allow thought leaders and creators to mingle. A special creative workshop with TikToker and sustainable designer Peder Cho will invite delegates to get hands on.

“For us this year, we are all about educating our clients and partners on how TikTok is entertainment that drives impact and bringing creativity back to advertising,” said Trevor Johnson, TikTok’s head of marketing, global business solutions.

“The evolution and democratization of how we use and see creativity is what I’m excited to discuss. Creativity is now one of the most important factors for driving impact and effectiveness in a marketing campaign,” he added.

Whalar’s beach is packed with sessions around the creator economy, some which will run in partnership with Adweek. Speakers include creators Emmanuel Duverneau, Coco Mocoe and Fats Timbo, as well as marketers such as Sesame Workshop CMO Samantha Martin.

We’ve seen a real shift [in the last two years] in how advertisers are leaning into and working with creators.

Gemma Battenbough, head of brand partnerships, EMEA and APAC, Twtich

British-South African YouTuber Caspar Lee, owner of Influencer marketing agency, said the company’s villa – a space away from the Croisette where “ industry leaders, innovators and creators share ideas and connect in the most relaxed way” – plans to “double down” this year with an experience called “The Create Escape” which features panels and parties where people can network.

VaynerX CEO Gary Vaynerchuck is hosting a series of events and parties on the company’s yacht with the goal of bringing CMOs and creators together, and, in the process, winning new business for VaynerMedia’s creative, consulting and media arms.

Other agencies, like Samsung’s social AOR Coolr are taking a more low-key approach, with a busy week of meetings without programming, the company tells Adweek.

CMOs clear space in their diaries

Amid economic uncertainty, execs are generally more focused on work, meetings and lining up prospects for the second half of the year going into Cannes Lions. Twitch is hosting marketing execs and partners at parent companyAmazon’s dedicated space at the Old Port.

“We’ve seen a real shift [in the last two years] in how advertisers are leaning into and working with creators,” said Gemma Battenbough, who leads the company’s brand partnership teams in EMEA and APAC. Twitch at Cannes is seen as an opportunity to “dial up” conversations it’s already having with CMOs about how to tap into this economy.

With this in mind, the business is bringing British gaming streamer Koji, famous for his live play of Among Us and Fortnite, to speak on its stage. The gamer has already worked with Coca-Cola and X-Box, and will be there not only to educate marketers but to meet directly with them.

Creators give brands capital.

Michael Kassan, CEO and chairman, MediaLink

“He’s meeting some of our most important clients that want to take time and get a better understanding of how creators and work and what matters to them,” Battenbough told Adweek, saying there’s an appetite from marketers to have face time with creators so they can go back to the office and work out where they can slot them into their strategy.

MediaLink will be flying in Paris Hilton for a second year to DJ at its flagship party on Tuesday, it’s also bringing a diverse slate of creator talent with help from owner talent agency UTA.

Chairman and chief executive Michael Kassan said his new favorite acronym was “DTC – ‘direct-to-creator,’ and this way of working is firmly established across the marketing sector,” adding that a reflection of this was the dominant way creators are showing up at creative festivals like Cannes Lions.

“Any brand that wants a shot at relevance knows they have to be a part of culture to matter,” he added, giving a flavor of the conversations that will be going on under the beating hot French sun come mid-June.

“Creators give [brands] capital,” he said. “On the flip side, creators want in with the brands both in front of and behind the camera. They’re tapping them to fund and co-create passion projects and they’re asking to be part of the marketing process.”

If 2015 was ad-tech’s high summer, 2023 looks set to be a scorcher for creators.