Publicis Bets on a Lion (No, Not That Kind) to Show Off Its Influencer Tools At Cannes

Most creatives want to bring home a Lion from Cannes to add to their trophy cabinet. But this year, Publicis Groupe—in homage to the animal in its logo—wants a different kind of Lion to go viral: A real one.

The big cat is called George, and he is often shown on the social media channels of creator and wildlife expert Shandor Larenty.

At Cannes, Publicis wants to make him go viral in a campaign designed to show how its influencer tools can offer broader reach than the 127 million viewers brands might capture with a 30-second, $8 million Super Bowl ad.

Publicis Groupe’s chief strategy officer (CSO), Carla Serrano, told ADWEEK the “one-two punch” campaign was developed against the backdrop of clients minimizing their Cannes presence, with some considering it an “indulgence” in the current economic climate.

The French ad giant has been on an influencer marketing shopping spree over the last twelve months. Along the way, it acquired U.S.-based agency Influential for $500 million, Brazil-founded BR, and martech platform Captiv8.

A One-Two Punch

To highlight its influencer capabilities, Publicis will target marketers arriving in Nice and along Cannes Croisette with digital OOH ads. The creative compares the cost of a Super Bowl-worthy influencer buy to a company’s tab for the week in Cannes: a handful of business class tickets, or a quarter of that beach party budget.

The focus of the push will be Influential, powered by Captiv8: an AI-powered tool that gives brands access to a network of over 19 million creators, underpinned by data from Epsilon. Publicis claims this tech allows brands to access 90% of influencers with more than 1 million followers, and 95% with more than 5,000.

The second part of the bold campaign will kick off on Instagram on June 16 with a shared post from Larenty to a combined 49.3 million followers, designed to make videos of George spread widely.

A live ‘Lion tracker’ will be on display at Influential Beach to monitor the lion’s growing audience and show how many people have viewed videos of him in real time. QR codes on the OOH ads also links to an interactive reach calculator.

Influential CEO, Ryan Detert, said the campaign was designed to show how influencers can amplify tentpole moments like the Super Bowl ads, rather than replace them.

“There are so many ways to tactically think about influencer marketing within the larger theme of the creator economy. It’s here, it’s roaring, and it’s going to be an industry worth hundreds of billions of dollars based on the current trajectory,” he said.

The creator economy is expected to grow from roughly  $250 billion in 2025 to around  $480 billion by 2027, per Goldman Sachs.

A tongue-in-cheek approach

Publicis has form for tongue-in-cheek campaigns at Cannes Lions; last year, it poked fun at those who dismissed its bet on AI tool Marcel in 2017.

“We’ve always been provocative in our Cannes campaigns with a really pointed perspective on what we think about the industry,” said Serrano.

As it did last year, the business is focusing on closed-door sessions with CMOs at the festival, this time teaching them about Publicis AI tools.

“That benefited us with some big wins this year,” Serrano added. “I think we will feel the same way this year.”

The business is heading to the French Riviera having nabbed Mars’ $1.7 billion media account from WPP earlier this week.