What do CMOs want from Cannes?

When we asked senior marketers from some of the world’s biggest companies what key issues they expected to be talking about at Cannes, we expected generative AI to feature.

It did come up, but delegates also highlighted a raft of other critical issues that they expected to talk about on the Croisette: effectiveness, marketing fundamentals, the power of marketing, pricing, promotion and placement as well as people and capabilities.

“Depending on the numbers you quote, about six percent of all marketing is effective, another study says about 24%. No matter whether it's six, no matter whether it's 24, I think it is important that we pause and use a platform like Cannes Lions to regain effectiveness of the work we do rather than just celebrate creativity for creativity’s sake,” said Rupen Desai, CMO, Una Terra.

“I think the big issue that the industry needs to focus on is the importance of marketing to growing businesses. That maybe doesn't sound particularly new, but I think we need to sort of keep pushing on that because it's so important. Without marketing businesses don't grow,” added Toby Horry, Global Brand and Content Director, TUI.

“What Cannes does super well is highlighting the importance of one of the four Ps of marketing, which is promotion. The issue that the industry is facing is that we need to rebalance the focus on the other three Ps: pricing, product and placement,” said Alyssa Fenoglio, Global Head of Digital Commercial, Teva Pharmaceuticals.

For others, the issue was around people and talent.

“The industry should talk less about tech this year and less about AI and probably more actually about the people and the capabilities,” said Jeremie Moritz, Senior Director, Global Consumer Engagement, Campari Group.

That call to train the next generation of marketers was also raised by others.

“I believe one of the issues is that how we really make sure that the future marketers will be prepared to manage the business,” added Nuria Ribe, Global CMO, Laundry and Homecare, Henkel Consumer Brands. “We really need to make sure that we not only leave a legacy in terms of business, but we leave a legacy in terms of skills and mindset,” she said.

Despite these comments, most assumed that AI will still dominate the headlines at Cannes.

“I guess people will talk about AI but the more interesting angle of AI is that I heard a lot about the efficiency and productivity side of AI, but I've seen a little bit less of the effectiveness of it and the impact it has in changing consumer behaviours,” said Daniele Calderoni, Global Head of Brand Marketing, Zurich Insurance.

Raja Rajamannar, Chief Marketing and Communications officer at Mastercard, argues the challenge is to differentiate your brand at a time when every company has the same technology.

“If every company has got the same AI technologies, which will really bring creativity in an instant to their fingertips, how are they going to really stand out and stand ahead and stand apart from their competitors? This is the biggest thing that is actually ahead of us in the industry and what we should be talking about,” he says.

WFA President and Chief Brand Officer at Allwyn, David Wheldon, argues that ultimately it will be about getting the right mix of humans and technology on the team.

“For those that say the future of production is all AI, it isn't: the future of production is great humans doing great work that will be enabled by tech."

Finally, Diana Frost, Chief Growth Officer at Kraft Heinz, argues that the power of AI can also be tied to the need to focus on the marketing fundamentals.

“There's so much coming at marketers, there's so much coming at businesses and, more importantly, consumers are struggling. So, while there are so many tools to enable us like AI, to make us better at our jobs, these things are only the tool. They aren't the outcome. At Cannes we need to talk about the outcome,” she said.