In this edition of the Digiday+ Research Briefing, we examine how meetings and dealmaking are top of mind for ad industry professionals as they head to Cannes, how LinkedIn’s Wire Program may yield new ad revenue for publishers, and how OpenAI continues to sign content licensing and tech development deals with publishers, as seen in recent data from Digiday+ Research.

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During last year’s grass tournament at Wimbledon, the company and its integrated agency Iris launched a short paid social and radio campaign aimed at punching up, positioning its water filters and reusable bottles as the answer to consumer concerns over single-use plastics. The idea, said marketing manager Lily Rutherford, was to put clear distance between Brita and what she terms “big water” firms such as Highland Spring and Evian.

This time around, it’s joined the sporting establishment as the official water partner of the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), the organization that stages major tournaments such as Queen’s and Wimbledon, in the hope that it’s better for a brand to be inside the big tent than out. It’s the first time a non-single-use water brand has sponsored the sport in Britain.

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As you ready your summer linen and prep for the chaos of the Croisette — which will likely be even more chaotic than usual with the Olympic Torch relay scheduled to pass through Cannes on Tuesday afternoon — we’ve prepared another guide with wisdom from Cannes veterans to help inform on everything from packing and scheduling to on-the-ground behavior. Here’s that dose of Cannes reality, with suggested dos and don’ts from those who’ve seen it all before:

Rob Reilly, global chief creative officer, WPP

Do: If anyone is willing to pay for you to go to a Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc, that is a do because that is a magical place. It’s about 40 minutes away, you take a car there, but when you get there you really feel like you’ve made it.

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Along with spatial audio and noise-canceling features, Sonos Ace headphones also offer a way to switch back and forth between the company’s home theater soundbars to let people have immersive audio even while watching movies and shows on a big screen. Early reviews have praised Ace for its design and audio quality, but the challenge will be winning over people who have been longtime listeners of competitors like Bose and Apple. The product comes after Sonos debuted its first spatial audio speaker in April 2023 with the debut of the Era 300.

The Ace, which started shipping this week, cost $450 and come in two color options: black and soft white. However, headphones are something current Sonos customers have been asking about for a while, said Sonos chief commercial officer Deirdre Findlay. Even before the Ace was announced last month, more than 50,000 people have requested Sonos make its own headphones, according to Findlay, who spent several years on the company’s board.

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Pride month marketing is seemingly at a whisper this year. 

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The company estimates that using AI in marketing has accounted for a 37% cost savings of roughly $10 million per year. Klarna has started to use AI for ideation, image creation and translation efforts to create more personalized campaigns for consumers across its 45 markets.

Throughout the first quarter of 2024, Klarna used AI to generate 1,000 images using generative AI tools like Firefly, Midjourney and DALL-E. During that same time period, Klarna decreased its spending by 25% on external marketing suppliers responsible for services like translation, production CRM as well as social agencies.

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Prior to this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix racing event, OKX revealed its latest bid to emphasize its association with F1 team McLaren — a one-off tribute to the late, legendary wheelman Ayrton Senna that saw the team’s cars and drivers decked out in the colors of his native Brazil.

According to OKX’s chief marketing officer Haider Rafique, consumer perceptions of the crypto sector are turning a corner. And in the wake of Netflix’s docuseries “Drive To Survive,” er, driving new viewers toward the sport, he said he views its sponsorship of McLaren as key to getting OKX, the world’s second-largest crypto exchange by trading volume, into the winner’s circle.

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On Monday, dating app Bumble was the latest marketer to quickly pull its most recent ad campaign after online backlash surfaced. The company had rolled out billboards that told consumers, “a vow of celibacy is not the answer,” a message likely aimed at getting some women to reconsider dating despite the difficult romantic landscape. That message, which was reportedly created by its in-house team, was seen as tone deaf by some consumers who made it clear to the app via comments on its Instagram account and elsewhere that they didn’t not care for the campaign — not by a long shot.

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Sales of its drinks portfolio fell 1% in 2023, with a 5% decline in North America and 3% in European markets, according to its latest earnings report. To arrest that decline and boost household penetration, the company is in the midst of a global campaign to gradually introduce its rebranded Pepsi (officially launched in March) to consumers.

Much of that campaign, and of the arguments its marketers make for advertising spend internally, rests upon the company’s cultural connections. “Pepsi has always been a believer and a driver of culture,” Eric Melis, vp of global brand marketing at PepsiCo told Digiday.

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Though only European teams compete in the Germany-hosted Euro 2024 tournament, soccer has been growing in popularity in the United States in recent years. “There’s Wrexham effect, the Beckham effect and the build-up to the World Cup, which will be in the U.S.A. in a couple of year’s time,” said Toan Ravenscroft, Amsterdam managing director of M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment. “It’s like a super-Super Bowl. The scale is there for this summer to be massive.”

Coca-Cola is a top official partner of both Euro 2024 and the International Olympic Committee, and is taking those opportunities to push its Coca-Cola Zero brand. But marketers across Europe will aim for their brands to catch the eyes of audiences, with or without “official partner” status. Media agency EssenceMediacom, for example, is working with both official partner Adidas and clients looking to elbow in through less official routes, such as Subway and sports book Betfair.

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Being an environmentally-focused beauty or wellness brand means constantly hitting roadblocks in the pursuit of true sustainability. 

Like the science that powers it, being “sustainable” is a moving goalpost that requires constant attention and more resources, compared to brands that don’t prioritize environmental impact. This often includes investing in more expensive packaging, constantly analyzing the supply chain and finding the right messaging to market these endeavors to consumers. But beneath the surface, many brands are struggling with the same issues in pursuit of their differing sustainability goals. 

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Even so, brand boycotts continue apace this year with the likes of Planet Fitness, McDonald’s and others grappling with their own boycotts in recent months. While the reasons for the boycotts vary, there’s a recognition among marketers now that a brand boycott could happen regardless of their efforts – and for reasons outside of marketing and advertising – that will need to be dealt with. 

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Henault, who also oversees the WNBA and G League, cited the intersection of sports and culture that the professsional basketball league has cultivated as a means to growing its global fan base.

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“99 percent of our fans will never get the opportunity to watch a live game, so they will interact exclusively with us on our digital products and digital platforms,” said Henault, who was attending her first Possible. “[We have] 2.3 billion followers across our league team and player accounts — it’s just massive the … share of volume of people we’re able to reach at any given time. It’s also fueled our global growth and fandom.”

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As marketers look for growth areas amid an increasingly fractured media landscape with few water cooler moments, live sports has only gotten more important for marketers. The audience growth has been notable. Last fall the University of Nebraska’s women’s volleyball team set a world record with its attendance as 92,003 attended; this year marked a first as March Madness title game for the women’s teams scored 18.7 million eyeballs. The network attention shifts — for example, National Women’s Soccer League (NSLW) inked a deal with CBS Sports, ESPN, Prime Video and Scripps Sports for game coverage this year — is another factor that has agency executives continuing to see women’s sports as an opportunity.

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As the Possible conference gears up for its second year, it faces the possibility of a sophomore slump. After all, year one in April 2023 generated solid attendance of 2,464 as well as a few headlines, mainly courtesy of one Elon Musk, who used his appearance in part to recruit Linda Yaccarino to be his CEO at X. All in all, 200 speakers presented in some form last year.

Year two of Possible is once again being held in Miami Beach, and it will take place from April 15-17 with 3,000 attendees expected to listen to another 200 or so speakers, according to Christian Muche, CEO and co-founder of Beyond Ordinary Events, which powers Possible.

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