For some, the constant flow of booze and cocktails is all part of the schmoozing that comes with Cannes. Others, however, may be looking for a Cannes Lions experience sans alcohol-induced nausea, focused more on the spirit of the festival than the spirits that come in a glass.

“People are looking at it through a different lens and they want to be able to get the most out of Cannes,” said Michele Fournier, global director of events and partnerships at VML ad agency, adding that she’s been sober for the past two years. “It’s such a privilege to be able to go to Cannes Lions. I want to be able to take the most advantage of it in every which way.”

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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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The updates to Riot’s “League of Legends” ecosystem were announced by Riot esports head John Needham during a “Dev Update” posted to the official “League of Legends” YouTube channel on June 11. The biggest change was the consolidation of Riot’s “League of Legends” leagues in the Americas — the North American LCS, the Latin American LLA and the Brazilian CBLOL league — under a single umbrella.

The new league, so far left unnamed, will be split into North and South regional conferences. Each conference will consist of eight teams, with the LCS contributing six teams to the North conference and CBLOL contributing six teams to the South conference. For each conference, the remaining two team slots will be filled by one team from Latin America and one team from the second tier of “League of Legends” esports, determined via a promotion and relegation system.

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To kick off proceedings, the IAB Tech Lab CEO claimed, “Nothing will be the same again…” while fellow conference participants shared their points of view, both publicly and privately, at a time of reflection.

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The IAB Tech Lab CEO on how ‘nothing will be the same’ in digital advertising Read More

“Mandates are hard for trade bodies …” — IAB Tech Lab CEO Anthony Katsur discussed the difficulties involved in convincing different tiers of the industry to convene around an identifier that can replace the third-party cookie.

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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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The program started with $500,000 in 2021, on the heels of the Black Lives Matter Movement. Since launch, Pinterest has invested more than $3.3 million to offer ad credits, cash payments and content creation equipment to the more than 150 creators who have been accepted into the program. The fund originally started with eight creators in its quarterly program, though it’s unclear how many participants are in each cohort as Zeny Shifferaw, global content partnerships lead, inclusion at Pinterest, declined to offer specific details.

This year’s expansion comes in collaboration with Shopify, to include U.S. and Canada-based small businesses, independent publishers and boutique creator agencies from historically marginalized communities. Meaning, the program now has expanded its definition of a creator, whether that be an influencer or small business owner. The financial details of the partnership with Shopify were not divulged.

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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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IAB Tech Lab’s CEO Anthony Katsur is poised to kick off proceedings with a keynote heralding “the end of the beginning,” a line that harkens to a Churchillian oration that makes for an interesting reference as many label that 1942 speech as a turning point in World War II.

Speaking with Digiday ahead of the two-day event, he discussed some of the industry consortium’s successes and shortcomings of the past decade, plus efforts to grasp the thorny nettle of complying with data privacy regulations. 

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For Cannes newcomers, here’s the lowdown on where to kickstart your week. 

The Palais is the epicenter of all things Cannes — it’s where conventions happen, awards are doled out, and networking is practically an art form. 

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Be it fraud, ID spoofing or shady sites, these tools usually end up shouldering the blame.

So it was no surprise when recent ad tech snafus dragged these companies into the spotlight.

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Late last week, United Airlines became the first airline to unveil a media network with its rollout of Kinective Media. It’s not the only new media network, of course. News of Costco’s new yet unnamed ad network, which is now reportedly in beta tests, trickled out last week. And a few weeks prior, JP Morgan Chase added its own offering to the mix, Chase Media Solutions, making it clear that marketers need to add Financial Media Networks (FMNs) to the growing list of ad networks to watch.

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Brands taking a stand

In 
Brand apologies for marketing gaffes

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During last month’s Digiday Programmatic Marketing Summit in Palm Springs, CA, agency executives rated advertisers’ current level of readiness for a post-cookie future and discussed what it will take to catalyze their preparations.

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The record attendance of DreamHack Dallas 2024 was reflected in an expansion of the event’s sponsorship business this year. Advertisers such as Porsche, Logitech and Intel were heavily featured on the show floor and alongside the festival’s packed schedule of esports tournaments.

Throughout the weekend, brands’ booths and activations drew ample foot traffic, with many attendees treating them no differently than the rest of DreamHack’s non-sponsored content. (Editor’s Note: DreamHack owner ESL/FACEIT Group paid for this reporter’s travel and lodging at DreamHack Dallas.)

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It’s that time of year again for members of the advertising industry to head to France for Riviera views and the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. And, according to a recent Digiday+ Research survey of agency, brand, retailer, publisher and technology professionals, more industry members will be heading to the event this year, with meetings and dealmaking in mind.

Digiday’s survey found that, this year, 40% of ad industry members have plans to attend Cannes in the South of France this year. This is a significant jump from last year, when not even one-quarter of agency, brand, retailer, publisher and tech pros (22%) said they were planning on attending the event.

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