WPP Media’s Adam Shlachter: At Cannes, Creators have Gone From ‘Rough and Raw’ to ‘Primetime Programming’
CANNES, France — Creator content has evolved from unpolished user-generated material into sophisticated prime-time programming, transforming how brands approach storytelling partnerships. Still, brands and agencies are still figuring out how best to connect creators and audiences. Naturally, it was a frequent topic at this year’s Cannes Lions.
“The creators that we grew up with that felt very organic and independent, very rough and raw have become very refined and very sophisticated and very savvy and advanced as producers, as directors, as talent themselves, as just incredible storytellers,” Adam Shlachter, client president at WPP Media, told Beet.TV contributor David Kaplan at Cannes Lions. “More and more we’re seeing brands want to lean into that space and want to learn more about that space and want to be a part of that space even with their own voice.”
This creator maturation coincides with private equity and investment community convergence at Cannes, signaling where significant bets are being placed across AI, creator economy, and sports and entertainment sectors.
AI expectations versus long-term reality
While artificial intelligence dominates Cannes conversations, near-term expectations outpace current capabilities even as long-term implications remain underappreciated by the industry.
“I think that the expectation of it today is overhyped. The long-term implications of it I think are probably underhyped,” Shlachter said. “As we start to think about what the impact is from everything from strategy development to planning to using agents and buying and optimization process, we’re getting there and we’re experimenting rapidly.”
As Shlacthter tells it, WPP’s open systems approach enables modular end-to-end integration across data sources, inventory, audience insights, and market opportunities.
Agency role expands beyond media buying
Client proximity drives agency value beyond media efficiency toward comprehensive marketing orchestration that addresses business challenges through data, systems, and infrastructure improvements.
“Their challenge is often not just how they could buy media better or smarter, faster, or cheaper, but it’s how they can orchestrate all their marketing better, how they can get to market faster, how they can get to insights faster,” Shlachter said.
Intelligence underpins all opportunity identification, as theoretical possibilities without data-driven foundations fail to generate sustained business growth and client outcomes.
Media surfaces expand across every environment
Connected world opportunities extend beyond screen interconnection toward storytelling, community building, and engagement across every physical and digital surface available to capture consumer attention.
“Media is everything and it’s everywhere. Everything is a surface to deliver a message, to capture someone’s attention, to create an engagement, to capitalize on the moment,” Shlachter said.
Investment community presence at Cannes reflects recognition of emerging opportunities across AI development, creator economy growth, and sports and entertainment expansion.
Automating ordinary elevates extraordinary
Competitive differentiation requires strategic focus prioritization rather than simultaneous pursuit of every emerging opportunity, using automation to free human talent for meaningful, high-impact work.
“If we could automate more of the ordinary and elevate more of the extraordinary using AI and technology and data, we can get to the work that’s really going to be meaningful and that’s really going to matter and really make a difference,” Shlachter said. “If we’re aligned there, then we’re going to do great work.”
You’re watching “Dispatches from Cannes Lions 2026: Interviews on Innovation”, a Beet.TV Leadership Series at Cannes Lions 2026, presented by Alliant, Axonet, Clear Channel, DoorDash Ads, Future, GSTV, IAS, Kroger Precision Marketing, Lamar, Mirakl, Nextdoor, OOH Connect, Quan, Shinka, Teads, Tatari, Uber Advertising, Vistar Media, WunderKIND Ads, and Yahoo. For more videos from this series, visit this page. You can find all of our coverage from Cannes Lions 2026 here.
CANNES, France — Creator content has evolved from unpolished user-generated material into sophisticated prime-time programming, transforming how brands approach storytelling partnerships. Still, brands and agencies are still figuring out how best to connect creators and audiences. Naturally, it was a frequent topic at this year’s Cannes Lions.
“The creators that we grew up with that felt very organic and independent, very rough and raw have become very refined and very sophisticated and very savvy and advanced as producers, as directors, as talent themselves, as just incredible storytellers,” Adam Shlachter, client president at WPP Media, told Beet.TV contributor David Kaplan at Cannes Lions. “More and more we’re seeing brands want to lean into that space and want to learn more about that space and want to be a part of that space even with their own voice.”
This creator maturation coincides with private equity and investment community convergence at Cannes, signaling where significant bets are being placed across AI, creator economy, and sports and entertainment sectors.
AI expectations versus long-term reality
While artificial intelligence dominates Cannes conversations, near-term expectations outpace current capabilities even as long-term implications remain underappreciated by the industry.
“I think that the expectation of it today is overhyped. The long-term implications of it I think are probably underhyped,” Shlachter said. “As we start to think about what the impact is from everything from strategy development to planning to using agents and buying and optimization process, we’re getting there and we’re experimenting rapidly.”
As Shlacthter tells it, WPP’s open systems approach enables modular end-to-end integration across data sources, inventory, audience insights, and market opportunities.
Agency role expands beyond media buying
Client proximity drives agency value beyond media efficiency toward comprehensive marketing orchestration that addresses business challenges through data, systems, and infrastructure improvements.
“Their challenge is often not just how they could buy media better or smarter, faster, or cheaper, but it’s how they can orchestrate all their marketing better, how they can get to market faster, how they can get to insights faster,” Shlachter said.
Intelligence underpins all opportunity identification, as theoretical possibilities without data-driven foundations fail to generate sustained business growth and client outcomes.
Media surfaces expand across every environment
Connected world opportunities extend beyond screen interconnection toward storytelling, community building, and engagement across every physical and digital surface available to capture consumer attention.
“Media is everything and it’s everywhere. Everything is a surface to deliver a message, to capture someone’s attention, to create an engagement, to capitalize on the moment,” Shlachter said.
Investment community presence at Cannes reflects recognition of emerging opportunities across AI development, creator economy growth, and sports and entertainment expansion.
Automating ordinary elevates extraordinary
Competitive differentiation requires strategic focus prioritization rather than simultaneous pursuit of every emerging opportunity, using automation to free human talent for meaningful, high-impact work.
“If we could automate more of the ordinary and elevate more of the extraordinary using AI and technology and data, we can get to the work that’s really going to be meaningful and that’s really going to matter and really make a difference,” Shlachter said. “If we’re aligned there, then we’re going to do great work.”
You’re watching “Dispatches from Cannes Lions 2026: Interviews on Innovation”, a Beet.TV Leadership Series at Cannes Lions 2026, presented by Alliant, Axonet, Clear Channel, DoorDash Ads, Future, GSTV, IAS, Kroger Precision Marketing, Lamar, Mirakl, Nextdoor, OOH Connect, Quan, Shinka, Teads, Tatari, Uber Advertising, Vistar Media, WunderKIND Ads, and Yahoo. For more videos from this series, visit this page. You can find all of our coverage from Cannes Lions 2026 here.
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