Cannes Lions 2025

CANNES — For many brands, premium video advertising occupies a specific role in the marketing mix, one focused on broad reach and the high art of storytelling. But for a performance-focused brand born in the digital age, that traditional separation is becoming obsolete — even the most cinematic, top-of-funnel video creative must be held accountable […]

CANNES – At a time when brand loyalty is fleeting and consumer attention short-lived, Comcast is doubling down on long-term consistency, cross-screen storytelling and agency collaboration built on trust. That’s according to Todd Arata, senior vice president of brand marketing at Comcast, in a conversation with Beet.TV’s Lisa Granatstein at the Cannes Lions International Festival […]

From the promotion around the #WakeMeInCannes sleep mask giveaway with United Airlines,  to the Beet art surrounding the Palais (video on this page) to our sunset beach party with Yahoo, Beet.TV was the subject of considerable Festival buzz. Beyond the buzz, Beet.TV went deep, cultivating industry conversations on its stage and studio. With video crews from […]

CANNES – The biggest barrier preventing advertisers from investing more in premium video isn’t pricing. It’s clunky technology, said Dan Pantelo, founder and chief executive of creative automation platform Marpipe. Speaking with Beet.TV’s Lisa Granatstein at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, Pantelo argued that modern marketers are used to the seamless self-serve interfaces […]

CANNES — With some industry counts topping 250 distinct media networks, brands and their agencies face a significant challenge in managing and optimizing campaigns across the latest fragmented ecosystem. This is the view of Tim Castelli, VP, global advertising sales, Instacart, who believes the industry is entering a necessary phase of consolidation. In this video […]

CANNES – Marketers’ obsession with first-party data is justified, but insufficient. That was the message from Matt Spiegel, executive vice president of TruAudience growth strategy at TransUnion, during an interview with Beet.TV’s David Kaplan at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. “You know, I think marketers are still really, really invested in understanding their […]

CANNES – Walmart Connect is deepening its push into connected television advertising, fueled by its acquisition of Vizio and a growing appetite from brands for performance-driven media. Speaking with Beet.TV’s Andy Plesser at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, Ryan Mayward, senior vice president of retail media sales at Walmart Connect, said the company […]

CANNES — Silicon Alley veteran entrepreneur Dave Morgan, has returned to Ukraine for his tenth visit in two years.  Beet.TV sat down with him last Thursday in Cannes, the day before his trip to the embattled nation. Morgan tells us that Simulmedia, the cross-channel TV ad platform he founded and leads, now has 40 workers […]

CANNES – In a media world saturated by fragmented viewing platforms and real-time performance metrics, premium video still has a critical edge: brand safety, transparency and superior recall. But to stay competitive with social platforms, it needs to become just as easy to buy, measure and scale, said Mark McKee, executive vice president and general […]

CANNES — The convergence of addressability and performance in connected TV is taking a step forward as the two largest streaming platforms join forces. A new partnership between Roku and Amazon is creating what executives describe as the first authenticated CTV identity graph covering more than 80% of all streaming, a development that promises to […]

CANNES — The future of shopping may involve conversations with bots, not browsing websites. Agentic shopping – where AI-powered agents handle purchases – is poised to become as crucial for brands and retailers as having a website is today. “I do believe in the future of agent shopping,” said Michael Komasinski, CEO of Criteo, in […]

CANNES – Artificial intelligence continues to redefine modern marketing, and digital advertising agency PMG is doubling down on its belief that the future lies in platforms, not just partnerships. That vision is taking shape in the form of Alli Marketplace, a new martech exchange announced this week that is embedded directly into PMG’s proprietary operating […]

CANNES – Television advertising is no longer just a vehicle for brand awareness. It’s now a measurable, performance-driven tool that delivers results across the entire marketing funnel, said Dawn Williamson, chief revenue officer of Comcast Advertising, in this interview with Lisa Granatstein, editorial director of Beet.TV, at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. In […]

CANNES — The ability to reach consumers at the precise moment they’re engaged in a specific activity is the holy grail for advertisers. For one rapidly growing commerce media platform, that moment happens millions of times daily during rides and deliveries. Positioning itself as a “commerce media company” rather than strictly retail media, Uber Advertising […]

CANNES — After TV viewing pivoted to on-demand, “live” content may be coming back — with a twist. Younger audiences are increasingly associating live experiences with social platforms and streaming rather than traditional broadcast events, said Megan Pagliuca, chief product officer at Omnicom Media Group, in this video interview with Beet.TV. She said this evolution […]

CANNES — With so many retail media networks now taking off, how are ad buyers ever going to measure them all? Retail media networks’ varying measurement approaches create significant complexity for marketers trying to evaluate performance across platforms, according to Amie Owen, global chief commerce officer, IPG Mediabrands. “I don’t necessarily think it’s a challenge, […]

CANNES — In a wide-ranging interview during the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, Sir Martin Sorrell, executive chairman of digital advertising and marketing company S4 Capital, outlined a turbulent but opportunity-rich landscape for the advertising industry. Geopolitical instability, rising client demands for efficiency and the disruptive force of artificial intelligence are driving these changes. […]

CANNES – The world’s largest advertising festival is getting even larger, with record attendance, partnerships, and award entries marking a significant evolution in how the event engages with the French Riviera city that hosts it. No longer content to be confined within the walls of the Palais des Festivals, Cannes Lions has over time transformed […]