Latest news with #CannesLionsInternationalFestivalofCreativity
Axios
9 hours ago
- Business
- Axios
Axios Event: Media execs are betting big on women's sports
CANNES, France – Media executives are focusing investments into the fast-growing market of women's sports, they said at an Axios event at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. Why it matters: Women's sports is booming in viewership, engagement and fandoms as more women's teams are launching and business executives are noticing the growth opportunities. Axios' Sara Fischer spoke with Roku Media president Charlie Collier, NBCUniversal global advertising and partnerships chairman Mark Marshall, NBC Sports host and play-by-play announcer Mike Tirico and Tubi CEO Anjali Sud at the June 18 event, sponsored by Nielsen. What they're saying: Roku Media and Tubi see opportunities in investing and promoting women's sports. "We have all sorts of women's sports and we have a women's sport zone and we've invested in women's volleyball and we've invested in women's soccer," Collier said. "Platforms like iON that had the [WNBA player] Caitlin Clark games as part of their package before Caitlin Clark blew up, we absolutely made sure that we got our viewers to those games on iON. It wasn't our rights, but it was absolutely our right to elevate that pop-cultural moment," he added. "For women in sports in particular, there's just a need here. There's a vacuum that I think we have an opportunity to fill," Sud said. Sud also mentioned that Gen Z audiences care about the stories behind the athletes as well as the game, so Tubi is developing more "shoulder content" to appeal to younger audiences. "We just announced … a [tennis player] Naomi Osaka doc that's going to be coming out on Tubi in August," Sud said. "It's going to be talking about her journey coming back into the game after having a baby." "Beyond the diehard sports fans, there are people who are in it for the culture. And we need to serve them with compelling stories and content and build that momentum." Separately, NBC Sports discussed its major deal with the NBA, which will broadcast on NBC from Sunday to Tuesday nights, blending linear and streaming to maximize reach. "Sunday, we'll have a pregame and then the game," Tirico said. "Monday, there'll be games on Peacock. …Tuesday, on NBC. … We'll have an NBA game on the East Coast at 8 Eastern time and then we'll have a game for our Mountain and Pacific time zone affiliates at 8 o'clock Pacific time." "What I'm excited about is the amount of NBA that will be on broadcast TV in prime time. So you'll have a game every week on Tuesday night, which I think will be a boost for the league and really get the package off to a great start." Marshall added: "Part of what I really was hoping for and it worked out was to be on the front half of the week and so we can promote the rest of the entertainment programming that will happen on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday. Whereas, you know, 'Sunday Night Football,' that's what we've done for years. Now we'll actually go from 'Sunday Night Football' to 'Sunday Night Basketball' on Peacock every Monday night and Tuesday on NBC prime time." "So all of a sudden we have this huge promotional platform that's going to bring a younger, more multicultural audience to NBC that's probably been there, that's not there every week as we sit here today." In a View From the Top conversation, Nielsen CEO Karthik Rao emphasized the major growth of women's sports.
Axios
9 hours ago
- Business
- Axios
Axios Event: Young consumers want realness from brands
CANNES, France – Young consumers are demanding authenticity, interactivity and relevance from media and brands with which they engage, said creators and industry leaders at an Axios event at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. Why it matters: Millennials and Gen Z spending is outpacing the broader global population and companies are looking for ways to capitalize on that. Axios' Sara Fischer and Kerry Flynn spoke with podcast host Jake Shane, Spotify chief public affairs officer Dustee Jenkins, Business Insider CEO Barbara Peng and Dotdash Meredith CEO Neil Vogel at the June 18 event, sponsored by Uber Advertising. What they're saying: Young consumers are seeking more than just words about a brand's authenticity. "For Gen Z in particular, video podcasts have really grown. … They not only want to hear you, they want to see and feel exactly what's playing out," Jenkins said. "It speaks to this idea of tapping into culture. Culture is unfolding on platforms like Spotify, it's unfolding through the creators." "Influencing inherently is like an authentic thing," said Shane, the host of "Therapuss with Jake Shane." "If you're an influencer, you're a tastemaker, you're influencing people, and the only way you're actually able to do that is if you are like authentically yourself." Media companies are shifting attention to original video and smart TV platforms where audiences are watching long-form content. Business Insider's videos are watched for about 14 billion minutes a year. "A lot of it is YouTube, where we have audiences that want to engage very deeply with us," Peng said. "We have over 10 original series, and people like to watch that not only on their mobile phones but with the rise of smart TV and a lot of the streaming options, that's been huge." As for Dotdash Meredith and its repertoire of legacy brands, Vogel says it doesn't matter where consumers are finding their content, what matters is that they are engaging with it. "We get traffic from everywhere to our web – but we also don't care," he said. "I could care less if you're in the app, if you are on the website, if you read the magazine, if you're on TikTok or Instagram. As long as you are part of our brand, we can figure it out." "You can't say 'I am going to make Gen Z love me.' That's the quickest way to make Gen Z or any gen not like you. You just have to be authentic to what you do." On the creation of its unique app that had elements of its editorial content as well as Instagram and TikTok, Vogel added: "We didn't want to make an app until we could figure out how to do something special that would resonate with Gen Z." Content from the sponsored segment: In a View From the Top conversation, Uber's global head of advertising Kristi Argyilan said the company is the "platform of now" as it taps into cultural moments through concert rides, food deliveries and its newly launched creative studio. "That creative studio is designed specifically to cater to what we're hearing loud and clear from what we call 'Gen Uber,'" Argyilan said. "And this is a large group of consumers who want to be able to flip from digital world to physical world at a flip of a switch. And so we're bringing these activations that brands participate in that acknowledge their participation on our app but then also … eventually the destination they go to."
Skift
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Skift
How Ritz-Carlton's Ad Gamble Paid Off at the Cannes Awards
The Ritz-Carlton beat 181 other luxury brands to win advertising's top prize by doing something hotel marketers rarely attempt: ditching brief poolside glamour shots for a quirky four-minute movie. The Ritz-Carlton's "Late Checkout" campaign took home a Gold Lion at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity last week, chosen from 181 entries in the luxury category. The ad cost less than $1 million to produce and distribute, yet it generated 50 million impressions and became the most-shared content across parent company Marriott International's portfolio last year. The ad stars Josh Hutcherson as a hotel employee sharing the details of an elaborate day taking care of a guest. It feels like a Wes Anderson film. Jamie Kerr, Ritz-Carlton's global brand and marketing leader, argued that the win at Cannes represented a broader win for the sector. "It's a huge milestone for luxury hospitality," Kerr said, in a category usually dominated by luxury fashion, jewelry, and automotive." Unlikely Creative Development Process The Ritz-Carlton's win over brands like Prada, Tiffany, and Loewe, highlights the opportunities for luxury hotel brands willing to embrace creative risk. The heritage hotel brand cold-called Lat
Campaign ME
3 days ago
- Business
- Campaign ME
Campaign Middle East hosts its first-ever Cannes MENA Mixer
This June, Campaign Middle East, in partnership with The Vantage and Hearst Global Solutions, hosted the first-ever Campaign Cannes MENA Mixer at the 72nd Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. The event hosted more than 50 top-level brand and agency marketers, along with influential personnel from the region's media and advertising industries. The event was inspired by growing participation from MENA industry players at the Festival, and offered an exclusive space for the region's industry to meet casually to catch up, celebrate and connect. 'The MENA region's involvement and participation at Cannes has grown year after year, and it was only appropriate that there was an opportunity for the jurors, clients, agencies and partners to all convene together at the advertising world's flagship week,' said Manoj Khimji, Managing Director, The Vantage, who was a title sponsor of the event. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Campaign Middle East (@campaignmiddleeast) 'We were delighted to bring this to life with the support of Hearst Global Solutions in 2025. A great time was had by all and we're already planning for the 2026 edition,' he added. Some of the key leaders who were in attendance at the invite-only event included Ian Fairservice, Managing Partner and Group Editor, Motivate Media Group, Gianluca Ena, Senior Vice President, Hearst Global Solutions, Jessica MacDermott, Global Portfolio Director, Haymarket Media Group, Kiran Haslam, Chief Marketing Officer at Diriyah, Passant ElGhannam, Marketing Director, Kraft Heinz, Siddarth Sivaprakash Head of Brand & Marketing – Home Centre, Landmark Group, Mitin Chakraborty, Head of Marketing, Babyshop – Landmark Group, Ahmed Chatila, Brand Director, HungerStation, Ghassan Kassabji, CEO, Impact BBDO Group, Dany Naaman, CEO, Havas Middle East and more. 1/10 View the full event gallery with the link below:
Time of India
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
French K.I.S.S
In a noisy world, can simplicity be the loudest voice? Amid today's relentless clutter, a quiet paradox emerged at last week's Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity , where the biggest winners all shared one powerful trait — simplicity. 'If the works that won big at Cannes are any indication, simplicity is emerging as the holy grail for brands,' says Pallavi Chakravarti , founder and CCO, Fundamental, citing standout pieces like Budweiser's 'One Second Ads', KitKat's digital detox billboard, Tecate's 'Gulf of Mexico Bar' and Vaseline's 'Verified'. Marketers see this 'Keep It Simple, Stupid' — or K.I.S.S — trend as a response to today's media overload. 'There's an incredible amount of noise out there. The more layered the message, the harder it is to interpret or appreciate,' says Sumit Virmani , global chief marketing officer, Infosys. Harshad Rajadhyaksha, CCO at Ogilvy India, echoes this sentiment. 'In an increasingly layered, multi-screened and attention-challenged world, the value of simplicity is greater than ever,' he says. Achieving such clarity is far from easy, he warns. 'Brilliant simplicity takes work. But when done right, it always delivers the goods.' Lose the din Some brands have nailed this balance, proving that subtle and impactful messaging doesn't need loud pronouncements. KitKat's campaign by VML is a prime example. Their iconic line, 'Have a Break, Have a KitKat', was reimagined through billboards showing people absorbed in their device, with a barely-there KitKat wrapper or logo quietly urging a pause. No overt branding or lengthy explanations, just quiet, powerful storytelling. Marketers call it 'a masterclass in subtlety and impact'. 'The campaign celebrated the consumer's intelligence, trusting them to understand the message without being spoon-fed. It's a prime example of creativity cutting through the noise to make a lasting impression,' says Harsh Kapadia , CCO, Grey India. Stella Artois's 'Claustrobars' campaign by Grey took a similar approach. The beer brand captured a universally relatable experience — the mini-odyssey of navigating a crowded bar, carefully shielding your drink from spills and bumps. With almost cinematic realism, the ads showcased those uncomfortable yet triumphant moments: A slight grimace and an unwavering focus on the glass. The message was clear and powerful: 'Worth It'. Again, no massive logos or walls of text — just confident, understated advertising that didn't find the need to overexplain itself. The result? A campaign that struck a chord with viewers and prompted them to say: 'I feel you.' 'This kind of confidence in messaging is crucial. It makes advertising less ignorable and more impactful,' says Kapadia. 'In a country as diverse as India, where visual identity can transcend language barriers, such powerful visual advertising holds immense potential.' Loud and clear Budweiser's one-second ad, which won the Grand Prix in the audio segment at Cannes, is touted as another example of simple yet brilliant execution. The brand tapped into a sharp musical insight: True music lovers can identify a song from its very first beat. This became the basis of a bold and innovative idea — an 'unskippable' audio challenge where they aired commercials that played just the opening second of well-known songs. 'To expect sustained, undistracted focus, especially on digital, is to hope in vain,' says Shubhranshu Singh , global CMO for commercial vehicles at Tata Motors. 'Short-form content needs to be simple to be digested quickly. But when it's relevant, emotionally engaging or rewarding, it can still hold attention — even deepen it.' Virmani adds that social media has only intensified the challenge. 'Brands need to communicate value in seconds, often without sound, across screens. And complex brand messages simply don't translate.' And that's why Budweiser resonated with marketers and agency folks. Cause and effect A 'simply' powerful idea can also exceed its true purpose. Take German grocery chain Penny's 'Penny Price Packs', which converted its packaging into a prominent pricing display. Icaro Doria, Print jury president at Cannes Lions , described it as a seamless blend of print, publishing, packaging, price and positioning — all rolled into one. 'Creativity doesn't have to try too hard or be too clever to be 'award worthy',' says Mithila Saraf , CEO, Famous Innovations. 'The best work is universally appealing and profound in its commitment to a single-minded promise.' Until a few years ago, purpose-driven creativity with measurable impact set the tone. In 2023, winners such as Renault's 'Plug-Inn' (France), a peer-to-peer charging app, and Apple's 'Relax, It's iPhone – R.I.P. Leon' (USA), a humourous take on iPhone's 'unsend' feature, highlighted everyday anxieties in a relatable way. But in 2024, brand rulebooks were tossed aside. Coca-Cola's 'Recycle Me' (Print and Publishing Grand Prix) distorted its iconic logo on crushed cans to drive home a recycling message. Meanwhile, Coors Light turned a baseball-damaged billboard into commemorative cans with 'Coors Lights Out', showcasing agile moment marketing. Kapadia hopes Indian advertising can raise the game and embrace this simplicity that respects and celebrates consumer intelligence. 'On the one hand, we say our consumers are smart, yet we often try to over-explain or lean heavily on celebrity voices. Simple ideas break through everything else and make it memorable.' But Chakravarti points out the fundamental truth: 'We appreciate, applaud and felicitate simplicity more than we practise it. In the real world, agencies struggle to distil the chaos of briefs into clarity. [It's] Strange, but true.'
