In 2023, creators had a prominent presence at advertising’s largest gathering. Speakers at the Palais main stage included include Alexandra Cooper, podcaster and host of pop-culture podcast “Call Her Daddy” and “The Good Place” actress, podcaster, activist and influencer Jameela Jamil and Whalar’s chief creative officer, Ashley Rudder.
Multi-hyphenate creators and influencers got top billing at fringe events too, including on Spotify, Amazon and Meta’s beachfront venues. Elsewhere, TikTok was a flagship sponsor of the Cannes festival, hosting exclusive talks and parties with creator royalty at its “TikTok Gardens” space.
CMOs on the ground in 2023 told ADWEEK creators had taken up more time in their schedules than previous years.
Tamryn Kerr, co-founder and chief creative officer at creative agency Hijinks, thinks this is an astute move from Cannes Lions organizers.
“Right now, no group is creating and driving culture more than creators so this feels like a smart way to engage and highlight them,” she said, pointing out that creators were moving beyond social platforms and into TV and cinema.
“Just look at [“Chicken Shop Date”]YouTube star Amelia Dimoldenberg getting chosen as an ambassador for the Oscars or The Sidemen getting their own Netflix documentary. They’re creating culture in ways that agencies often talk about but rarely do. My only hope is that Lions Creators are integrated into the festival so that there’s a chance for agencies to learn from them and vice versa.”
Cook revealed there would still be creator content at the original festival this June, with a full day of it slated for all attendees on the Terrace Stage.
“We recognize that the creator economy is a rapidly growing and increasingly important part of the marketing mix, so it’s important this is open to the entire Cannes Lions community – whatever their sector and whatever stage they are on in their creative journey – to learn and understand both the challenges and opportunities.”
Equal opportunities for delegates
Criticisms have been leveraged at Cannes Lions in recent years over the increasing costs for brands and agencies to attend, enter awards, cut deals and shine on the main stage or croisette. Before execs even book a flight, it can cost in excess of $1 million for a large global agency network to send a team 100+ people to the event and submit a significant number of work entries.
