designed under deadline
OVERHEARD ON THE CROISETTE
"I don't even care if we get a Gold. Awards are totally overrated."
— Anonymous Creative Director (whose agency won three Golds)
"I'm never retiring, bitches. I'll outlive you all."
— Martin Sorrell
The creator economy panels, by contrast, felt genuinely optimistic, charged with the energy of people who've figured out distribution while the rest of us were arguing about brand safety. The tension between those two worlds — the institutional and the individual — may be the defining story of Cannes 2025.
— the editors
Letter from
the editor
PREDICTION MARKET
Spotlight
Jess Okafor, CREATOR
"What's the one thing brands still don't get about creators?"
"They want our audience but not our opinions. You can't have one without the other.
Marcus Leigh, Tend Agency, CEO
"What keeps you up at night about this industry?"
"That we'll optimise ourselves into irrelevance. Every tool we adopt to make things faster...
Sandra Voss, GlobalBev
"How are you actually using AI in your marketing stack right now?" "Honestly? Mostly briefing and translation. The outputs aren't there yet for final creative
Journalist interview
The creator economy panels, by contrast, felt genuinely optimistic, charged with the energy of people who've figured out distribution while the rest of us were arguing about brand safety. The tension between those two worlds — the institutional and the individual — may be the defining story of Cannes 2025. The tension between those two worlds — the institutional and the individual — may be the defining story of Cannes 2025.
— the editors
ANONYMOUS TIPS
WPP announces a new AI-powered creative platform, "Alchemy," promising to cut production timelines by 60%. Creatives are already writing eulogies.
UNILEVER CMO declares "the age of the TV spot is over" — moments after presenting a very expensive TV spot
