It would be easy to dismiss the annual convergence of advertising executives for the Cannes Lions as another industry conference, amongst dozens of others, albeit with better views. However, each time I attend, when I reflect on my time there, I’m struck by the power of the experience. Cannes is many things. Just another conference is not one of them.
Perhaps it’s because Cannes brings advertising professionals together from all over the world, from all aspects of our industry, in a relatively confined space for a limited number of days. When you have so much concentrated creativity and brain power in one place, great ideas tend to happen. And while each attendee will likely take away something different, from my vantage point — the premium video advertising marketplace — the big ideas surfacing in meetings, casual conversations, and programming across La Croisette fell into three interrelated areas this year.
