RESOURCES

Coders Ken Barbieri, Madeline Meade, Lizzy Glazer, and Joe DeSalazar traveled to Cannes on the French Riviera to attend Cannes Lions: The International Festival of Creativity. Cannes Lions is the largest gathering in the world of people in advertising and communications. The festival is an opportunity to honor industry innovations and allow marketers from all over the world to learn from each other. 

So, what did Ken, Madeline, Lizzy, and Joe get up to at Cannes? While Cannes Lions is just slightly less glamorous than the “other” Cannes (we haven’t yet scored a spot in the film fest, TBD) the coders attended panels, met with partners, and yes, did get on a yacht. 

Check out some of the highlights from Cannes Lions below.

Meetings and More

Since digital platforms like TikTok, Snapchat, and more continue to drive innovation, we met with them and others to talk about what’s next. Here’s what we learned.

Snapchat

Driven by a partnership with Cameo that brought more creators onto the platform, Snapchat is looking to focus more on partnerships and commerce. This includes creating a unique buying experience for a typical snapchat user.

That’s exciting news for us. Snapchat is going to set up general info sessions so we can keep up to date and learn more about the platform. In return, they are looking for insights from us on what works for our brands in the digital landscape.

TikTok

Commerce is king. We have opportunities as both a partner and a creator on TikTok. TikTok recommended that we start accessing the Creator Marketplace so we get direct access to influencers. As creators, they want to see us be innovative and think that as a company who can manage analytics, creative, and media, we’re positioned for success. 

For KPIs, TikTok is focusing on attention and are eager to get more content from us as well as ideas for how they can learn and grow. 

Our goal is to consider marketing specific TikTok solutions and how we can bring them to market. We’ll be looking to package all of the creative things we’ve done on TikTok and share them with our clients and on the platform.

Amazon

Unsurprisingly, there are a lot of growth opportunities here. They think selling Amazon video into non-endemic categories is a big opportunity and that companies like Code3, with ABinBev, Gap, and StockX as clients, are better positioned than traditional commerce partners. 

Growth for them is Video and Data (AMC). They're rolling out some exciting new features next year. Our plan is to have an education session to our broader org about video and AMC, and arrange meetings with M1s for Q3. If we lean in here, there may be a shot at us participating in the New Fronts next year.  

Panels and the Future of Digital Marketing

The coders attended some fantastic panels and events. We had the opportunity to cheer on our clients Chipotle and AB InBev, who both hosted presentations. 

We also went to events like Snap x Gucci: Leveraging Machine Learning and Augmented Reality for Experiential Digital Commerce. We attended a conversation with the CEO of Instacart, a panel featuring Creative Ladder cofounder Ryan Reynolds, and listened to Lupita Nyong’o speak on breaking barriers and building community. We heard from CEOs, chief creatives, global brand directors, and content creators.

We also attended events and panels at Twitter Beach and the Terrace Stage that focused on the future of influencers and social shopping, and wrapped up our days at Amazon Port. 

Takeaways

Our takeaways? Focus on the experience and make sure the people who you’re targeting are a part of the conversation. Creative marketing is about the experience of the audience, and creators are tapping into how they can encourage audiences to “join in.”

The panels were informative and interesting, and it’s always fun to see big names like Ryan Reynolds and Lupita N’yongo in any context. 

We have plenty of work to do and look forward to Cannes Lions 2023!