The New Cannes

The International Advertising Festival has new life, new vigor and a new importance no one in the industry would have predicted just a few short years ago.

It wasn't too long ago that many people said the Festival was in danger of becoming irrelevant. Not that it wasn't fun to watch long lines of tipsy ad executives lurch down the Croisette to the Gutter Bar where they would stand, swaying and drinking, until they either fell down or the sun rose, whichever came first. But the unarguable allure of an annual boondoggle in the south of France paled before the looming and unremittingly serious challenges we face today.

And anyway, who could even agree what is or isn't advertising any more?

Then clients started coming to Cannes, first in a trickle and then a steady stream, and substance started seeping into the sizzle. They came to learn about new ways to tell their brand stories at first, then to use the opportunity to do real business, real deals, and make real new connections. This year, the transformation hit critical mass.

Ad Age trumpeted that Cannes has "grown up" and noted that among the 8,000 delegates from 90 countries were small armies of client executives. The long, long list included heavy hitters such as Microsoft Senior Vice President, Central Marketing Group Mich Mathews and Corporate Vice President, Consumer and Online Darren Huston (the tech giant was a Festival sponsor for the ninth time); Unilever Chief Marketing and Communications Officer Keith Weed and Senior Vice President, Global Media Laura Klauberg; plus Coca-Cola Executive Vice President, Chief Marketing and Commercial Officer Joe Tripodi and Wendy Clark, Senior Vice President, Integrated Marketing and Communications Capabilities.

Also in Cannes were Johnson & Johnson Vice President – Corporate Affairs Brian Perkins and Chief Media Officer and Vice President of Worldwide Media Kim Kadlec; AT&T Senior Vice President, Brand Marketing and Advertising Esther Lee and Vice President of Advertising and Marketing Communications Daryl Evans; and Procter & Gamble Global Marketing and Brand Building Officer Mark Pritchard and Global Team Leader, Digital Business Strategy Lucas Watson.

Kraft, Hewlett-Packard, LG and many others also were well-represented. In all, about 400 companies sent people to the south of France this year. In addition, the CEOs of every holding company were there. So were the CEOs of every major ad agency. Top executives from the media agencies—no longer just tagging along but now integral to the event—were also in attendance.

I think Omnicom chieftain John Wren said it best. We chatted briefly in the lobby of the Carlton Hotel just before we both returned home, and he said that Cannes has become "the Davos of our industry."

Real deals were getting done. Yes, many of them happened at 5:00 in the morning and yes, they were getting done while thousands were partying and getting down, but it was real work. Cannes is now not only the place where Lion winners roar but where WPP meets Microsoft, Omnicom meets Yahoo, and everybody looks to meet Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg.

The event has become a mini-TED (in fact, TED put on a half-day event in Cannes in conjunction with Microsoft and SMG Chairman/CEO Laura Desmond). It's when client and agency senior leadership get together and activate the best thinking in the industry, even if everybody is wearing pastels (including yours truly in power pink).

The week has finally become inclusive in truth as well as in name. Media gets equal cred at Cannes now (even if creative shops tend to still win a disproportionate number of Media Lions). The new Cannes is industry leaders advancing the industry, digital and traditional, old, new or emerging channel, even public relations and promotions.

Cannes has made the metaphysical shift from creatives celebrating themselves to global communicators sharing and learning together. And that's something we can all celebrate.

Perhaps at the Gutter Bar.