DEEPLOCAL’S DEEP DIVE:
FOUR LESSONS FROM CANNES 2023
Last month, Deeplocal and Gumband attended the 70th Cannes Lions where Managing Director Brittany Bell spoke about innovation, play, and experiential marketing. During a whirlwind week of interviews, podcast recordings, festival programming, client meetings, and more, the team took time to evaluate everything they saw and heard—in and outside of the Palais. Here are just a few of their findings and takeaways for next year:
1. EXPERIENTIAL ACTIVATIONS WON CANNES.
There was a constant line to get into Pinterest’s Manifestival Beach. The space looked and behaved like the brand and platform: it was creative, welcoming, and bursting with content. Pinterest brought trends to life by crafting microspaces and experiences that reflected user activity—such as the Future You Studio, globally-trending food tastings, dream vacation planning, and customized merch. While the activation proved that guests find interactive experiences enjoyable, we believe the experiential space in Cannes is ripe for greater personalization, physical-digital crossover (such as AR mirrors and playful electromechanics), real-time measurement, and easter eggs.
2. BUZZWORDS ABOUNDED, BUT SOMETIMES FELL FLAT.
Artificial intelligence and generative AI were hot topics up and down the Croisette. And yet, the why behind the tech’s presence at different activations wasn’t always clear. As we’ve said before, headlining technology should never be a shortcut to novelty or innovation. Instead, it’s purpose behind the tech that matters. As marketers, we should be wary of overhyping technology in its early iterations and asking ourselves how it best serves the audience, consumers, and endusers.
3. GEN-Z AND DIGITAL CREATORS TOOK CENTER STAGE.
Many festival veterans said attendees and speakers trended younger this year. As Gen-Z claims a larger share of the coveted 18-35 consumer demographic, brands and agencies must adapt to their habits and preferences, and Cannes is the perfect place to show off new strategies. This group is open-minded, highly interconnected, loves authentic content, and craves IRL experiences. Influencers have keen audience insights and social capital, so creating unique, evocative experiences for them to engage with will have a powerful multiplier effect.
4. DATA-DRIVEN INSIGHTS ARE (AND ALWAYS WILL BE) ESSENTIAL.
With ever-changing technology and consumer behavior, deep insights related to experiential investments can be difficult to generate. There is currently no standard methodology for framing, collecting, and analyzing guest engagement—yet, all of this is trackable. Real-world, physical data has an important (and historically overlooked) role to play for any brand interested in an omni-channel approach to their marketing strategy. Our platform, Gumband, offers brands the opportunity to augment their marketing mix with a brand new channel: physical. As consumers seek out more physical experiences, brands that meet this need will have the opportunity to learn about their preferences, sentiment, and behavior in brand new ways—all while respecting user privacy.
This year’s Cannes Lions was a flurry of creativity, learning, and futuregazing. The Deeplocal and Gumband teams are already looking forward to next year, and how we can help our clients and partners make their mark on the Croisette. Until then, we’ll be sharing insights from Brittany’s talk, “Innovators Shaping Tomorrow” which dug into experiential marketing, the power of play, and why innovation is the byproduct—not the end goal—at Deeplocal. Stay tuned!