Beginning this year, Cannes Lions has organized its programming into nine tracks—Communication, Craft, Entertainment, Experience, Good, Health, Impact, Reach and Innovation. Here’s what marketers need to know as they navigate the creative festival in search of inspiration.

For more Cannes Lions events, check out our curated list.


Communication

The Communication track at Cannes Lions is all about sending those creative ideas out into the world. For marketers, communication is more than writing copy or producing a video, however. It also means effective collaboration and partnerships behind-the-scenes and avoiding fragmentation across channels—not to mention being aware of changes in the world around us that will, or already are, impacting branded communications.

Some Marketers Involved:

Keith Weed, chief marketing officer, Unilever
Bozoma Saint John, chief brand officer, Uber
Fernando Machado, chief marketing officer, Burger King

Some Brands Involved:

Mars Inc, Uber, Burger King, Unilever, Google, WWE

Events You Might Like:

The Rise Of Hackvertising
Remember when a Burger King commercial hijacked Google devices by asking it about Whoppers? Burger King and its creative agency, David Miami will share how to emulate the attitude of hackers in marketing—defining a target, finding a way to “break in” and exploiting it for maximum impact. With the restaurant’s own mascot serving as moderator, this panel should be interesting, if not a bit strange.

Chief Creatives On The Beach
Sit down each day with some of the world’s leading creatives to learn about what inspires, drives and challenges them in today’s marketing landscape. Features a moderated panel and networking opportunities—you never know who you might be sitting next to!

What Creativity Can Do
Google’s Creative Lab gives a peek behind-the-scenes at how creativity is driving what matters next to Google, its partners, and the billions of users it serves.


Craft

Craft is the execution of ideas. For marketers at Cannes Lions, this track is about the latest techniques, technology and trends within the industry that impact how ideas are translated into effective marketing campaigns.

Some Marketers Involved:

Stephen Tisdalle, chief marketing officer, State Street Global Advisors

Some Brands/Agencies Involved:

Droga5, Tracks & Fields, Los Angeles Times, Great Guns

Events You Might Like:

Why Are Hollywood’s Stories And Marketing More Effective Than Ours?
A look at how Hollywood approaches creative content distribution, channel planning, consumer journeys and relationship management . . . and how that translates to brands. Features pop quizzes a few surprise guests.

Workshop: Super-Sonic Branding
What does your brand sound like? Music licensing company Tracks & Fields will explore this idea using Cannes Lions as an example. Attendees will learn the tools and methods to develop a music DNA for a brand.

Workshop: Stories In 6
A constructive study of the short form marketing message born to combat super ephemeral social media.


Entertainment

Marketing is now much more than a statement—audiences, constantly being fought over for attention, have come to expect a level of entertainment when interacting with a brand. Entertainment offers new opportunities beyond traditional advertising, but marketers will need to know about channels, technology and the challenges they will face in this growing arena.

Some Marketers Involved:

Zoe Clapp, chief marketing officer, UKTV
Harley Block, executive vice president, head of brand partnerships, Awesomeness

Some Brands Involved:

Hulu, Fuse, Condé Nast Entertainment, ESPN, Amazon

Events You Might Like:

The Future of Storytelling: Engaging and Influencing Next-Gen Audiences
A conversation between Condé Nast Entertainment president Dawn Ostroff, a global luxury brand, and a popular influencer will explore how brands are connecting with a new generation of consumers through content and storytelling.

Giving Filmmakers The Final Cut: What’s In It For Brands?
Discussing opportunities for brands to lean into original entertainment—including feature films and episodic series—and explore how marketers are handing over creative control to content creators.

Telling Your Brand Story Authentically In Esports
Presented by ESL, this session will explore the basics of esports and how marketing to this industry is different than marketing to any other audience.

Future Five: Video Trends That Power The Next Instagram Wave
Pop Sugar shares insights into the popularity of Instagram Stories and how its users interact with brands.


Experience

From the customer journey to branded experiences, this track explores multi-channel insight, design and transformation.

Some Marketers Involved:

Tor Myhren, vice president marketing communications, Apple
Claudia Willvonseder, chief marketing officer, IKEA

Some Brands Involved:

Apple, IKEA, Kantar Consulting, IBM IX, Comedy Central

Events You Might Like:

What’s Coming Next In Branded Consumer Experience?
Presented by the International Advertising Association, this panel discusses trends and developments that are shaping brand consumer space in the next 12-18 months.

Meetup: Retail Trailblazers
Networking event for professionals in the retail space to explore how marketers can deliver the “wow moment” and beyond.

The Festivalization Of Things (And Brands)
Comedy Central shares the story of how it found success by turning comedy shows into interactive fan experiences.


Good

Brands come together to make the world a better place. Talks in this track include talks about purpose, change and responsibility.

Some Marketers Involved:

Alex Weller, marketing director, Patagonia (Europe)
Antonio Lucio Global, chief marketing & communication officer, HP

Some Brands Involved:

Patagonia, HP, Droga5, Facebook

Events You Might Like:

Young Lions Meet-up: Girl Bossing, Mischeifing, Leaning In
Open to all delegates, this gettogether highlights progress and opportunities in the female space instead of focusing on the negative, of which the world already has plenty.

LGBTQ&A
Ever had a question about the LGBTQ+ community but were too embarrassed to ask? Submit your questions anonymously and learn more about inclusion, stereotypes and ways to support this diverse community.

Diversity—A Values Issue And Business Imperitive—Requires Bold Action
A discussion about how diversity is good for business and what companies can do about it.


Health

Healthcare marketing and biotech companies from across the world come together to share insights into the latest trends . . . as well as those disrupting the status quo.

Some Marketers Involved:

Alison Lewis, chief marketing officer, Johnson & Jonhson (Consumer)
Atilla Cansun, chief marketing officer, Merck (Consumer)

Some Brands Involved:

Johnson & Johnson, Samsung, Bank of American, AT&T

Events You Might Like:

Unbreakable Entertainment: A New Way Of Storytelling
Inspired by social media posts about cancer, Unbreakables is an upcoming brand entertainment platform that delivers inspiring content. TBWA and Fox Networks Group share the story of Unbreakables from conception to funding to debut and discuss how to propel healthcare storytelling into a new era of entertainment.

Can Creative Marketing Solve The Opioid Crisis?
BBDO and Ketchum share the story behind its provocative campaign “Prescribed to Death: A Memorial to the Victims of the Opioid Crisis” share what global marketers can learn about tackling stigmatized healthcare issues.


Impact

Marketing impacts many aspects of consumer life and with so much competition, brands strive to make a lasting impression. This track explores the challenges and techniques used to measure, value and impact effectiveness in branded communications.

Some Marketers Involved:

Marc Mathieu, chief marketing officer, Samsung Electronics America
Jason Levine, chief marketing officer, Mondelez
Syl Saller, chief marketing officer, Diageo

Some Brands Involved:

HP, American Express, Heineken, T-Mobile, eBay

Events You Might Like:

Redefining Creativity In The Data-Driven Age
McKinsey will unveil the findings of their latest study, focusing on how the best performing marketing organizations make creativity thrive in the data-driven, agile, post-mobile era.

Advertise Like You Give A Damn: The Future Of Effectiveness
This panel will debate, explore, and argue whether brands should look beyond the economic impact of our work to also measure net social and environmental impact.

Generating Growth Through Cultural Relevancy
This session will talk about the importance of dual media behavior amongst the global immigrant who consumes media from their country of origin in their now country of residence.


Reach

Here, marketers will learn about expanding an audience and reaching an intended demographic, as well as demographics they might not have considered in the past.

Some Marketers Involved:

Maria Garrido, senior vice president brand marketing, Vivendi
Jipeng Men, vice president, head of marketing, JD.com

Some Brands Involved:

YouTube, WGSN, Pew Research Center, Mars Inc, Snapchat, Twitter

Events You Might Like:

Meetup: Calling All Brand Strategists
Rub elbows with other marketers and share insights about strategic planning to create a brand strategy that works.

Marketing To Deeply Polarized Societies
Experts share the psychology of, and techniques for, reaching an audience divided without sacrificing one side for the other.


Innovation

In marketing, there is a time for playing it safe and a time to make waves. This track includes a wide range of topics from modern and emerging technology to changing brand perception.

Some Marketers Involved:

Tor Myhren, vice president marketing communications, Apple
Scott Galloway, founder, L2 Inc.; professor of marketing, NYU Stern

Some Brands Involved:

Apple, Tommy Hilfiger, Uber, eBay, PepsiCo, KFC, Lego, American Express, Facebook

Events You Might Like:

Human + Machine: Stronger Together In The Age Of Co-Creation
Microsoft and Adobe discuss future technologies that will drive the unprecedented opportunities of human and machine combining forces to co-create.

Biometrics: The New Frontier In VR Brand Experience
A look at how live biometrics create a real-time design feedback loop that enhances both creativity and ROI.

F*ck-Ups: The Mother Of Reinvention
Experts share their harrowing tales of failure and how they were harnessed into success. This panel hopes to teach an ability to accept failure, cut through friction, and move on more readily.