A round up of our key takeaways after making a splash in the south of France.
It can be an assault on the senses with the heat, rain, sun burn, heavy shoes, achy knees, ridiculously high step counts and last minute shopping trips. But the buzzing atmosphere and being able to see all the unique installations makes it all worth it. Being part of something so exciting is a privilege.
Working with the team setting up the Yahoo Beach, T-Mobile Cabana, Braze Cabana and an apartment take-over for Roku was an absolute joy. Everyone was in high spirits and it was a Cannes Lions we can all be proud of. One of my favourite parts of the festival is being able to take the studio team off to explore all the other agencies and brands work on the first day of live.
Here is a quick roundup of what we thought and our key takeaways:
• Ice cream
Ice cream melts faster than you can say melt. Even though it sounds like the perfect snack to give away, most people were covered in at least 5 flavours by the end of the day.
• Iridescence
Iridescent is in. We saw this popping up in many places all down the Croisette with the pinnacle of an idyllic iridescent escape being Yahoo beach.
• Simplicity
Simplicity is key. It is all in the detail. A lot of brands including Meta and Medialink felt very simple in design with lots of lovely small details and materials being used to enhance the spaces and offerings.
• Swag
Swag is still super popular. Swag displays were getting raided within seconds of being topped up with fans and suncream still firm favourites.
• Immersive involvement
Getting hands on is still a winner. Pinterest Manifestival, Sports Beach and Amazon Port all drew people in with activities as they have in the past which were still proving as popular as ever. Amazon had many interactive installations for all of their brands including unlocking AR filters and using AI to turn your picture into a masterpiece. Pinterest was full of hands on activities all speaking to what is trending on the platform keeping people engaged in the space and of course their infamous tattoo parlour made an appearance. Meta also brought their platform to life by encouraging attendees to interact with their offerings for themselves.
Specifically, Instagram partnered Es Devlin, renowned artist and designer, for the immersive ‘Stories’ installation, fusing tech, design and storytelling into a celebration of Instagram’s leading role in business and culture.
2024 certainly was a memorable Cannes. The Wednesday night Yahoo Beach party saw lights and neons come alive as iridescent graphics danced in the light, palm trees swayed gently, and the arch-designed stage backdrop perfectly framed the sea – all set to the Chainsmokers playing live. It was the stuff of legends. Get in touch with us to talk about Cannes 2025 – we can’t wait!
Check out our previous case studies here.
