Cannes Lions Festival - Day 4

Today I woke up slightly later than I expected and ran over to see a talk with Ryan Reynolds called, The Next Generation of Storytelling. Despite waking up late, I was still able to get a seat in the front row, which was a surreal experience.

A few quotes that stood out to me were:

1. "Culture moves fast, so speed becomes very important."

2. "Human emotion makes the most fire."

3. "Consumers know they are being marketed too."

4. "The enemy of creativity is too much time and money."

5. "Sometimes perfection is imperfection."

Then, our class met at the WPP beach, where we heard from Gymshark, TikTok, and AKQA.

A few quotes that stood out to me were:

1. "Gen T (Generation TikTok) is the new Gen Z."

2. "Utilize creators to help tell your story."

3. "Retail is not about selling, it's about communicating your brand."

After that, I headed over to a talk about the rise of virtual influencers called, But Are They Real? This was one of my favorite talks I have attended since being in Cannes. I have always been interested in influencer marketing, but from listening to talks all week, it seems like the industry is dying. Virtual influencers will be the next big cultural phenomenon.

A few quotes that stood out to me were:

1. "Consumers feel more connected to avatars than real people."

2. "96% of people don't trust influencers."

3. "There is a falling engagement rate for influencers due to issues around trust."

4. "9% of Gen Z wants to stay on social media."

5. "Creators are more about content and have loyal fans."

6. "If you can't experience something in real life, you will want to experience it in the metaverse."

Then, I headed over to Meta Beach, where they hosted a talk with the Head of Digital at the Palace of Versailles, the Innovation Lead at Coachella, and an AR Creator and Art Director at Buck called Coachella X Versailles: (RE)creating Culture. They talked about how with AR, more people can experience an event like Coachella.

A few quotes that stood out to me were:

1. "You can tell any story through AR, you just need an active audience engagement."

2. "AR should solve a problem as well as be entertaining and fun."

3. "AR gives consumers the opportunity to be the main character."

4. "Even old brands like Versailles need to continue to innovate."

After that, I went to MediaLink where Paris Hilton gave another talk about NFT's and the Metaverse. She was one of the nicest people I met at Cannes. She took the time to talk to me, ask questions, and even told me she loved the color of my eyes.

Then, I went to the TikTok's Sound On Soirée where Charm La Donna performed. I also ran into Robert Mayhew & Benji Park, who I saw speak on a TikTok panel the first day in Cannes.

Finally, I ended my night at the Place de la Castre, which is where the Cannes sign is displayed. It was cool to be able to see it so close instead of seeing it from a distance.