Field Notes from Cannes
What we learned about media, content, and branding at Cannes.
This week we travelled back from our first time at Cannes, where as usual, we lay out our perspective on aesthetics and more modern media than you’ll likely hear elsewhere. We’re excited to share details below as well as some guest thoughts from friends at NYX, Vayner, LoveSac and more.
Since we’re returned we’re back in our normal zone, Oren’s documented obscure Chinese photo shoot locations, and Clayton talked about boutique sound system culture.
This week Clayton takes the wheel on our field notes below, and we hope you enjoy.
How to measure your content creator performance
Paid and organic are no longer separate lanes.
But Meta is changing how brands use creator content—taking what used to be “whitelisting” and turning it into a broader Partnership Ads system that lets brands run creator content with or without brand handles.
That’s where Superfiliate’s Meta Ads Suite enters the chat.
Now you can:
Simplify ad account access with one-click authentication (no more Meta Business Manager bottlenecks)
Unify campaign performance tracking so you can see what creator content drives real results
Manage creator partnerships from a single place, from launch through amplification
More performance for paid teams. More visibility for influencer teams.
And fewer missed chances to scale great content.
This segment is in partnership with Superfiliate.
Cannes Recap
We recently got back from a wild week at Cannes Lions.
It’s hard to describe the full spectrum of what happened—equal parts surreal, inspiring, chaotic, and clarifying. So we’ll start with a journal entry from Oren that captures the essence better than anything else. Scroll for that.
This was our first time at Cannes, and honestly, we pulled up with no expectations. But what we walked away with is this: the old guard of media and marketing is colliding—loudly—with the next wave.
We all know he players have changed.
Platforms like TikTok, Pinterest, and DoorDash are sitting alongside brands at the table. And now—for the first time—so are creators. Not on the sidelines. But as a legitimate part of the present and future of brand building.
We were lucky to be invited out by our friends at Darkroom (one of the sharpest performance agencies in the game) to make content during the week. Our guy Ashwinn pulled up, we rented a ‘66 Pagoda (yes, really), and filmed through the madness.
I think next year we’ll host our own Creator House. More on that later.
Here’s some of what we got into…
AI in Shopping
Yes, this was always going to be a topic of discussion for 2025. Everyone in their mother was yapping AI. And we’re all a little tired of it. Not because we we’re afraid of it as much as we see everyone frozen by it.
At the ground level, brands and agencies seem to know they need to track AI and its development in the consumer space, but no one knows how to apply it to their business.
Which is the exact problem we see on the creator/creative side of branding. All these tools exist, but no one knows how to channel them in the right way.
When we were at the Vayner Villa — a space where they brought in brands to activate with — we saw this AI tool that would take your picture and spit out photos of your in new outfits.
Like a personal stylist. And that was cool in a way. Obviously, you can see how far there is to go for tools like this to get good, but there are real, practical use cases here that I think can work for people who are trying to develop their own style and taste but don’t know where to start.
And until a more practical tool like this becomes available, I wonder whether brands and agencies will continue sitting on their hands about the application of it all.
Pinterest did it right
A LOT of money was spent on useless booths, activations, and installations at Cannes. Gotta spend the money somehow, I guess. But in what felt like a sea of sameness with low-quality merch, endless panel talks, and frozen marg happy hours, Pinterest’s Manifestival cabana was phenomenally executed.
We went by to check the vibes, and it was comfortably busy all day, with stations and DIY setups everywhere. Hat embroidery, artwork tables, bracelets, and jewelry making.
They had creators locked in in a way no one else could, and it was a refreshing deviation from the norm.
So what does this all mean for brands? Did anyone actually learn anything? Oren, Ashwinn and Jordan did a full hour deep dive on this week’s Brandfathers:
That interview
So… we interviewed Gary Vaynerchuk. The beauty of Cannes is the connections, accessibility, and willingness to talk about the industry that happens when you get so many marketers in one place.
We’ll release our convo this Sunday with a transcript in this week’s HYPER (and in true Gary Vee fashion… reworked and repurposed far and wide).
What the people said
I (Clayton) sat underneath the mist fans at the Vayner Café one afternoon and spoke to all kinds of lovely people from the industry about their work, what they’re up to, and how they see the worlds in which they work.
Got to speak with executives, marketers, etc., put a Rode mic in front of them, and let them yap about their business.
Here were some fun insights I pulled from a few of those conversations…
NYX Beauty
Denée Pearson (Global President) and Yasmin Dastmalchi (GM)
The future of AI/AR in cosmetics
“We’re about to launch v.2 of our Beauty Bestie program in partnership with Snapchat. It’s a generative AI experience where users can open their camera and instantly get personalized makeup recommendations.
Foundation shades, lip colors, or products to enhance specific features—this tool functions like a virtual makeup artist in your pocket. Over time, it’ll even adapt to your mood, the weather, or time of day.
And it’s not just about AR filters or gimmicks—it’s about utility. We want anyone, anywhere to feel confident picking the right product without stepping into a store.
VaynerMedia
Rob Lenois, Chief Creative Officer
Creators aren’t talent for hire, they’re co-architects
“Too many brands still treat creators like rented talent—hand them a script, give them a deadline, hope for magic. That misses the point.
Creators are platform-native storytellers. They understand the pulse of culture better than most agency decks ever will. If you bolt them onto a campaign at the end, you’re leaving 80 % of their value on the table.
We bring them in from the first whiteboard session. Let them help shape the hook, the visuals, the distribution plan. When creators co-architect the idea, the work feels native, not forced—and performance jumps because audiences can smell authenticity a mile away.”
LoveSac
Heidi Cooley (Chief Brand Officer)
On showing up where it matters, regardless of price point
“It doesn’t matter whether you’re selling something for $50 or $5,000. The approach is the same. You have to show up where people are spending time—in real, authentic ways.
That means telling the story clearly: the product, the purpose, the partnerships. If you do that consistently, you earn trust—and trust drives action.”
Ben Dietz
Creative Consultant
On turning the legacy media landscape on its head
“What used to be a clean, linear system—brand > agency > platform—is now completely mixed up. Platforms have taken over media buying. Creators are the production arm. Brands are launching in-house studios and skipping middlemen.
Everyone is trying to do everyone else’s job. And while that sounds chaotic, it’s actually full of opportunity—because the hierarchy is gone.
If you’re nimble, if you understand distribution and attention, and you can tell a story that resonates in-feed, you don’t need to wait in line anymore. You just need to ship.”
A word on French packaging
This was the sleeper hit of the trip. When you’re in a location like Cannes, during a branding festival, it’s only fitting that you pay homage to the ornate, colorful, opulent packaging of CPG at your local French grocers.
It’s interesting how much cutesy branding has become a thing in the US, particularly in packaging, and yet here we have normal brands that you can’t find anywhere else, offering some absolute bangers.
Long live Sardines, and long live French packaging.
Hyper Reports
Check out our market reports. We spend many hours researching markets, categories, and brands & products within the consumer space so you don’t have to.
I love what Ben had to say this moment of creative realignment. Hierarchies are dissolving, and with that comes a new kind of leverage. If you’re close to the story and the audience, you’re already ahead. When the chain of command breaks, creativity moves faster. The ones who can build, ship, and resonate in real time are rewriting the rules. Good read this week guys.
Good hang in Cannes with you dudes. Again... next year?!