The Cannes Lions Festival is one of the most coveted events for the creative and marketing communications industry.
Also known as the International Advertising Festival, it celebrates the very best of creativity and innovation. As such, it’s also become a playground for some of the world’s biggest brand names to showcase what they can do while also having a little fun along the way.
The event returned in-person this year, offering industry professionals and companies the chance to reconnect following two years of COVID-related disruptions. Here’s an overview of our favourite activations from the 2022 festival.
Snapchat and Vogue’s AR exhibition
Snapchat partnered with British Vogue to deliver a futuristic augmented reality (AR) exhibition at this year’s festival around ‘redefining the body’, curated by editor-in-chief and Vogue European editorial director Edward Enninful.
Hosted at the Centre d’art La Malmaison, the activation used AR to show how physical fashion designs can be enhanced and transformed through Snapchat lenses and other innovative digital experiences.
It presented designs from Versace, Dior, Gucci, Balenciaga, and more, offering visitors the chance to immerse themselves in each designer’s creative vision while walking through specially designed rooms.
Twitter Beach
Returning to Cannes Lions, Twitter Beach provided an oasis for connection and conversations amongst visitors with shaded spaces for meetings, talks and celebrating.
Spotify Beach brings the party
Spotify certainly brought music, culture, and celebration to this year’s festival for its biggest ever presence.
During the day, Spotify leaders hosted a wide range of thought-provoking panels with some of its podcast creators and industry leaders, including podcaster and journalist Jemele Hill, Batman Unburied actors Winston Duke and Hasan Minhaj, and Teenager Therapy podcast co-hosts Kayla Suarez and Thomas Pham.
Once the sun set over the Croisette, live performances from some of the world’s hottest artists, including Kendrick Lamar, Post Malone, and Dua Lipa, made sure it was an event to remember.
Pinterest’s vibrant oasis
Pinterest’s activation this year was designed around encouraging people to take risks and try something new.
The social platform created a vibrant space at the Carlton Beach Club where it hosted unique activations and creator workshops. The activities included aura photography, screen printing and mindful drawing, offering each guest a trend-inspired experience.
Inside its ‘Pinterest Predicts’ parlour, guests could get a bejewelled ponytail, galaxy-themed nails, and even a trendy micro tattoo if they fancied something more permanent. The ‘Gifting Gallery’ also provided the perfect place to find a present for someone special.
Amazon makes its Cannes Lions debut
For the first time, Amazon had a presence at the festival, but instead of choosing a seaside location like most companies, it opted for a port instead.
The Amazon Port was a 27,000-square foot space that included multiple outdoor and indoor stages.
Guests could sip iced coffees and cocktails while listening to guest speakers and music performances, while there were also wellness classes to join.
Creativity and the metaverse come together with Meta Beach
Continuing with the seaside trend, Meta brought all of its brands into one space at ‘Meta Beach’, featuring a whole array of activities throughout the event.
Meta’s aim this year was to bring attendees early glimpses of the renowned metaverse, highlighting what may be possible in the future and sharing the opportunities available to businesses now.
As such, we were on hand to support our client, brand experience agency Jack Morton, by ensuring the event ran smoothly. We provided 64 experienced brand ambassadors across the three days to help with the full range of experiential activations and learning experiences on offer, aimed at showcasing the power of creativity on communities.
Brand ambassador tasks included assisting attendees with the check-in process, facilitating all meetings at the Hotel Barrière Le Majestic Cannes and encouraging attendees to interact with the supporting REELS super studio and WhatsApp experience.
As the world’s only truly global event staffing partner, we’ve supported many of the world’s top brands in creating truly unforgettable experiences at some of the biggest and most exclusive events. If you’re interested in finding out how we can take your festival campaign to the next level, please contact your local Elevate office.
