Noorings: The Life Outside The Palais

Many marketers at Cannes Lions took the opportunity to say that this is an industry where everything is changing and yet nothing is changing. The ‘everything’ is more connected to the progress and change in consumer behaviour, the impact of technology on everything and how access to data, the conversation of privacy and those who understand tech are changing the game.

What does not change is of course the role of marketing in fostering growth and driving business outcomes. The fundamental role of creativity in solving complex problems in interesting ways does not change.

What also does not change is the role of the agencies as partners to the marketers. The noticeable decrease in the presence of consultancies compared to previous years is a case in point. While consultancies continue to participate in the festival, the once-prominent narrative that they would soon replace traditional agencies has significantly diminished.

Life outside the Palais des Festivals, the primary venue of the Cannes Lions for want of a better description, is sometimes more interesting during this week.

Stakeholders from diverse sectors use this European get-together to forge new partnerships, discuss business strategiesand explore innovative growth opportunities. The festival has become synonymous with bold thinking, often serving as the birthing ground for industry shifts.

It was at Cannes Lions a few years ago, when the idea to merge Omnicom and Publicis germinated. Although the merger ultimately did not materialise,  the mere proposition shows the festival’s role in sparking ambitious thoughts within the industry.

This year’s festival continues the tradition of similar buzz and conversations focusing on the future direction of the industry and potential changes in the structure and status quo of holding companies.

It appears that the rest of this year will continue to be an interesting one for mergers and acquisitions.

Noor Fathima Warsia

BW Reporters A veteran journalist in business and corporate journalism, Noor Fathima Warsia is the Group Editorial Director of India’s oldest business publication, BW Businessworld. In her role, Noor leads the editorial initiatives across BW Businessworld’s flagship product and communities focused on education, startups, healthcare and wellbeing, media & marketing, gaming, HR and legal among others. In a career spanning more than two decades, Noor has led the publishing of the flagship BW Businessworld magazine and its community magazines, guided the online editorial team and led communities such as BW Marketing World apart from working on editorial-led IPs such as BW Most Influential Women, BW India’s Most Sustainable Companies, BW Top 50 Marketers and more.